biking and Mt Everest

I've been working overtime trying to keep my peacefulness centered. I usually concentrate on Mt Everest. I have pictures of her all over and looking at the pics usually can bring me back center. one thing I can't seem to get going is my writing. I'm stuck. I've got characters in limbo right and left. and the bad part about it is I can't figure out how to get back to them. they are stranded at camp 3 on my Everest. unfortunately my brain is full of other things like my job, the triathlon, school and so forth. there isn't much brain power left to get to my characters. usually I do my mental housekeeping on my bike workout. I have roughly an hour of uninterrupted cycling to ponder things so I think I am going to have to do some very focused thinking and get rid of anything that is cluttering up my thinking.
of course it doesn't help that I am sick. I seem to have caught what my students have and I made it worse by rooting the Gators on today. but nothing keeps me from my beloved Gators. even if there is no more Timmy.

mild mannered nurse but with a secret kick ass protector side

one of the many duties I perform as a school nurse is protector. I think the real term they teach in nursing school is advocate but protector sounds more appropriate. I serve as a protector for kids. in the very short time school has been back in I have already seen a few episodes of tormenting of fellow students who are seen as different than the others. now, I work in an elementary school so yeah it starts early. I applaud the teacher who also saw the certain episode that caused me to dawn my bully crusher cape. she put a stop to the incident pronto before I could lock the clinic up and move in to snatch the miscreant up. I stood in on the action the teacher took and gave the bully the "I've got my eye on you and I will hunt you down like a dog if I even THINK you are bullying weaker kids"
I freakin hate bullies. being a chubster growing up, I was the victim of teasing. Or I was until I literally punched out the neighborhood bully. she was taunting me and I guess I just snapped and walked back to her and asked her what her deal was. she scratched my face so I just rared back and decked her. one shot and down she went. the neighborhood kids rejoiced and I wasn't victimized anymore. ever since then I have felt a duty to protect those who needed it. kind of like a superhero.
to make a long rant short... always beware of bullying. teach your kids about the dangers of it. help a person you suspect is a victim of it. bullies suck big time.

and here you go because it's all good

much like AR...Sam is like visual ativan

I was honest and the world didn't end

I didn't have any cupcakes to eat while remaining calm over the past few days. I would have liked to have them but alas the cupboard was bare. it's been a while since I posted but I have been busy with all sorts of crap. not only crap but starting my awesome new job. that has been such a treat. seriously. I love my job and for the first time in a long while, I feel like a nurse.
I've also been involved in some mental housekeeping. for good or for bad it was a necessity. and once again I was able to see the yin and the yang of life. I love when that happens. even when it is painful or not what I want. but I survived and here I am. all those people in my past who told me that I would not die were right. I actually was honest and forthright about sharing something and my world didn't end. and in fact my world became a more certain place because I finally saw that I wouldn't shrivel up and die by doing so. you're probably saying WTF is she rambling about but I'll just say never fear being honest. you won't die if you don't hear what you want. in fact you will walk away a stronger and richer person. like I did.
anyway, sorry for the absence. I'll be back. and I'll be better than ever.

Book Review --The Vampire Hunters by Scott M. Baker

Lately I've been reading a ton of books that involve vampire hunters. I find this funny and ironic because I write about vampires as attractive protagonists. So I thought I could review a few of these books. Today's novel is The Vampire Hunters Book I by Scott M. Baker.

Modern day vampire hunters wage a brutal battle against the undead in the nation's capital.
As former Boston cops, Drake Matthews and Alison Monroe thought they had experienced it all... until they found themselves tracking down a serial killer who turned out to be one of the undead. Stopping him cost them their careers and almost their lives.
Thanks to an influential and anonymous benefactor, Drake and Alison find a new job ridding the streets of Washington D.C. of the vampiric threat terrorizing the nation's capital.
Only this time, Drake and Alison are not facing a single vampire but an entire nest led by Ion Zielenska, one of history's most evil and twisted masters. As the vampires indiscriminately prey on humans, seeing them as nothing more than food to satiate their hunger, they create a wave of violence that threatens to engulf the city.
Orchestrating the carnage is Antoinette Varela, the mistress of the nest, whose vendetta against the hunters is personal.

I truly enjoyed this book. I thought I wouldn't be as taken with it as I was because it mainly focuses on the hunters but I was. Each of the hunter characters was well constructed and 3 dimensional and I found myself drawn into each of their personal stories. Especially protagonist Drake Mathews and Alison Monroe. I cared about them and felt like I knew them.  The vampires, who the author portrays as evil, ugly creatures, were still fascinating. They were even more attractive because this type of portrayal is not very common in novels right now.They are more in tune with what world folklore states they are. Baker skillfully weaves historical facts and information into an intriguing version of the battle against vampires and their quest to dominate humanity.
The narrative of the novel was well paced. While detailed, I never felt bogged down. The author also builds a setting so vivid that I felt like I was there. Especially the final scene, which I won't give away. 
Like I said before I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I can't wait to read the sequel, which according to the publisher's website, comes out on August 20th. I understand that there is going be a third in this series but I'm unsure of the release date.
You can find The Vampire Hunters Book I by Scott M. Baker  on shadowfirepress.com

disclaimer type stuff- this was an unsolicited review. I bought the book on my own to review it.

focus! focus!

