So 5

Hooray!

2008-01-25T01:57:00.001-05:00

I'm engaged! Craig asked me to marry him and I said yes!

Here's my pretty pretty ring:

I'm such a lucky girl!

:)

Examiness

2007-12-12T11:36:00.000-05:00

In honor of Skye's exam-takey-ness this week, I thought I would offer up a top ten list.

Sonja's Top Ten Reasons I'm Glad I Didn't Go Back to School (in no particular order)

1. I'm so over that whole cliques thing. I don't know if that happens in law school because, hey, you're all law dorks, right? But still. I'm socially stunted and can't deal with it.
2. Homework, ohmygod, homework. Home and work are two things that should not go together.
3. Grades beyond "above satisfactory" or "below satisfactory." Um, do letter grades exist in law school either? I, obviously, know little to nothing about higher education, but I know know that letter grades give me the heebie-jeebies.
4. Effort. You mean I actually have to apply myself at something I'm not getting paid for? Nay, I have to apply myself at something I'm paying for? Sounds pretty backwards to me.
5. Smart people scare me. They make me feel very dumb, especially when they talk about smart people things.
6. Classes. Unless it's a writing workshop, I'll skip it, thanks.
7. Professors. Yeah, professors.
8. Exams-- You have to take exams to get in, and then exams once you get in, and then exams after you're out so that you can actually work. Craziness. Pure craziness.

That's all I can think of, so now here are the top two reasons I think Skye is awesome for going to law school (only two because I have to round out the ten I promised):

1. She is following her dream. She wants to be a lawyer and she's going to be a lawyer.
2. She is going to make the Best Lawyer Ever.

Good luck on exams!

Best. Review. Evar!

2007-12-06T14:26:00.000-05:00

Craig found this litter box the other day and thought it was a great idea...

CatGenie-Self Washing, Self Flushing Cat Box (as seen on amazon.com)

Until he read this review:

An expensive way to smell poo
September 18, 2007
154 of 160 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
By N A "Cat Lover" (Tampa, FL)
Cat Genie takes the small unpleasantness of daily cleaning the litter and it saves it up and releases that unpleasantness as one big unscheduled, unpleasant inconvenience every week or two. Advanced monitors will ensure that the device failure will occur during the workday, as you prepare for your important meeting with your prospective client. Nothing like cleaning out wet cat poo in your nicest suit. Or, you may be pleasantly awoken in the middle of the night by the repeating three beeps of "there's poo and hair in the hopper." You will become more familiar with your cat's feces every day as the cat genie gently fills your home with the aroma of baking excrement. Plus, you get to pay over $300 for technology that was "designed" and built for less than $2. The "processor" unit was designed in 1967 and allows all the functionality of the most advanced microchip devices of its era. It has both on and off modes. (Note: off mode available only while unplugged.)

Actually, the real reason for the high cost of the device is to cover the costs of all the customer support that they must provide and to cover the costs of all of the returned units. The question is not IF, but WHEN you will find yourself hunched over your cat's feces floating in a pool of fetid water, picking small plastic pellets out of the opaque, pungent water with your fingers so that you can get the device put back together.

And your cats will thank you by depositing their love bundles beside the machine that's half filled with water and beeping away forlornly if you happen to be away when it fails.

We have three cats, they had no trouble adjusting to the machine over about a week. The small plastic pellets getting everywhere in the house is not really any big deal. Roomba takes care of most of them well. We've now had the machine for three months. We received a replacement base last week for a leaky drain hose. We've called their customer service line enough times that we now know the "secret" diagnostic techniques of their experts. We don't know if we're going to keep it or return it. If we keep it, we're definitely going to install an exhaust fan in the laundry room, and set it to a timer to go when the unit is on. For some reason there are little bits of poo that fall between the tines of the hopper, and they get slow baked every time the unit dries itself. The stench is really outstanding. It's hard to describe. I'm a doctor, and I've rarely ever smelled anything so bad.

My recommendation is to wait for the next generation cat sanitation solution. That device will need to be a complete redesign to solve the myriad of problems with this unfortunate device. To say something positive, the customer support line is manned by kind, well-meaning kids who really do feel badly that you're having a hard time with your mechanical poo soup maker.

If you do buy this device, get some thick rubber gloves and a couple of towels that you won't use for anything else.

_____________________________________________________

Guess i won't be getting it for him for Christmas!

Snow!!

2007-12-01T15:51:00.000-05:00

I should be studying for my finals, but it was snowing this morning and darn it all, at the heart of it, i'm still a California girl that gets a real kick out any kind of snow. So i took our "snow dog" out in it. She doesn't seem that excited by it, but i was thrilled.

Now back to the studying...

All He Wants For Christmas

2007-11-20T13:31:00.001-05:00

Thanks for finally posting and making me come up with a topic. Oh oops that sounded more like a complaint than a thanks... but I guess that's sort of how I meant it. Heh. I'm so transparent.

