Friday Five: My Tattoos!

I am no stranger to the tattoos. I have been a fan for over 10 years. However, I have not been inclined (most of the time) to just get a tattoo for the hell of it. Below is the story behind my tattoos and some really crappy pictures of some beautiful art. I have 6, but the last two are combined. Read on to find out why!

Friday Five: Most Annoying Habits of Those Around Me

Call me a snob or worse, but I easily annoyed. I rarely show that annoyance because I was blessed with a lot of patience, but the annoyance is still the same. Here are some things that happen on an almost daily basis that makes my eyes twitch.

It is annoying when people:

1. Act like I must be 12 years old because I look a lot younger than I am.
2. Speak over me because I am literally shorter than them.
3. Call me weird because I don’t get blitzed every night, don’t slack while working, and tend to follow the rules however stupid they may seem.
4. Assume that I have no life experiences and/or must be very immature because I am not married and do not have children.
5. Say “One day I’d love to be a writer.” You either are a writer or you are not.

Just so its clear, I know I do annoying things too. Sometimes I'm not actively aware that I am doing them though. You would not insult me if you called me on the following:

1. Running a conversation and/or just not getting the hint that its time to stop talking.
2. Ignoring a speaker because I either don't hear them or don't realize they are talking specifically to me.
3. Getting lost in my own mind and shutting out everyone else as I work in a mindless haze.
4. Singing and dancing as I go about my business when I have no talent in either.
5. Refusing a social invite because I actually enjoy being a shut-in most of the time even though I complain about not having anything to do.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Friday Five: Books that Could Make Good Movies

There are some books that just lend themselves to a visual medium because the storytelling is so detailed, the characters are so vivid. These are movies I would like to see made into movies... soon!

1. Sabriel of The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix
2. Magic Kingdom for Sale- SOLD of The Magic Kingdom of Landover Series by Terry Brooks
3. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaimon
4. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
5. Journey of Shadows of The Immortalis Trilogy by Dee Sutter teehee

 Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Friday Five: Five Movies Based on Books that are Not Terrible

As a general rule, most movies based on books are awful. Some are not so bad though.

1. The Green Mile- This Tom Hanks movie was great, so much so that I didn't even suspect that it was based on a novel until several years later when someone pointed it out.
2. Shawshank Redemption- This movie was played over and over when I was a kid. I don't know what the appeal was specifically but we loved it.
3. Bridge to Terabithia- I love the sweet simplicity of this movie.
4. Black Beauty- Any one of the versions of this movie is good. I like the one that came out when I was a child though.
5. The Shining- This movie came out before I was born but Steven King proves himself to be an amazing storyteller, as this is the 3rd of his novels-turned-movies that I have on the list. It is pretty telling I think.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Friday Five: Tech I Want To Buy

I love technology but I am very resistant to trying new things, simply because I understand that they will come out with a "newer and better" version within 6-9 months.

1. Wireless Repeater- The signal in my house sucks. 'Nuff said.
2. Kindle Fire- I love my Kindle Keyboard but it is very limited in the stuff it can do. Now that Amazon is likely coming out with 2 more Fires, it is likely that the $199 price tag will drop and I will snatch one up by Christmas.
3. Smart Phone- I loathe cell phones. I hate being tethered to the damn thing. And I hate touch screen phones. The smudges make my OCD go into hyper drive. But it is getting to the point that if I don't have a smart phone, then I'm not going to be able to function away from my computer. Lame.
4. Computer for the kids- The girls need to start learning how to use a computer. It will be a nightmare, I know. But it will definitely be good for them.
5. DVR- So that I don't have to watch Dad's shows the one time a week that I want to watch TV, a DVR would be so handy... my show could get taped and I could watch it at my leisure. Well, I do that already by watching it on Hulu I guess. Hmm...

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Friday Five: Things My Family Does When the Power Goes Out

Our power went out last weekend due to storms. It was out from about 6pm until 4am. My family, for whatever reason, lose all threads of common thought processes and immediately rush into borderline mass hysteria. This is what each of my family members did as soon as (or later, a little after sunset) the power went out.

