In the Swamp

So I spent most of this past week in Gainesville, Florida, at the Anhinga Writers' Conference. I have returned completely exhausted with too many thoughts running around in my head. I opted for the mystery writer's track but after a while decided to just hop around and take classes based more on the topic and the feedback I got from other attendees as to dynamic, helpful speakers. Here are some of my notes for the week:

1. I am not a 3:30 a.m. kind of gal. Due to a fluke my departing flight to Florida got moved to much, much earlier than I would like. On the other hand, I was amazed at how busy the airport was at 4:30 a.m. - the lines were so long I barely made it on the plane.

2. The human brain (or mine, anyway) can only take in so much information. After sitting through panels and classes from 8 a.m. to sometimes 9:30 p.m. I hit overload. I couldn't do it all.

3. I got to meet Charlaine Harris, creator of the Sookie Stackhouse mysteries that HBO's True Blood series is based on. I'm not a huge fan of that series, but I do like her Aurora Teagarden series. She was very encouraging. In a line with perhaps a 100 people behind me waiting for her to sign books, she took the time to ask me what I was working on and told me not to give up. She also attended several of the classes I was in. It was a great lesson to see that even when you are at the top of your game you need to be open to learning something.

4. Apparently if you wanted to get cereal in the morning you had to do so by covert stealth that involved charming a specific waiter. Otherwise, you were left with the tiny muffins (which I was allergic to).

5. It rained every day I was there. Big, dripping, downpours. And then the sun would pop out like clockwork. As a side note, Spanish moss just gives a place some kind of atmosphere, doesn't it?

6. As I don't have anything beyond basic cable, I was excited about the chance to enjoy a vast plethora of channels in my hotel room. Of course, I was never in the room, but when I did have the rare occasion I discovered ... Pierce Brosnan singing in Momma Mia. It seemed to be on every time I turned on the TV. I came back to Nashville with Waterloo stuck in my head.

7. I never really crossed paths with those on the Poet track. They seemed to stick to themselves and had an artistic air about them I really couldn't quite put my finger on. 

8. At the session and signing that Charlaine did, I got a tiny taste of just how fiercesome vampire fans can be. Some were obviously quite passionate about what was happening to the story line. There was one woman there who kept carrying around a very strange, somewhat creepy doll - it was a little man who perched on her arm. I was irrationally fascinated by it.

9. I had quite the cab ride going to the airport - I think the driver had hair that was bigger than mine - and that is saying something in that swampy humidity. The first sign I saw in the cab was the sticker that said, "Each Puke $100." He never left the cab to help my with my bag, just popped the trunk and told me to shove it in among the spare tire and some other junk back there. 

10. Apparently Hamish missed me quite a bit while I was gone. I'm shocked. I didn't think he would even notice I was away (in this respect he is very much like a cat; mostly, he acts like a puppy). But right now he is conked out on the end of my bed, dreamily twitching. 

11. I sat through an interesting law enforcement panel that included a police detective, a CSI, an FBI agent, and an attorney general. When I asked them if there were any misconceptions that they run across as to why people commit murder (in reference to books and TV getting it wrong), they just kind of laughed and then the detective leaned forward and said, "Sex and money." That was it. Another woman asked what they thought of amateur sleuths. The reply was, "Keep it in fiction." I'm not quite sure I gleaned a lot of technical knowledge from the panel, but I did come away with a healthy respect for law enforcement. They go through a lot.

12. I really enjoyed meeting the delightful Rhys Bowen and attending her classes. I like her Evan Evans and Her Royal Spyness series. She gave some good, concrete aids regarding structure and her exercises helped me spot some problem areas I've wrestled with. And it was nice to hear an accent from across the Pond again. 

Overall, it was an intensive few days, and I met some lovely people. But now ... I could really use a vacation.

Goodness, it has been a while

With a tip of the hat to Becky, I am picking up her meme to get some of my writing juices flowing…

What was I doing 10 years ago?

Hmm. 1998. I had just started work as a communication coordinator for a software training company. I had finished working at Gospel Advocate, where, at that time, when we wanted to send an e-mail I had to write it out on a piece of paper and walk it over to our IT guy. He would then send it out from the one account we had in the building. That job obviously didn’t feature Internet capabilities.