I do have a topic though, and I need your help. (See title of this post-- doesn't it sound like one of those porny category romance novels I love so much? Note to self: write a porny category romance called All He Wants For Christmas... or read it if it already exists.)

I have been Christmas shopping and have bought at least one thing for every female on my list, but nothing for the many men I have to shop for. See, women are easy. Get us a sweater or earrings or a pretty dish and we're happy as we can be.

But men? They either don't have any hobbies, have hobbies that are so expensive you can't buy them any hobby accessories, buy everything they want as soon as they want it so there's nothing left on your list to buy them, or are just plain difficult to shop for. Oh if only we could buy a man a pair of earrings and be done with it, but no.

So, fair blog readers, I need your help: What are some good go-to gifts for guys? What do guys really want for Christmas? (And I'm thinking of guys other than my husband, so please don't go "there.") Thanks!

Ha ha... oops.

2007-11-18T18:52:00.001-05:00

I just checked the blog and realized it's been my turn to post for well over 2 weeks now. Sorry I suck so very much. At least we aren't filling up your inbox or RSS reader, right? Right?

I really have nothing to report, i just am posting because i feel hideously guilty and, oh yeah, want to shift the burden on to Sonja. (also, i have a quiz tomorrow and i REALLY don't feel like studying)

Maybe if you all clamor loudly enough in the comments, she'll post an excerpt from her book, which, by the way, is awesome.

Back to the Constitution!

Tips for NaNoWriMo

2007-10-29T10:10:00.001-05:00

I posted this on my personal blog last year, but the So 5 contingent needs some love now, so here are your tips for NaNoWriMo, stolen from various sources, I'm sure, but summed up here in my own special way:

1. Write. Every. Day. I cannot stress this enough. To stay in the groove, you need to write. every. day. If you skip a day, you're going to want to skip the next day too. That's just how we are. Here's an example: I used to be forced to run a whole lot during my misguided freshman year of college when I thought it would be cool to be in ROTC. I am a horrible runner. Horrible. But you know what I figured out? If you stop, it's way harder to get started again. Stop and walk that first time, and you're screwed for the rest of the run. Same thing for writing. Don't stop and walk, just keep running, even if it hurts (which it will from time to time).

2. Take it in small chunks. If you sit down at your computer, open up your word processor and say to yourself, "Self, I am going to write a novel now," I promise that your delicate psyche will scream and run away. But, if you sit down at your computer, open up your word processor and say to yourself, "Self, right now I am going to write the scene in which the zombie ninjas defeat the pirate robots," your delicate psyche will purr and settle in for a long writing session. This does, however, require some planning, which brings me to:

3. Plan. I'm not saying outline the heck out of it. I did that my first year and it served me well, but some people just don't do outlines. BUT even if you don't outline, you at least need an idea of where you're going when you sit down to write. This prevents that whole staring at the monitor and drooling for twenty minutes before beginning phenomenon. Try just taking a few minutes during the day to decide where you want to go when you begin your writing for the day. Use a notepad or a notecard and write it down so that you'll have something to go on when you sit down to write.

4. Take notes. I expounded greatly on this in the NaBloPoMo entry, but it works for NaNoWriMo too. Hear a funny conversation on the bus? Jot it down in your notebook. You might be able to transcribe it directly later as a conversation between your characters. (Note: This might require the removal of your trendy white earbuds for a few days. Don't panic, your ears will still be capable of holding them properly if you go without for a while.)

5. Play with the toys. The NaNoWriMo site has alllll kinds of fun toys this year. You've got the forums, the chat, and the widgets, for starters. I know what you're thinking: But if I play with all the toys, won't that take away time from my writing? Technically, yes it will. But let me give you my personal experience regarding NaNo toys: My first year, I happily jumped into the forums and posted helter-skelter. I joined the chatroom and made friends and watched everyone's wordcounts grow. I challenged a blogging friend to wordcount wars. And I wrote 50,000 words in November. My sophomore NaNo year, I decided that I was a serious writer and would not waste time on all that other crap. I wrote about 15,000 words before I went "meh" and gave up. My theory on why is that I was not invested enough in the community. A big part of what makes NaNoWriMo doable for me is the community aspect. Everyone cheers each other, or challenges each other, and the give and take is something that keeps me going. Give it a try. I think you'll find it inspires you to keep going on those days when you'd really rather just watch eight consecutive hours of Grey's Anatomy than write.

6. Brag. See NaBloPoMo entry for my brilliant witticisms regarding bragging and self-loathing.

7. Turn off the editor. Unlike a blog, no one gets to read your novel unless you want them to. Your mother is not staring over your shoulder at the monitor going, "Don't use such crass language!" Make those little "you shouldn't" voices go away. It's your novel and you can write whatever you want. This is your first draft. It will not see the light of day until you are satisfied with it, so go ahead and put in everything you can think of. If you decide you do want to show it to your mother later and don't want her to see your crass language, you can take it out. Simple as that. But leave everything in for now.