1. Scrambles for candles all through the house, cusses about being out of lamp oil (Mom)
2. Digs out the generator, cusses because it is always low on gas (Dad)
3. Flips on the light switch in every room thinking one of them will come on, actually asks why the light won't work (Sister 1)
4. Asks “when is the power going to come on” constantly, actually assumes I can tell them an answer (Sister 2)
5. Calls and suggests a cookout in the middle of the night because he is bored with no tv (Brother)

*sigh* Thankfully, I had a fully charged Harvey ready to go so I turned on some music and played World of CryptoPics for about an hour and a half until my battery got low. Then I turned off my cell and went to bed. The rain did not continue through the night so I wasn't lulled to sleep by the tap-tap-tap on the roof but at least I got my nightly nonogram done.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Friday Five: 4th of July Celebrations

The 4th is quickly coming for us and I already have a list of things planned to do while I am off of work for 10 (count them with me... 1, 2, 3...) days.

1. Family cookout that includes burgers and cheesy mets, grilled veggies, homemade desserts, relaxation in the pool, sparklers (no fireworks allowed in our neighborhood), and s'mores at the bonfire. Yes, we can have a bonfire, but no fireworks. Makes total sense, no?
2. Lots of yard work to make up for the past month of my complete inability to cope with work exhaustion. Need to mow, weed the garden, clean the patio, and probably clean out the gutters. Seriously, there are 2 and 3 feet tall trees growing on top of the house.
3. Give the cats baths. There are 4 of them if you count the April Fool's Day kitten we received unexpectedly this year. None of them are going to cooperate. It is going to be a blood bath. I'm already predicting at least one of us will require first aid, if not stitches, after the fact.
4. Go to the cemetery to decorate my aunt's grave, as July 4th is her birthday and I haven't went to pay my respects since the funeral 9.5 years ago. Also, my cousin passed this weekend and I was unable to attend the funeral because of work. They are both buried in the same cemetery. Yellow mini roses for my cousin and red, white, and blue daylillies for my aunt. All grow here at the house.
5. Write. A lot. Not on my trilogy though. Book 2 is ready for the 1st revision (maybe that will happen during this time since I have time to kill). Book 3 will not be started until NaNo 2012 season as is my custom. During my internet hiatus, I have been working through the idea stage of a new story to start once Immortalis is completed. I will continue with the background work while using it as a reason to finally learn how to use Liquid Story Binder to its full potential. I have a lot of work to do.

What is going on this coming week for you?

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Friday Five: 5 Questions with Elizabeth

... about teaching reading!

Elizabeth is a dear friend of mine, though we haven't seen each other in a long time. I got the chance to chat with her over the weekend about teaching reading to elementary students. Just so you know, Elizabeth hates all things computer related. So much so that she doesn't even own a home computer or a cell phone. I know... how crazy is that in this day and age? I try to convince her to join the technological era every time we speak, but so far she has been resistant to my common sense arguments. This was a phone conversation, where I tried to scribble notes and she tried to speak slow and keep things short, which she failed of course. Answers may not be 100% verbatim, but I read this to her and she agrees that I got it pretty much right. haha

Friday Five: 5 Questions with Rene part 2

Continuing my 5 Questions series with Rene, we switched gears to talk about her political activism through Political Commentary. Rene is very intelligent woman and knows her stuff when it comes to politics. She keeps herself informed and abreast of current events. She is also very tolerant of different views/opinions, which I have rarely found in others in the realm of political activism. Even when others do not give her the same courtesy. I respect her so much for that, which is why I decided to interview her on this subject.

Q: You keep a blog about current events. Why did you decide to blog about politics?

A: In any endeavor, if you feel passionate about something, you have to give voice to it. Some stories or issues, it's either write or explode. [I wouldn't have a clue what you mean by that. :P]

Q: What issues are the closest to your heart?

A: Because of my background, I have a real issue with bullies and abuse. Thus, I tend to care most about groups that are abused or disenfranchised like women, minorities, the working poor, etc.

Q: Do you get your political news from any particular sources other than mainstream media?
A: In the morning I start with Google News which gives a spread on everything. I then check the International News sites such as BBC, le Monde and Al Jazeera. Then I check sites like Huffington Post and finally I check news blogs. If I'm looking for news on a specific bill, I'll check Congress.gov, or the Congressional Record. If it's a specific speech, I check YouTube and C-Span. In this way, you get the overview from several angles. [I tried to include the links to these particular places, but forgive me if the links are wrong.]