I shared a three bedroom townhouse with Christy and Cheri and every weekend was full of out-of-town trips, in-town guests, movies, eating out, hearing live music in little coffee shops, singles group get togethers, and so on. Looking back, I’m relieved now that I don’t feel that pressure to have to schedule every minute of the weekend and weeknights with social activity.

List 5 things you had to do today.

1. Drink my breakfast shake.
2. Make sure the phone bill got paid.
3. Make sure the cleaners got paid.
4. Meet with co-workers about some web concepts.
5. Start the day with a prayer.

Snacks I enjoy:

I am constant and loyal to my Nacho Cheese flavored Doritos with Lays Jalepeno Cheddar cheese dip. It’s very cheesy, but don’t knock it til you’ve tried it.

If I were a millionaire:

I would be completely debt-free and make sure my family was provided for. Then I would invest a chunk of it for the future, set up a fund for missionaries, and get out there and travel, travel, travel….

Places I’ve lived:

In chronological order-

Enid, Oklahoma

Norfolk, Virginia,

San Diego, California

Atsugi, Japan

(back to San Diego)

Searcy, Arkansas

Nashville, Tennessee

Peterhead, Scotland

(back to Nashville, where I currently reside)

 

I tag everyone who wants something to write about today. Just tag me so I can read yours.

 

 

Down the Up Staircase

Last week I missed the top step at work and fell down the stairs. I’m not sure why I missed it. The next thing I knew I was falling and saw the concrete rushing up at me. I remember thinking that I didn’t want to hit my face. Then I landed kind of weird about eight steps down on my knees and side and left wrist.

After getting picked up by concerned co-workers and assuring them I was okay I drove home. By the time I hit Bellevue I couldn’t use my left hand. I was really starting to hurt, and when I finally hobbled in the door I was in tears.

Younger Bro was great. He assessed the damage, packed up his backpack for a long wait in the ER, and took me to the hospital.

The wait in the admission area wasn’t bad, but then they took me back to the examining room and just kind of left me there for about an hour and a half. There was absolutely nothing in the little room to read. I hurt too much to investigate any of the cabinets, and there weren’t even any medical charts on the wall. Just me and four walls.

So I lay there and prayed and thought about how ridiculous it was that it took all of this for me to give God my complete, undivided attention. Not the prayers on my way to work or before I fall asleep or in the busyness of the day, but just time to talk to God and go before Him to offer specific people and situations to Him.

I turned out to be okay with a contused thumb and a lot of bumps and bruises, but it was a painful lesson in learning, once again, how much I need to continually make God the center of my life.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” – Phil. 4:6-7

50 Odd Things

1. Do you like blue cheese? No

2. Have you ever smoked heroin? Good grief, no.

3. Do you own a gun? Nope.

4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? I’m allergic to most of the flavors, sadly.

5. Do you get nervous before Dr. appts? Absolutely.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? I’ve not devoted much thought to hot dogs.

7. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Coffee

9. Can you do push ups? Perhaps a couple. If forced.

8. What do you order at Starbucks? Skinny vanilla latte

11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? The Mackintosh jewelry the church gave me in Scotland as a going away present.

 12. Favorite hobby? Reading

11. How do you eat your eggs? Scrambled dry

14. Do you have A.D.D.? No

15. What’s one trait that you hate about yourself? There are things I dislike, but I don’t hate them.

16. Middle name? Michelle – after the Beatle’s song…

17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment. I want a bagel. I’m hungry. I want a bagel.

18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday? Gas. Doritos. Gum.

19. Three drinks you regularly drink? Snapple Diet Green Tea, A & W Diet Root Beer, water

20. Current worry right now? Actually rather peaceful at the moment.

21. Current hate right now? That tunic/legging look.

22. Favorite place to be? On a boat in the water… ;-)

23. How did you bring in the New Years? Ah, that was not a fun night this year.

24. Where would you like to go? No way I could begin to name where I want to go, but I’m headed to Australia in August!

25. Name three people who will complete this. n/a

26. Do you own slippers? Huh? House shoes? I’ve got a pair of those.

27. What shirt are you wearing? Green with a sort of leafy motif.

28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? No – they get really hot and don’t breathe.