8. Make back-ups. Nothing is more heartbreaking than losing hours of work because your file burped. Do everything you can to back it up. If you're not concerned about formatting, try http://docs.google.com. Other options to try are emailing your file to yourself. (If you need a bigger inbox for that, sign up for a free Gmail account.) You can also store your file on a USB thumb drive or even, if you're oldskool, a diskette. Another place to look for more tips is the technology forum at NaNoWriMo.org. The tech geeks alllllways have fun stuff for you to try.

9. Don't despair. Okay, so maybe you're on day 7 and you should have 10,000 words and you have 2,000 instead and all your friends have at least 11,000 and OH MY GOD YOU LOSER! Know what? Don't give up. Some people write practically their entire novel in the last two days. You are not done until November 30. Do not let yourself be done until then. Just keep plugging away at it, and try to get in some marathons on weekends to catch up. You can still make it!

10. Stay in touch. Even if you've told everyone in your social network about your November doings and they know to leave you alone because you are writing the next great American novel, you still need some social time. You will go crazy if you don't spend a little time watching TV or going out with your significant other or, you know, eating Thanksgiving dinner with your family. You can write at 9:30 p.m. when everyone has fallen asleep in front of the TV and there's nothing else to do, I promise.

Have fun and good luck!

My dog's a giant chicken. Or a ladybug...

2007-10-24T22:31:00.000-05:00

Here she is being intimidated by one of my cats. Admittedly, he is really fat, but she still outweighs him and is bigger than him. But look at her running away...

And here she is for Halloween! I love torturing my pets. Halloween = best reason to have a dog...

NaNoWriMo Kit

2007-10-17T11:44:00.000-05:00

I'm once again jumping into the NaNoWriMo fray this year. And, as always, I vow to win. Maybe this year, the month of November won't make me out to be a dirty stinkin' liar.

At least I have an idea this year. Last year I didn't even have that going for me. Ok, well, I did but it was a really Big Idea involving thematic elements I hadn't digested properly yet, and still haven't. Not a good thing to get going on when you don't know what you're really trying to "Say." And I mean "Say" as in capital-letter philosophically theologically "Say."

This year I'm tackling something that's been marinating in my Idea Book for... gosh... years, I think. I should probably start dating that stuff when I add it to the Idea Book so I'll know how long it's been sitting in my subconscious before I pick it up and do something with it. Then again, that might be depressing. If every idea has to marinate for two years, that's not really a good thing.

Um, so I had a point. Oh right. I was going to share my NaNoWriMo survival kit with you all. It's not unlike my regular writing kit, but NaNoWriMo gives me an excuse to talk about it with you. Here it is:

1. Laptop- To any of you long-handers, you have my sympathies, and you may also have my crazy pills. You need them more than I do.

2. Fingerless black gloves I bought last year- so awesome.

3. The Nano chat room, where I can whine, complain, swear, and generally be a pain in the butt when I'm not writing.

4. Photoshop- Shut up, you know you waste countless hours designing signature banners instead of writing. Procrastination is totally part of the process.

5. A snazzy word-tracking spreadsheet. I must see my progress.

6. A random person willing to talk me through plot problems. Takers?

7. A Nano t-shirt. I need one. If I spend the money on a t-shirt, then I HAVE to win, on principle.

8. Many shoulder massages from understanding and supportive husband.

9. The Idea Book and matching black roller pen. All ideas go in the idea notebook before Nano starts and then I look at them as I'm writing if I get stuck.

10. Random puppy kisses from the very kissy puppy.

What's in your writing kit?

It's my turn!

2007-10-09T15:57:00.000-05:00

I know that I'm supposed to have something to say... preferably something witty. But gosh darn it, I've got nothing. I mean, my life is all about going to school, going home, taking care of the puppy, going back to school, going home, taking care of the puppy, doing homework, taking care of the puppy. And there you have it. My life: not exactly conducive to wittiness. Unless of course I deteriorate into potty humor jokes about my dog. And I'm not quite that far gone.

So in an effort to find humor in my life, I'm submitting to our readership a list of funny/dumb laws that are really on the books:

Alabama

* It is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle.
* Dominoes may not be played on Sunday.
* It is illegal to wear a fake mustache that causes laughter in church.

California

* Sunshine is guaranteed to the masses.
* Animals are banned from mating publicly within 1,500 feet of a tavern, school, or place of worship.
* Bathhouses are against the law. [Get the full text of this law.]
* It is a misdemeanor to shoot at any kind of game from a moving vehicle, unless the target is a whale.
* Women may not drive in a house coat.

Florida

* Women may be fined for falling asleep under a hair dryer, as can the salon owner.
* A special law prohibits unmarried women from parachuting on Sunday or she shall risk arrest, fine, and/or jailing.
* If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle.
* It is illegal to sing in a public place while attired in a swimsuit.
* Men may not be seen publicly in any kind of strapless gown.
* Having sexual relations with a porcupine is illegal.
* It is illegal to skateboard without a license.
* When having sex, only the missionary position is legal.

Kansas

* Prohibits shooting rabbits from a motorboat.