Q: Do you claim a political party?

A: As my hero, Will Rogers once said, "I belong to no organized political party, I am a Democrat." I go one step further, I am a Progressive Democrat.

Q: How do you feel about political satirist like Jon Daley and theonion.com? Do they hurt or help people understand the current political climate?

A: Humor has always been used to teach and shine a light on politics. I was weaned on Will Rogers and Molly Ivens and love Colbert, the Daily Show, etc.

Have any questions or comments? Post them below!

Friday Five: 5 Questions with Rene Thompson

...about Fan Fiction!

In the 3rd installment of 5 Questions, I interviewed Rene, Steven's wife, about her foray into writing. Rene writes Star Trek fan fiction. I've read tons of fan fiction so I'm somewhat familiar with the lingo (such as the term "ship") but Star Trek was before my generation so I'm not that familiar with it.

As a reminder, my questions are in bold font, the answer is prefaced with A:, and my comments are in [red brackets] to try to make things a little more organized and easier to read.

Q: What kind of fan fiction do you write and why?

Star Trek and occasionally James Bond but the vast majority is Star Trek. I wanted to deal with questions and situation that weren't covered by the writers of the show. What was happening after this scene, how did they react after the conclusion, why were they the way they were, how did they react with other characters in the show that they didn't normally deal with. And, of course, shipping. [A definition of shipping can be found here.]

Q: When did you get into fan fiction?

A: When I was about 13 or 14.

Q: What are some good resources for writers interested in fan fiction?

A: For Star Trek there are some magnificent sites, Memory Alpha and Vulcan Language Dictionary come to mind. If the show has a wiki with detailed background, that will definitely help.

And good grammar book and spell checker.

Also, read a lot of fan fiction of your subject so you can see the problems before you write them yourself. Mary Sue's/Marty Stu's (writing in a perfect character for one of the regulars to fall for) can be well done or it can be total tripe. If you create a "super perfect" person, you don't even have to ask, it's tripe. If you have your regular character doing or saying things that are totally out of character, then it's tripe. [If you can't tell if you have written a Mary Sue or Marty Stu, go here and take the test.]

Q: Are there any rules of etiquette concerning fan fiction that a writer of regular fiction might not know?

A: You MUST acknowledge that this is based on other's work and that the rights to the show are held by someone. You also need to, if your work is more adult, acknowledge that below the title and acknowledgments and credits. In that way, the reader has been warned. Some people, if there is any shipping in the story give the code for the shipping. For Kirk and Uhura it would be K/U, for Spock and Chapel it's S/Ch, you get the idea.

Q: In your opinion, what is the most popular subject of fan fiction?

A: Star Trek, then maybe Harry Potter and Star Wars. [I have read some pretty crazy Harry Potter fan fics! ;)]


Do you have any questions or comments for Rene? Post them in the comments below and I'll pass them along!

Friday Five: 5 Questions with Steven part 2

...about blogging.

It is Friday, Friday, Friday. Gotta get dow-... Okay, I'll stop, that was pretty lame, I know. But, Friday is a wonderful day, rain or shine. Today's Friday Five continues my 5 Questions series with the second installment of questions with editor and blogger Steven Thompson. Steven runs 12 very popular comic/pop culture blogs and writes a regular column on a 13th. He has been recognized around the world due to his blogs. Check out Booksteve's Library here and find the links to his multiple blogs!

Q: When did you start blogging?

A: I had enjoyed reading blogs for a few years. Kate Worley, a comics writer who had befriended my wife an I back in 1990, died in 2004. I was searching for information on her passing and found a blog by Reed Waller, her ex-partner both in life and in comics. Although they had long since broken up, Waller wrote eloquently of his friend and I thought, "I wish I had a forum like this." Then I realized how easy it was to get just such a thing.


Q: Why do you blog?

A: All I've ever really wanted to be was a writer. My wife has always said that, with all my arcane knowledge of trivia and minutiae, I should be a teacher. I decided that blogging was the best way I could write and at the same time teach people about some of the weird things I've enjoyed over the years.