29. Can you whistle? Barely.

30. Favorite colors? Green.

31. Would you be a pirate? Who wouldn’t want to be a pirate?

32. What songs do you sing in the shower? I am a human iPod Shuffle in the shower; it could be anything.

33. Favorite girl's name? Anne.

34. Favorite boy's name? Joshua

35. What's in your pocket right now? Lint.

36. Last thing that made you laugh? Probably something said in the production meeting this morning.

37. Best bed sheets as a child? Holly Hobbie

38. Worst injury you've ever had? Broken finger from football. Hurt worse than breaking both my ankles.

39. Do you love where you live? I love my house.

40. How many TV’s do you have? One

41. Who is your loudest friend? I’m not answering this one…

42. How many dogs do you have? One - Hamish. He may look like a cat, but he’s really a puppy inside.

43. What are you thrilled about right now? There are bagels in the kitchen…

44. Do you have a crush on someone? Oh, yes.

45. What is your favorite book? Practically impossible to answer this one.

46. What is your favorite candy? Cadbury Caramel Milk Chocolate.

47. Favorite Sports Team? Nope.

48. What song do you want played at your funeral? This World is Not My Home

49. What were you doing 12 AM last night? Completely conked out

50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? I hope Younger Bro doesn’t use all the hot water…

Moving On

On Wednesday night Dennis, my Grandma Sugar’s husband, passed away. He was recently diagnosed with congestive heart failure and that, on top of his severe diabetes, was just too much for him.

Dennis entered our family in a rather non-traditional way – a few years ago, he and my Grandmother eloped. After the shock waves died down, he slowly came to be a part of us. He was a fierce bargain hunter and avid collector of all kinds of things. It was rare to walk out of his home without some treasure he thought might be useful to you – a tiny lantern, a spatula that could flip meat more effectively, and sometimes even furniture. He didn’t have much, but he was an incredibly generous man with what he had.

Last Thursday, he put on Christ in baptism, and this week he was welcomed into the kingdom of God – whole, pain-free, and at peace.

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” – Philippians 3:20-21

Target Tales

Scene: In an aisle at Target. Nashville, Tennessee. Approx. 1:41 p.m.

Lady: Excuse me, where are the nightgowns?

Me: Umm, I'm not sure. Maybe with the other pajamas?

Lady: You don't know?

Me: Sorry, no.

Lady (finally noticing my purse and shopping cart): Oh! I'm sorry, you don't work here, do you?

Me: No, I don't.

Lady: It's just that you are wearing a red top and khaki pants.

Me (looking down): Why, you're right, I am.

Lady: That's what their employees wear.

Me: Yes, they do.

Lady: That's why I asked you for help.

Me: Sorry about that.

Lady: It's okay. But you are very confusing.*

Me: ...

*I think she meant my outfit was confusing her, but it's possible that I'm just flat out confusing.

7 Random Things

So Nikki tagged me for seven random things about myself. The problem with this is that I’m never quite sure what I’ve already revealed on this blog in the past, so with apologies for any redundancies, here we go:

1. I can’t sleep with any light in the room. I will flip the blinds to the “up” position to counteract this. I’ve been known to put blankets under hotel door cracks to block the hall lights, shove glowing clock faces against the wall, and once persuaded a friend to put band-aids over a particularly bright smoke detector.
   
   
2. As a child, I hated long nightgowns. They would get all tangled around my legs at night and I would feel trapped. Still avoid them.
   
   
3. I want to do the Wild Cave Tour at Mammoth some day.
   
   
4. My last two weekends have been pretty terrific.
   
   
5. I’m going to Australia for a two-week mission trip in September and can hardly wait.
   
   
6. I have a hard time hanging things on my wall. This is probably due to moving more than 30 times throughout my life. I just have a feeling if I put something up there I am going to move soon. I’m a UCD – Under Confident Decorator.
   
   
7. Not random, but … I serve a totally awesome God.