Louisiana

* It is illegal to rob a bank and then shoot at the bank teller with a water pistol.

Indiana

* It is illegal for a liquor store to sell cold soft drinks.
* Liquor stores may not sell milk.

Michigan

* You may not swear in front of women and children in the state of Michigan.

Nebraska

* It is illegal for bar owners to sell beer unless they are simultaneously brewing a kettle of soup.

New York

* A fine of $25 can be levied for flirting. This old law specifically prohibits men from turning around on any city street and looking "at a woman in that way." A second conviction for a crime of this magnitude calls for the violating male to be forced to wear a "pair of horse-blinders" wherever and whenever he goes outside for a stroll.
* It is against the law to throw a ball at someone's head for fun.
* A license must be purchased before hanging clothes on a clothesline.
* The penalty for jumping off a building is death.

North Dakota

* Beer and pretzels can't be served at the same time in any bar or restaurant.
* It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep with your shoes on.

Ohio

* It is illegal to fish for whales on Sunday.
* It is illegal to get a fish drunk.

Pennsylvania

* A person is not eligible to become Governor if he/she has participated in a duel.

Texas

* It is illegal to take more than three sips of beer at a time while standing.
* It is illegal to drive without windshield wipers. You don't need a windshield, but you must have the wipers.
* It is illegal for one to shoot a buffalo from the second story of a hotel.
* It is illegal to milk another person's cow.
* A recently passed anticrime law requires criminals to give their victims 24 hours notice, either orally or in writing, and to explain the nature of the crime to be committed.
* The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer at home.

Wisconsin

* You must manually flush all urinals in a building.
* Butter substitutes are not allowed to be served in state prisons.

Don't you all wish that you were in law school now?

So 5 Fashion

2007-10-03T09:39:00.000-05:00

I'm totally famous... or at least my shoes are. Check me out at Shoewawa, one of my favoritest sites because I lurve pretty shoes. Skye and I discussed these particular shoes not even a few days ago. I believe we were considering the merits of orange shoes and I couldn't resist adding that I have a lovely pair of lime green slides.

In other fashion news, the Forbes contingent of the So 5 parentage contributed to our wardrobes with Pithy-Sayings Sweatshirts. They are So 5. I promise a picture shortly... um, as soon as I can unbury my camera from the post-vacation pile o' crap. Thank you, Forbes contingent of the So 5 parentage! We think you are the... um... 5-iest.

Oh, and guess what! I'm actually, like, writing again. So awesome, I know. Ok, so I've only written a page. But the idea is totally cool and I'm going to write more tonight. My excuse from last night is that I didn't get home until 10:30 because I have a big SUCKER sign tattooed on my forehead and got button-holed into planning, setting up, and cleaning up a reception for 150 people. Fabulous. Also it was my anniversary. However, when I gave Romeo a completely free opportunity to play off the fact that he forgot our anniversary by saying, "Happy anniversary, honey," he replied, "Oh I forgot that was today." Smooth, baby. Smooth.

Don't have the time to post...

2007-09-26T15:21:00.001-05:00

So I'm going to post a series of emails I've been exchanging with a friend this week.

Read from the bottom up... The basic gist is that my friend, Ahren, who lives in Washington wants my brother Bryn to move to Seattle. I want Bryn to move to Portland. Thus we are locked in a battle to the death. Of something.

_____________________________

You have restored your honor, Skye-san. And no hurry on the shirt.

Thanks,

Ahren

----- Original Message ----
From: Skye
To: Ahren
Cc: Bryn
- Hide quoted text -
Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 10:36:17 PM
Subject: Re: You lose, sucker.

I've had a change of heart. I've realized that all this threatening each other isn't right. We all need to learn to get along. Since, after all, we'll still want to be friends after Bryn moves to Portland.

As a gesture of my goodwill, I'll be returning the t-shirt, unharmed. In fact, cleaner than it was. The only delay may be in finding the time to actually go to a post office. But rest assured, your beloved shirt will return home someday.

Remember that when you're angry that Bryn picked Portland. We Oregonians treated you and your shirt with respect.

Skye "The Peacemaker"

On 9/24/07, Ahren wrote:

I believe you mean ninjas and "terrorists". But yes, they can -- coconut smoothies can heal all wounds.

Ahren

----- Original Message ----
From: Bryn
To: Ahren
Cc: Skye
Sent: Monday, September 24, 2007 1:52:11 PM
Subject: Re: You lose, sucker.

Just a rumor I heard: Ninjas and Pirates can happily coexist in Hawaii.