Q: Why do you have so many different blogs instead of putting it all together in a single location?

A: Well, my first try at a blog didn't take. It was aimless and abandoned after only 3-4 posts. Eventually I deleted it entirely and figured I was through with blogging.Then I came up with the idea for a new blog centered on sharing books, movies, etc from my own personal library. It slowly became quite successful and was my only blog for the first three years. Then I found myself a victim of the economy, depressed and with time on my hands. So I started a second blog specifically aimed at a different audience. In time, some ideas hit me that just wouldn't fit in on my regular, all-purpose blog--my high school journal for example--so I gave them each their own blogs! I currently have 12 (and write a more-or-less daily column for another) but there have also been four more that I created, abandoned and eventually deleted along the way.

Also, it doesn't hurt that more blogs, appealing to somewhat different readers, tends to elicit more ad-clicks and thus more money for me.


Q: Do you have a few favorite blogs of your own or others you'd like to share?

A: Oh, I have scores of them. Other than yours [You are so freaking sweet!] , a few of my favorites:

http://martingrams.blogspot.com/

http://www.bionicdisco.com/

http://www.newsfromme.com/

http://my-retrospace.blogspot.com/

Q: What advice do you have for a newbie blogger or someone that is thinking about starting a blog?

A: It's the simplest thing in the world nowadays, even more so than when I started blogging six years back. Everyone has a voice and blogging is a unique and simple way to get yours heard. Blog about politics, family, life, death, books, movies, dental work, Lindsay Lohan, Justin Bieber [please no], the history of the telephone, how to bake lasagna. There is quiet literally no limit to the subjects you can choose. Maybe only two people will read your posts but on the other hand, there could be thousands. But you aren't writing for them anyway. You're writing for yourself. Now, go. BLOG! [Yes sir!]

Have any other questions for Steven about blogging? Post them in the comments section and I will forward them to him. Or, since he is over here pretty often, maybe he'll answer them himself! It is always nice to hear it straight from the source rather than a 3rd party don't you think?

Friday Five: 5 Questions with Steven

...about editing.

The next few weeks of Friday Fives are going to consist of mini-interviews with my friends and extended family of people within my industry. I am hoping for a variety of interview subjects. Since my group of friends/family is somewhat small, expect some people to reappear within the Friday Fives speaking about different subjects. This should be a quick interesting glimpse into the realm of all-things-writing.

My questions are in bold font to make it easier to see. Answers follow the bold A: and my comments follow in red brackets.

My friend and fantastic editor Steven Thompson agreed to be the first Friday Five subject.

Q: How do you approach a project?

A: First, I avoid approaching it at all for as long as possible. [lol] Then. once I make the decision to do so, I jump in wholeheartedly and just get right to work.

Q: What kind of enjoyment do you get out of editing?


A: Honestly, I'm not some great expert on the right way to do things and I know that. But I do tend to recognize the WRONG way when I see it and it makes me feel good being able to steer someone away from that at least.

Q: What advice do you have for your writers that would make your job easier?

A: It's not the writers' job to make my job easier. It's the writers' job to be creative and that's all I ask of them. My job is to take that rampant creativity and clean up after it.

Q: What is the most difficult thing to deal with as an editor?


A: The writer…present company excepted. [D'awww. Thank you!]

Q: In your opinion, do/should all writers make good editors?


A: Well, there's no need for it, I suppose…but I think it's inevitable in most cases. A writer is rarely the best editor for their own work but I think the simple process of writing itself makes one acutely sensitive to mistakes in grammar, spelling, continuity and other issues, in essence making them a good editor whether or not they realize it. [I think that goes along with a writer should always take the opportunity to read anything they can get their hands on, especially works outside of their genre. We learn just as much by observing the mistakes of others as we do by making the mistakes ourselves.]

Have any questions for Steven about editing? Post them in the comments section below and I'll try to badger him into answering them when he gets some free time to do so!

Stay tuned for next week's Friday Five when Steven talks about blogging. And yes, he is qualified to talk about blogging since he runs/writes a baker's dozen.