I have no idea what that means but it sounded really really cool and it had the words lasers and destroy in it so there you go. I have no focus lately, I am trying to work on my WIP FUNdraiser but I'm having difficulty concentrating. I keep thinking about my characters from LIM. it would seem that I want to writ the sequel to that because those characters are yapping non stop to me. I have to admit that writing about vampires and love is MUCH easier than writing about high price call girls. I keep thinking that after I work on LIM's sequel a bit I'll be able to switch back to the other but I don't know. I think my unfocused state is from starting a new job and trying to get Maddy ready to go back to school but I'm not certain. if I knew then I wouldn't be unfocused!

can't have anymore babies so gimme some puppies

oooohhh I have been wanting a puppy. well puppies. look at those little babies. aren't they sweet? I just love them. I love puppy breath, those sharp ass puppy teeth, their giant puppy feet and their soft puppy fur!!OOOOO. I LOVE EM!
I know they are tons of work but I think a puppy is just what I need to make me happy. give me some direction and something to focus on. and when they grow up they are even more awesome!

and then life shows you the way

so when you least expect it, things become clear. or motivation does. This week I tragically lost a friend and coworker and did a bunch of soul searching and world ordering. in my world ordering I made a decision about Life in Moonlight. I decided to get off the fence and move forward. I'll tell you more when I can but I feel great about the decision. and I now am able to work more productively on FUNdraiser because I am not ruminating about LIM in the back of my head.
it sucks that sometimes you have to be hit over the head to make a decision and see things in a more lucid manner. but sometimes  it does. and this time I think it will stick.

cosmic karmic roulette

I love the look on this cat's face. funny! I had one of those days again where I wished I could make lasers come out of my hands, like this kitteh. it would seem that nothing went the way it supposed to. but tomorrow is another day to play the game of cosmic karmic roulette, maybe tomorrow will be better or maybe I'll be able to make the lasers happen.
I plan on faxing my contract back to the publisher and overcome the torpor I've been feeling re: my writing. if that doesn't work, my friend cori and me are buying this beautiful 1790s house and living a rocking life being wild bohemians. we're going to keep bees, raise sheep, have a massive heirloom garden and make raspberry preserves. right near the craggy NE coastline. AWESOME.

awesome Dr Hawass

for those who know me, you know I am a history geek and I love interesting historians and the like. here is another of my faves. this is  Dr. Zahi Hawass. he is a brilliant archeologist/ Indiana Jones/ legend kind of guy. he's also known as the Pharoah. kind of not a touchy feely guy. he runs his digs like a king. I have been eating up the Chasing Mummies series on history channel. I would so love to meet him but I would hate hate hate to piss him off. he's like the Einstein of Egyptology. so cool.
check out his website DrHawass.com and be like me and become a fan.

the T in T shirt

look at this. Timmy in his tighty whitey drawers just looking Timalicious. I know I shouldn't say that but this kid is just the deal. and that is why they have him selling undies. cause chicks will buy them for their guys. anyway, I'm still sick. I woke up today after taking nyquil. that stuff is unbelievable. I slept for like 14 hours. it was the best sleep ever. although I had weird dreams. I wish I could take advantage of this time to write but unfortunately my head is cloudy and I can't come up with sentences that make sense so I'll just have to wait.

conflict is confusing

I think I've posted this pic before but I'm in the mood for it so it's dealers choice. I've been working diligently on my wip and have filled in a few more plot holes. I am going to have to ask Maddy's daddy about some police procedure and investigation info to make it more realistic but I'll get to that later.I've also got to find some more conflict. I've got loads of internal conflict(like my life) but I don't know if I need some external conflict as well. and I don't know if the romance is enough. I'm stuck by the plot detail of my mc is dating a vice detective who is investigating a case somewhat related to her side business so she is constantly worrying about him catching her. she has the internal conflict of hiding what she's doing from him and not being honest with him but is that enough. it's not like she has conflict over what she's doing. she's conflicted about what would happen if she got caught. but that's it.
conflicts are tough to map out. I'd rather write a book about the fun and adventures of what she's doing but unfortunately there must be conflict.

meet me at the saltbox house in my mind

OMG look at this. isn't this perfect?! it's huge, has two fireplaces, has property and is such a perfect little salt box reproduction. I love saltbox houses!!! problem is it's not here. but as hot as it's been I would consider relocating. starting the day out at like 90 degrees with 90% humidity is getting old. by noon  it's hovering around the high nineties and is unbearable for doing anything outside. this sucks. when I was a kid, it wasn't a problem but now I am starting to seriously dislike it. I could use the indoor time to write and I should but today I didn't. instead I found this gem and fell in love. I will make it be my perfect little place to visualize when I am in a bad mood.
thanks to all the great birthday comments and wishes! y'all are wonderful. my annual depression is gone and replaced by the customary optimism that usually follows. no sense dwelling. onward and upward.

oh snap, my crappy birthday

well kids, it's official. it's the 17th and I'm officially one frigging year older. and I hate it. not that I am older. once I hit 30 it all went down hill but I hate how nothing really has gone off the way I intended.
it's been a bloody depressing week for me and all related to another year going by and feeling like a major fuck up. I never feel this way at new years only at my birthday. for some reason it makes me take inventory of all the things in my life that never turned out the way I wanted. which is bad because if I don't get it together I am going to be off on Maslows hierarchy of needs. 
I'm writing this on the 16th after finishing my last bottle of Two Paddock Picnic Pinot from mad sexy Sam's vineyard and hopefully tomorrow after a day at my thankless job I will be okay for another year. maybe when I wake up I will be in L'occitane with limitless spending privileges. or tiffany & co.
anyway happy birthday to the members of the 7/17 club. you other three how I know share my b-day rock!

my Bettie!my hero!

isn't she awesome? I love her. she was so beautiful and such a beautiful spirit. I love the fact that she lives on and is still so imitated. she was an original. sigh. I'm in a very Bettie mood. I just watched the Notorious Bettie Page. love love love! sometimes I wish I could channel her in my everyday life. to have her style and spirit. maybe in my next life!