Bryn

Ahren wrote:
> Furby,
>
> Let's get something straight. As a veteran fan of action movies,
> something as mundane as tempered glass is woefully insufficient to
> thwart any rescue attempt I might make. Bruce Willis handled this in
> the first Die Hard movie by simply shooting the glass, and he wasn't
> even wearing shoes. This is of course in lieu of the more subtle
> ninja-esque techniques I would deploy, such as laser cutters or small
> charges at the corners of the window. Or something more badass like
> having Taiko crash through it with a motorcycle -- you just won't know
> until it happens.
>
> And while your dog is cute, we have virtually unlimited access to all
> manner of cute rental dogs for chick-attraction purposes. However,
> Bryn might end up with one permanently, so he should take that under
> consideration.
>
> Lastly, your crass threats about the tortuous death of my shirt only
> further solidify your position on the lunatic fringe of society. My
> shirt is prepared to die for Bryn -- it knew what it was in for when
> it signed on.
> Ninja Ahren
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Skye
> To: Ahren
> Cc: Bryn
> Sent: Monday, September 24, 2007 10:27:40 AM
> Subject: Re: You lose, sucker.
>
> Okay, Ninja weirdo. Actually, I value that bizarro frosted glass
> window over our staircase very little, so feel free to come crashing
> through it at any time, shirt rescue or no. Of course, the reason
> it's frosted in the first place is because it had to be replaced with
> tempered glass, so the liklihood is that you'll just go bouncing off
> of it and bruise yourself. You're not as young as Bryn anymore.
>
> As for the CNC router sneakiness, we still have a Siberian Husky chick
> magnet that you cannot hope to compete with. Feel free to mail the
> pieces of Bryn's new Portland house down here at any time. Perhaps
> you can drive them down personally when you show up to NOT break into
> our house via the ugly window.
>
> The shirt is being treated very well, for now. It has been washed and
> is enjoying a relaxing life. Unless of course you do not immediately
> cease and desist all communications with my brother (the future
> Oregonian), in which case it'll be mailed back to you, piece by piece.
>
> Negotiate with that, buddy.
>
> Skye
>
> On 9/24/07, *Ahren* wrote:
>
> Don't be surprised if my next stunt is a Delta Force style,
> grappling hook enabled rescue attempt of my shirt. I don't
> negotiate with terrorists, especially Oregonian weirdoes. If you
> value the frosted window over your staircase, I suggest you
> refrain from harming it.
>
> That being said, the shirt is kind of old, cost me $12 at Target,
> and has a bleach spot on it. I don't know that it's worth the
> cost of shipping. Unless you were to include cookies as a peace
> offering.
>
> Bryn, I hope you can see that this sort of extortion is just part
> of the campaign of lies being run by the Portlanders. Also, I got
> my CNC router running this weekend, which is just one more reason
> for you to move to Seattle. I'll start cutting out the pieces for
> your new Seattle house on it this evening.
>
> Ahren "Chuck Norris"
>
> PS My address is:
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Skye
> To: Ahren
> Cc: Bryn
> Sent: Monday, September 24, 2007 9:11:29 AM
> Subject: You lose, sucker.
>
> We're holding your "I do all my own stunts" t-shirt hostage.
> Ransom: give up your foolish attempts to make Bryn move to
> Washington. As soon as he moves to Portland, you'll see your
> shirt again. Assuming we have a current address for you, of course.
>
> Remember, no more "Bryn moves to Washington" crap.
>
> Skye
>
>
>

Pity and Lame-ness

2007-09-24T15:38:00.000-05:00

Um, so I've been back for over a week now, and I'm still forcing Skye to post in my stead. I guess that's kind of rude of me. So I'm posting now. Everyone leave a comment on Skye's post though, so she'll know that you are a pity commenter and she won't feel so bad about my vast numbers of minions who hop on over here to comment because I brow-beat them and promise them goodies if they'll only please just comment fortheloveofgod.

I don't have much to say, really. My vacation was grand, spectacular, fantabulous. All that. Plus I didn't fall off the ship. So that was awesome.

Skye asked me on chat today whether I have been writing anything lately, to which question the answer is a resounding and lame-assed "no." I know, I totally suck. Skye said she hasn't written anything either, but she has this little excuse called Law School. I have no excuse besides the fact that I am super lame. So this must stop. I will not be super lame. I refuse.

But what should I write? Any ideas? I could:

a) finish the Western I started, although I've decided that it will have to be full-length as opposed to the 10k or so I had originally envisioned because I'm not selling shorts to eBook people any more unless they can promise me my royalty checks won't suck. Greedy much? Yes, but at least I admit it.

b) start a Regency like I've been saying I'm gonna. I read a lot of Regencies, so in some ways it makes sense for me to write one. In other ways, it makes no sense at all: (1) research gives me hives; (2) most of my story ideas involve contemporary situations. So I'm torn.

c) work on Spooky, the tale of 3 sisters cursed to be the crone, mother, and maiden every full moon. It's kind of kooky and weird and I'm not sure where I'm going with it, but it has potential.

d) procrastinate until November, which is National Novel Writing Month and which I vow to win this year.

e) start something totally new.

So what do you think? Do you even care? Wait, don't answer that last one...

I give up.

2007-09-22T23:49:00.000-05:00

I post, begging for comments, and no one leaves me anything. Sonja posts about random stuff and gets 11 comments. 11! I'm so jealous. And it's obvious who people are here to read. My words echo in the vast cavern of the internet.