Friday Five: Coming Movies

I'm not a big movie watcher but there are some great ones coming out soon. In no particular order, here are my 5 upcoming movies that I plan to check out.

A Thousands Words (March 9): Jack is a literary agent known for being able to make any deal, even if that means stepping on some toes. Jack's life is turned up side down when a Bohdi tree appears in his backyard and leaves fall with every word he says. Now he has to find some new ways to communicate or he is going to die with the tree.

The Decoy Bride (March 9): A movie star and a famous writer (David freaking Tennant) want to get married without the papparazzi interrupting their big day, so they go to a remote location. The location is discovered so they find a fake bride to try to keep the photogs busy. Only, the fake bride and the famous writer have chemistry. Could the movie star be left at the alter?

Detachment (March 16): Henry Barth is a talented educator but has chosen to keep that fact to himself. As a substitute, he is bounced from school to school, unable to form any bonds to anyone, and he likes it like that just fine. Until he gets to a school where the teachers are so awful that he becomes the role model teacher, takes in a kid from the street, and starts to connect to his students.

Snow White and the Huntsman (June 1): I posted about this movie a while back here. It looks fantastic as a spin on the Snow White story. Snow White is trained by the Huntsman to triumph over the evil queen! Can't wait.

Brave (Summer): I've been waiting for this movie since the first teaser pictures came out. Pixar's first princess movie looks to be amazing. Merida does all the right things at all the right things. One problem: she's not a boy. So she sets out to change her destiny and inadvertently sets off a curse in the process. Interesting. :)

Friday Five: Child Friendly Crafts

Last weekend, the girls and I created a really neat crayon art project and I was inspired to search for other projects for the girls to do over long breaks. Spring break is coming up soon-ish so I like to be prepared. Today's Friday Five is a list of those crafts with links, pictures, and/or videos (including the project from last weekend).

Friday Five: Showing Kindness

Today is "Random Acts of Kindness" Day! Check out RAK, a website built around a week of Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) for all kinds of ways to jump on in. I try to be kind to folks whenever I can, but RAK week is pretty important to me. I started a tradition of "celebrating" RAK week back in my last year of college when I volunteered for Big Brothers Big Sisters. Check out today's Friday Five for my list of RAK week activities, organized by day.

• Monday: Let a senior lady go ahead of me in line at the grocery store. Thanked a soldier for his service.
• Tuesday: Donated used books to the local library. Left a large tip for a waitress. 
• Wednesday: Picked up trash outside my office building. 
• Thursday: Offered positive encouragement to a struggling coworker. Spent a few minutes with a neighbor's child so her mom could run an errand.
• Friday: Today I will smile at everyone I see. I will hold doors open each time I go in and out. I will wish everyone a safe and enjoyable weekend.

None of these things took (or will take) much effort on my part. Yes, letting the old lady go ahead of me in line ended up making me wait another 20 minutes to be checked out. Oh the horror. No, I didn't want to pick up other people's cigarette butts off the ground when the wind blew our ButtKeeper over. I had gloves and the time so why not? The things for today are easy enough, since I try to do all that anyways. What RAK have you made into a habit? My habit is smiling and saying hello to people (even strangers) and leaving decent tips on the rare occasion that I eat out.

RAK week ends Sunday night so you have plenty of time to do kind things that you don't ordinarily take upon yourself. You don't have to spend a penny to smile at someone, let someone go ahead of you in a line, or to donate used items to others. Try it out!

Friday Five: New Computer Stuff

Any time I get a new computer or a less technologically inclined friend or family member gets one, I have a specific list of things I immediately download for the computer. That list is today's Friday Five.

1. Firefox & Chrome Browsers
2. Malware Bytes, Ad-Aware, and Spybot SE
3. Open Office
4. Paint.Net (like Photoshop but freeware)
5. Technically not a download but I delete any all all references to Norton and McAfee.  

Do you have any go-to programs that you always have on your computer?

Friday Five: Favorite Things About Children 13-17

Last week, my Friday Five was about my favorite things about children under 13. Today's Friday Five is my list of my favorite qualities of children 13-17.