Anywho, enough pity party. I was going to quit very dramatically and never write again, but that wouldn't be so 5 of me now, would it.

So you're stuck with me. Assuming i can find time in my busy schedule of school, homework, puppy, unpacking, and relationship to cobble together a few words that no one reads.

Boo hoo. I'm off to cry into my unpacked boxes.

The Big Move

2007-09-09T12:20:00.000-05:00

Okay, so it's not quite as big a move as the last one, since it's not across country or anything, but it is a big deal in the sense that we're finally moving into our house! Hooray! Our moving date is 9/15, this coming Saturday. But between puppy and homework, we haven't even begun to start packing our things.

Does anyone have any tips for packing up their stuff? We should be experts by now, given this is our 5th move in less than 2 years, but for some reason, we're still not as efficient as we should be. We did a whole lot better when we didn't have jobs. Maybe that's the secret!

Anyone have any tips that aren't quitting? We didn't unpack a lot of boxes, which helps, but we still need to repack our kitchen and clothes and the like. Help me out! Better yet, come to Portland and help! :)

In the grand tradition of So 5, I'm posting for my partner while she is off gallivanting on vacation. Of course, usually it's me that gets to gallivant, so i'm a little jealous. But still, new puppy. Almost makes up for it.

So now that school has started and autumn is on its way, what is everyone up to? Come on people, I'm whoring myself out for comments here. I could post more pictures of Tifa, if that would help :)

We're not dead! Yet!

2007-09-02T18:51:00.000-05:00

I'm such a slacker for not writing. But honestly, my first week of law school should serve as a valid excuse. They aren't kidding when they tell you that grad school isn't like undergrad. Good god, people, homework before we even have class? Yikes. So yeah, i've been busy reading law books, which are dense. Not like romance novels... which I much prefer. Still, the stuff is interesting and I'm learning a lot. Or so i keep telling myself.

As for Sonja, who i know most of you are here for (no body loves me, everybody hates me...) she's off having a fabulous time on a cruise. I'm quite sure i'm not supposed to be jealous, since I did just get back from a fabulous trip to France, but still... cases like Marbury v. Madison, written in 1803 or sipping cocktails on a cruise ship. Hmm... tough call.

Still, there is a bright spot in my life... well, okay, a few. One, my fabulous boyfriend, who's been super nice to me about my complaining about my first week (okay, more like complaining about the homework) and who just got a job! Hooray for him. The first interview he went to and they liked him so much they offered him the job during the interview. Dang, he's good.

And, he finally said yes to this:

Don't lie. You know you're jealous that i now own the cutest dog in the universe. To see more of Tifa (pronounced Tee-fa) come see my own blog for more pics!

Funkadelic

2007-08-23T09:27:00.000-05:00

Well if Skye's in a funk about school, I'm allowed to be in a funk about something, right? Ok, well, maybe I'm not. After all, my life is pretty awesome right now. I like my job, I got a cool new haircut, I'm selling stories on the side, and, oh yeah, I'm going on a two-week Caribbean cruise in September.

And yet, selfish creature that I am, I can still find stuff to be in a funk about. And, let me tell you, funkiness is not becoming on me. I do not have a cute pout.

So what do you do to get out of your funks? Shop for office supplies? Play with cute little kittens? Stay in bed all day with the covers over your head (which is my method of choice, heh)? Tell me in the comments and I'll put your name in the hat for a free PDF of "Love In Shadow."

Editing sucks. But France was awesome.

2007-08-21T10:28:00.000-05:00

I'm back! Yes, i know, i come and go a lot, so this probably isn't that exciting for everyone. But let's consider the implications of my being back this time.
One: I don't get to speak French anymore. Le sigh.
Two: I don't get to go anywhere anymore. I mean, school is starting on THURSDAY. Super le sigh.
Three: Well, i don't really know that i have a third point.

But yeah, here i am. At home. Trying to avoid the dread that creeps over me every time i consider the start of school.

I am working on my editing, however. Lots of people have had a lot of valid input. And some not so valid :) For instance, some people keep bringing up relevant plot points. Which is so unacceptable. I mean, come on, people. You should be finding comma errors, not valid mistakes. There should be NO valid mistakes. I am perfect. But still, they're finding them, so I'm fixing them. And i need to hurry to, since my free time rapidly goes away on THURSDAY.

Can you tell I'm fixated?

Sonja tried to cheer me up by getting me excited about buying office supplies. Which is pretty darn exciting. I do love me some good office supplies. Something about going to a staples makes me happy and lowers my shopping resistance. I'm always overwhelmed with an urge to buy things i REALLY don't need. Like pencils. I almost never use pencils. But i always really want to buy them. Or notebooks. and paper. and tape. Things i probably won't use in law school. But i want them anyway.

Other than my school supply obsession, i'm not really seeing the good in school. Maybe that's because i had so much fun in France. And this is the real reason why:

Yes. A cute little kitty. Un petit chatton. We discovered the mother and fed her. and then discovered she had babies. This is one of them, whom we named Helmut. There are two others, Tom Selleck (aka Magnum PI) and Adolph.

For more deets, see my blog. I'm going to try and post the cutest video of them :)

The Death Knell of Oscar Mayer

2007-08-15T10:50:00.001-05:00

Yes, I'm afraid it is time to put Lying Eyes six feet under, where it belongs. Ailments contributing to its timely demise:

A hero named Oswald Mayer (who does not, in fact, have a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A thank you).
A wishy-washy heroine who faints all the time.
Gigantic gaping holes in motivation.
Not enough evil.

So goodbye Oz and Anne. If you never see the light of day, it won't be too soon.

In happier news, I am going to gloat now because I get to read Skye's Battle for Valhalla before the rest of you schmucks get to, and it's awesome, and you're going to love it, but you can't see it yet because it's not published (but will be soon, I'm sure). Nyeh nyeh.

Anyways, back to the drawing board for me. Don't worry, I'm used to it. I've kind of been living on the drawing board lately.

Poor poor Detective Acker

2007-08-13T03:09:00.000-05:00

Have you noticed how many opinions people have? Just all on their own? And then, if you combined several people's opinions, you're bound to have much disagreement and variation. I mean, can't we all just get along?

For instance... I end the first chapter of my book with "I knew what I had seen. (paragraph break) Detective Acker was going to die."

Makes sense, right? I mean, that, on its own, implies Detective Acker's demise is imminent.

So, one of my editors tells me "Everyone is going to die. What makes Detective Acker special?" Seeing his point, I change the sentence to read: "Detective Acker was going to die soon."

Then, my most fabulous critiquer, Sonja, gets the chapters and leaves me a note next to that line that says: "I get why you changed it, but it lessens the impact. You should make die or death be the end of the sentence."

So i contemplate changing it back. Before i do, however, i consult with others. These are the suggestions that followed:

"Soon, Detective Acker would die."

"In the Pringles can of Detective Acker's life, only a few chips remained."

"I knew what i had seen: Detective Acker was going to die."

"In the Academy Awards of Detective Acker's life, the orchestra had already begun to swell"

"I knew what i had seen. (paragraph break) The mark. The mark of death."

and other such helpful suggestions. While i appreciate the input, i was just a little bit on mental overload, about this one freaking sentence. I mean, we all know Detective Acker is doomed. Do we really have to focus so much energy on it?

Poor Detective Acker.

Any of you have thoughts on how i should inform my readers of his imminent death? I eventually changed it back to what I'd originally said.

Detective Acker was going to die.

Skye Suce

2007-08-07T08:35:00.000-05:00

Skye est en France. Vous pourriez croire que je suis jaloux. Mais non. Je ne suis pas jaloux. Pourquoi? Parce que je suis une bonne personne. Alors, vraiment je suis jaloux. Je suis aussi un menteur. Je suis coincé dans Durham et c'est chaud et misérable. Skye suce.

Et vous? Est-ce que vous êtes jaloux de quelqu'un? Est-ce que vous êtes chauds et misérables aussi? Part.

And the translation (I think):

Skye is in France. You might think that I am jealous. But no. I am not jealous. Why? Because I am a good person. Ok, actually I am jealous. I am also a liar. I am stuck in Durham and it is hot and miserable. Skye sucks.

And you? Are you jealous of anyone? Are you hot and miserable too? Share.

Yep, that right there is an accumulation of like 5 semesters of French. And that's all I can squeeze out with the help of an instant internet translator. I am totally awesome.

Platitudes, Schmatitudes

2007-08-02T17:47:00.000-05:00

Unlike my darling critique partner, I don't need someone else creating annoying acronyms to keep me on track. I consider myself extremely lucky that i can announce that i just finished my WIP! Battle for Valhalla, an exciting urban fantasy about a kick-ass Valkyrie heroine, is now done. Woo hoo!

And, even better, the agent i met with in Dallas, at the RWA National Conference, emailed me and said "You have an interesting premise and some intriguing characters, and I’d love to see the complete manuscript." Pitching rocks, no matter what Sonja says.

Which means, of course, that Sonja now has to rework her priority list (I'm always throwing things out of whack) and make editing my most recent writing! And, of course, while she's doing that, I'll be relaxing in the south of France. Yep, that's right, I get to go on vacation. Lucky me!

Of course, not so lucky is the fact that as soon as I'm back, school starts. Anyone have any study tips? If you do, I'll send you a book. Yeah, that's right, I will. Not Sonja. She can't be the only one in this partnership giving away things (or paying for postage). So send me either a study tip or a horror story from school and Sonja will pick a winner and I'll send off a book. When I'm back from France, that is. :)

I'll actually have internet access in France, so you might even get a post from me. But don't hold your breath, since there is an awful lot of cheese and wine calling my name.

Should i rub it in some more? Or maybe i could create an acronym... SUCKS: Sonja Unfortunately Can't Kill Skye.

On Chaos and Platitudes

2007-07-30T12:01:00.000-05:00

I owe you some winnahs!