1. independence without responsibility- Teenagers experience incredible growths in independence during these years but don't have near the amount of responsibilities that adults take on. That is why we are adults and they are teenagers. Not because they are under 18, but because they don't have the responsibilities. I am incredibly envious of teenagers for that. What I would give to be able to worry about what I am going to wear to a date night instead of hoping I will be able to pay next month's car payment.
2. potential for greatness- Teenagers have the world at their fingertips, pardon the cliche. They can be anything they want given enough determination, passion, and some luck in finances, networking, and application wording. When I was a teenager, I wanted to be an actress and moonlight as a veterinarian. When I was 16, I gave up my acting dreams since I hadn't stepped foot on a stage in a couple years and turned to being a veterinarian and writer. At 17, I wanted to be a veterinarian and a soldier. I changed my mind so many times... and the awesome thing was that I had that luxury!
3. energy- I remember a time when I could stay up for 48 hours, get about 2 or 3 hours of sleep, and then go to class with a fully functioning brain... without coffee. Teenagers have so much freaking energy. I miss having energy like that. It seems like I can't stay up for more than 16 hours at a time now without feeling like my brain has went mushy. I certainly don't have the energy to be on the go all the time anymore. I'm not even 30 yet and there are days where I think getting old sucks!
4. passionate about nothing and everything- Teenagers have two modes of operation: meh and OMFG.I.LOVE.IT! Teenagers, when they care about something... they really care. If it is something that they could get behind, they don't just walk passively with the idea, they throw a freaking parade complete with Super Bowl worthy entertainers. At least, that is what it looks like on the outside. It is hard to get a kid to find a passion sometimes, but all it takes is a tiny spark and they will take off with it. It is beautiful to watch, even if their passion is annoying or boring to me.
5. industrious- Alright, I'm not saying that teenagers take on chores with a smile and cheer. I mean that they do as much "work" as they can with as little effort as possible. They find shortcuts and loopholes in everything they do so they can cram more "me" time into their lives. Sometimes, it blows up in their faces. But sometimes, they hit on some strokes of genius. If they can't find a way to shorten the time consumption of their workload, they might find someone else to do it. Or try to come up with a reason to avoid doing the work. Or something else equally creative. I know it can be annoying but just think of the thinking processes that go into their schemes. It is quite amazing.

Friday Five: Favorite Things About Children Under 13

Today's Friday Five is a list of my favorite qualities of children under 13. Next week, I'll do a list of my favorite things about teenagers.

1. Curiosity- Kids want to know the "why" of everything. It can be irritating to hear "why" all the time but it is one of the few opportunities that adults outside of a classroom can witness the learning and growth of children first hand. I like to turn "why" into a learning opportunity and spend a lot of time showing my sisters pictures of stuff. We had a conversation about weight and body image yesterday. One of my sisters probably doesn't weigh 50 pounds soaking wet but she is 100% healthy for her height (she is going to be short like me). The other is quite chubby but by all estimates, is going to be ridiculously tall so the weight is still normal and healthy. The heavier sister was trying to understand why she is the weight she is and her sister is the weight she is. I understand the issue considering the heavier one is a year younger than the lighter one. So we had a talk about healthy weight in relation to diet and exercise. And then I explained how awful getting hung up on the "ideal" body image can be because Hollywood images are not realistic or healthy in any way. I showed them images of anorexic men and women and went on to explain to them how those people still see themselves as "fat" while their bodies are wasting away. We then read some of the articles about one of their favorite stars, Demi Lovato, from Disney Channel that has recently come out about her struggles with anorexia. I live for teachable moments.
2. Creativity- Children have this innate ability to look at a mundane object and turn it into the most amazing thing. Sticks become guns for little soldiers and swords for pirates. Socks become puppets, chairs and blankets become caves. Pillow cases are capes, paper towel tubes are spy glasses. The possibilities are endless with children. I am envious of their creativity and the energy that comes from that creativity!
3. Ability to laugh at life- I miss the days when little things didn't piss me off. Pencil lead broke? Children say "No big deal. Just go sharpen it." Even if it just broke 30 seconds before that. And 20 seconds before that. Now, I'm ready to throw the stupid thing across the room. They have this ability to shrug things off because they don't take life so seriously yet. Things that would cause major stress and drama for adults is just a little thing to a kid.
4. Ability to forgive and forget easily- I love the nature of friendship with children. They are immediately best friends with nearly everyone they meet, regardless of age, gender, economic status, race, etc. Kids just don't see the difference in their friends. Now, when they get a little older, that is a whole different matter. But as a child, they don't have the prejudices that are learned as they grow older. And I love that. I also love the fact that they can be spitting mad at their friend and three seconds later, they are sharing secrets and juice boxes again. It is refreshing to watch.
5. Simplistic understanding- "Why shouldn't I touch the stove? Oh, because it hurts? Okay, I wont do that again." Just because there is a biological or chemical explanation for something doesn't mean kids want to know. They don't touch a hot stove because it hurts. Not because the heat kills the tissue cells resulting in different degrees of burn injuries depending on what happens to the skin. Because it hurts. It is that simple with most kids. Kids have this amazing innate concept of common sense that I think we smother out of them with good intentions and over-supervision. Yeah, kids do stupid things like everyone else. The difference is that when a kid screws up and then has to deal with the consequences, he learns not to do it again. If we scoop him up and clean up his mess for him, he will keep doing it because he has learned nothing in the process.