From Skye's post about rejection, the winner is Cherie J! Cherie, we love you, please have a book to ease the pain of getting fired on your birthday! How totally harsh! Email me at sonja@sonjafoust.com with your address and the book of your choice from my inventory at BookMooch and I'll send it to you.

From my post about my blue hair (which is still blue and getting bluer, by the way), the winner is Amy S.! Amy, email me at sonja@sonjafoust.com with your address and I will get The Shoe Queen by Anna Davis in the mail for you. Hopefully it will erase all bad memories of the Wal-Mart highlights.

My writing world has been suffering of late, mostly because the rest of my life is (or rather was) in a bit of an upheaval too. But this weekend I managed to clean my house which just makes life seem so much better. I also hopped on the bandwagon and joined FlyLady. I always kind of thought I didn't need platitudes to keep my house clean, but it turns out I sort of do. So, um, thanks FlyLady, even though I'm kind of embarrassed about signing up. But not as embarrassed as I was about my CHAOS: Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome. And now I'm FLYing: Finally Loving Yourself... uh... Myself... or something. (Do you see now what I mean about the platitudes? FlyLady is chock full of them, lucky for me.)

So anyway, now that my house is no longer a disaster, I can get down to the business (fun business) of writing! So here are my upcoming goals:

Numba One
Edit Lying Eyes
Submit
Deadline: August 15

Numba Two
Finish Courting the Preacher's Daughter
Figure out where to submit
Submit

Numba Three
Write a Regency (Skye even promised to critique it, even though she doesn't read Regencies.)

You all have my full permission to beat me with a wet noodle on August 15 if I cannot provide you with a touching tale of how I've edited at least the first three chapters of Lying Eyes and sent it off for Cerridwen to hold onto for like 90 days or something ridiculous like that.

So what about you? What are your upcoming goals, writing or otherwise? Are you going to finish that home improvement project? Read War and Peace? Join FlyLady with me? Spill.

Don't worry, I'm not pregnant

2007-07-27T22:58:00.000-05:00

Sonja announced that i have big news that i'm hiding from the world and i immediately went "What news?" but, yes, it's true, i do have news. But it's not wild and crazy, nor is it writing related, so i can counteract my tragic 12 hour rejection, but it's still fun and cool and i'm happy.

Craig and I are buying a house! Yes, that's right, we're finally growing up. :) We're trying to be all mature about it, but mostly we get all freaked out about paying that much money that we don't have, but really, the house is so fabulous, it'll be worth it. Hooray!

Here's a pretty pretty picture of the outside.

And yes, it's brand spanking new and they're finishing up the construction this week and the escrow should close at the end of August and then we'll be official adults. Homeowners, anyway.

So worry not. I'm baby free :)

A Hairy Weekend

2007-07-24T14:01:00.000-05:00

It's my turn to post again, but I was just giving you all some time to mull over whether you want to leave a comment on Skye's post and win some stuff. So I'm giving you an extension. You have, like, another 2 days to scroll down and leave a comment on her post and win an unnamed (but totally awesome) prize. Do eet.

I have nothing exciting to share with you besides the fact that I dyed my hair. In fact, I don't even think I've told Skye about this yet. Whoops. Well, we'll call it even since she's been withholding big important pieces of news from me too. Because my hair is totally big important news.

Anyway, the change-my-hair bug bit me on Friday night. I looked through my "emergency" stash of hair dyes and found a lovely midnight black and an equally lovely platinum blonde. The platinum blonde I'd never attempted before because my hair is naturally dark and platinum blonde usually turns puke orange on my head. But, somehow, I convinced myself that this time, it would be different, and I was going to do a strip of blonde in front a la Rogue from X-Men and the rest in black. I was very professional about it. I used foil and everything.

The professionalism wore off a little when the peroxide sort of oozed into my eyeballs in the shower and I screamed, "Oh my god it burns!" I don't imagine professionals do that too often. Still, I soldiered on. By the paltry light of nighttime, it didn't look too bad.

By the illuminating light of morning, my poor retinas screamed again, this time in fear. What had I done? The funkadellic streak I'd been going for was, in fact, white at the roots and pink everywhere else. Jeez. Not only that, but I'd managed to miss large swaths of hair with the black dye, so I had a pink and white strip in front and chunks of black and chunks of faded red in the back. I cried. A lot. And then put on a hat and went to the store to buy another box of midnight black.

Saturday night, I dyed my whole head midnight black, hoping to correct the pink strips and the red chunks. It's slightly better now, but there was an unintended side effect: The blue undertones of the black hair dye show up a LOT on the parts of my roots that turned white from the platinum blonde dye. So now my hair is mostly black... with navy blue strips in front.

I give up though. Funkadellic blue strips it will be. (Thankfully, you can't see the blue too much in this picture. Hopefully that's what it really does look like and not the electric blue I imagine it to be. Although my boss said to me this morning, "Your hair is less blue today." Um. Thank you?)

Make me feel better: Tell me your worst hair disaster story and be entered in the running for The Shoe Queen by Anna Davis.