Friday Five: My To Do List

I am a naturally scattered person. I can't get anything accomplished without making a to do list. I have a list for this weekend that I thought I would share.

My To Do List

1. Transcribe paper edit: I'm done with editing Immo1. I just need to get it from the paper edit into its digital copy. I hate transcribing. I've learned that I hate this almost as much as I hate editing.
2. Clean my desk area: I spend most of my day at my computer. My desk is littered with cigarette ashes, discarded paper, tissues, and empty pens. It really needs to be straightened up.
3. Organize my Kindle: I have categories for the books on my Kindle. And I have about 300 ebooks to put in those categories. It is going to take a long time.
4. Help the kids with science fair projects *need tri-fold boards: It is that time of year. Science fair is the 2nd week of February so we have to get these projects going. The girls are thrilled. Me, not so much.
5. Find someone selling hay for the backyard: It has been raining a lot. My backyard looks and feels like a swamp. I step off the concrete patio and sink 3 inches into mud. The dogs are covered in it. I need a few hay bales to spread out about 10-15 in all directions around the patio.

So nothing difficult, but all time consuming. I have so much procrastinating to do that I don't know how I'll fit all this in over the weekend. haha I'll be working 18 hour days again like I do most days of NaNo in order to get that transcription done. :)

Friday Five: Things to Watch in 2012

So I thought that since it is a new year, I'd share my top 5 people and/or things to watch. I always make a list of things to keep up on for each year. This past year was politics, world events, DIY crafting, the job market, and my little sisters's grades. I did pretty good with all of those. Here is this year's list.

1. All things indie and electronic! Indie publishing, e-book sales and publishing, the gravitation from print to digital, how the markets, contracts, and Houses are changing as writers and readers are changing... It is going to be an interesting year!
2. 2012 Presidential Campaign. I'm disgusted with all the Republicans running for various reasons. I'm not 100% satisfied with Obama (His broken promises to encourage State support of gay rights in adoptions and family laws, to fully fund IDEA, and to expand FMLA to include victims of domestic violence or sexual assault irks me still. *sigh*) and worry about his chances at reelection.
3. Social Media Influence and Legislation. With the popularity of Facebook and Twitter and the unveiling of G+, social networking media is on the rise. As more people take to digital networking, more issues are coming up, like cyber-bullying, Internet predation, social stalking, and more. With the high rate of nationalized child suicide over the past few years, this could spell out bad news for kids without some intervention from those higher in the food chain.
4. Fantasy genre shows! My favored genre bloomed this past year. With Once Upon a Time on ABC, Grimm on NBC, Alphas on Syfy, and American Horror Story on FX, I have never in my life felt like I needed to watch television so bad. I hate television. Really, I do. But I have wore Hulu out, especially from August onward!
5. Like last year, the grades my sisters bring home will be a focal point of my life. Homework, tests, and projects galore. With one in 3rd and another in 4th, its just going to get crazier over the next couple years.

So what are you watching over the next year? Anything specific? Let me know!

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS