Random Thoughts

     Random gripe: Why does shopping with four kids (aged 6 and under) have to be so hard? Why does it tire me out so? I walk out of the store ready to just lie down and die from exhaustion and from the restraint I exercise from not yelling in the store. I had someone say to me recently how they miss shopping with younger kids because it's so much more exciting when they're grabbing things and asking for this and that. Let me tell you, that's one kind of excitement that I'll be glad to say buh-bye to.
    
     Random kid advice: Don't buy a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer stuffy- your kids will all fight over it.

    
     Random stupidness: After finding those actors to play my main characters, I realized that Lord Alric, Lady Fiona and Lord Purvis should all have English accents. James Maslow and Annasophia Robb are American, and David Kross is German. Oops. I guess I'll have to re-cast. Ha! (James Maslow- you better start learning an English accent so you're prepared for when my book becomes a movie!)

    
     Random fact: My Christmas list so far is mostly books. Shocker.
         
     Random request: I need information on British soldiers during the American Revolution. Why is all the info out there only about the Americans? I need to know about uniforms, rank, how and why men became soldiers, etc. Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

     Random excitement: After I'm done reading current book, I'm going to re-read all Harry Potters in preparation for movie 7 (coming out in two weeks!).

     Random bit of patient amusement: I love the show Vampire Diaries- really I do. But could they have one episode where there isn't some sort of event/party/carnival/dance/founder's day thing going on? Just one?

     Random quote: Keep on lovin' what is true and the world will come to you/ You can find it in yourself.
 

    

Beasts and Zombies

     Since Monday I've read two YA books, one I loved, and one... not so much.
     I don't really like to mention books that I didn't like that much. Somehow it seems a little unfair to the author. But since I didn't totally hate the book, I thought it would be okay.
    
     So the first book I read was The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan. What reading it made me realize is that post-apocalyptic, or dystopian, is not really my thing. (See my Hunger Games post).
     Basically this was a book about zombies, although not portrayed that way or I probably wouldn't have read it. Mary, the main character, lives in a village surrounded by a fence which keeps out the Forest of Hands and Teeth and the Unconsecrated (zombies). It's a world where if you're bitten by one of the Unconsecrated, you die and then become one. Think I Am Legend, except that they're not that fast but they can go out in daylight. With I Am Legend, I saw the movie, I was glad I saw the movie, but I don't want to see the movie again. Reading the book was like that. Definitely not one I would reread.
     But there were some good things about it. The love story was both thrilling and heart-wrenching, the characters were strong, and I found myself teary-eyed at parts. The ending left something to be desired for me, but I think that's because I like glorious happy endings (ex: the zombies get bombed off the planet and everything can go back to normal). This was more of just... an ending. Also, Mary was trying to figure out these secrets of the Sisterhood but then the author never gives the answers. Like a tease. So for me, not my favorite book, but I know a lot of people really like it so if you're not put off by zombies- give it a try.
    
     The book I loved was Beastly, by Alex Flinn. It's Beauty and the Beast remade into modern-day times. That fact alone gave it brownie points in my mind since Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney cartoon. I loved how similar it was to the story I know, and yet how the author twisted it enough so that it totally worked for modern times.
     It made me excited for this (see below)... a preview I swear I saw a year ago. I don't know what's taking so long for the movie to come out but I can't wait for the day! I'm glad too that they decided to spin his ugliness a different way, instead of making him actually look like a beast (like they do in the book).
     (I'm posting it separately because that's the only way I know how, but enjoy the trailer!)

Soundtrack



Jessica Jacobs (played by Samantha Munro)
      It's a new month which means new music. I thought about posting christmas music but to avoid annoying people, I'll wait until December. Some people just don't like christmas songs. Shocking, I know.     
     Now if you can't already tell, music is a huge part of my life. I have it on almost all day. I listen while I'm eating, cleaning, cooking, writing, you name it. I even wish I had a speaker in my bathroom so that I could listen while I'm in the shower!


 Lord Alric (played by James Maslow)

 
     Anyway, I've thought a lot about my book becoming a movie. That might sound silly to some people but the fact is, it started out as a movie in my head. The writing came after I had played the scenes out in my head already. Certain songs that I listened to while writing, or that I've heard since, have struck me as being perfect for different points in the book/movie. (Of course sometimes the whole song doesn't actually work, but they don't play whole songs in movies anyway so who cares!) I know if my book were ever to be made into a movie, I wouldn't have any say in the soundtrack. Although I would try hard for the last song (Two is Better than One) since I actually mention it in the book.      
     So here's my Daze and Knights movie soundtrack.
                                        
                                                   DAZE AND KNIGHTS

     According To You, by Orianthi: I thought this song was appropriate because Lord Purvis calls Jessica weak, useless and pathetic.
     Just What I Needed, by Faber Drive: Jessica comments about how she's wasting Lord Alric's time. This would come after that comment when they start training.
     Beside You, by Marianas Trench: I often listened to this song when writing the tree scences between Jessica and Alric. I thought it would be a great song for their first kiss moment.
     Beethoven's 7th Symphony, 2nd Movement (only the first 2 min and 50 sec): This is the song Jessica plays in her head when she dances ballet for Alric.
     Face Down, by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus: when  Lord Purvis beats up Jessica
     Take My Hand, by Simple Plan: a great song for the battle at the end. I listened to this one a lot too when I was writing those battle scenes.
     You and I Tonight, by Faber Drive: when Jessica and Alric are together in his room and she tells him the truth about where she's really from.
     Two is Better Than One, by Boys Like Girls and Taylor Swift: When Jessica wakes up back home. 


 Lady Fiona (played by Annasophia Robb) and Lord Purvis (played by David Kross)
    
     To go with it, because I always like pictures to look at, I'm posting two actors and two actresses who I could see playing my four main roles. Now keep in mind, my characters were made up in my head- not based on these people. And also, I've barely seen these kids act (except for James Maslow's cheesiness on Big Time Rush, and Annasophia Robb on Bridge to Terabithia when she was younger) so I don't know if they'd actually be good at the parts. These are just the people who came the closest to what the characters look like in my head.
     Anyway, this was fun for me to do, even if it's boring for the rest of you. And something I'll want to remember if that day ever comes where my book actually makes it onto the big screen!
    







Writing Tips

     Last night I went to a writing class at the Central library called "Ten Habits for Successful Writers". It was given by Canadian Mystery author Gail Bowen.

     It was a good class although I can honestly say that there wasn't anything new said that I hadn't heard before. She didn't give us ten actual habits of successful writers, rather she gave lots and lots of tips and help for writers. Later she answered questions from the audience. Although I didn't really learn anything new, it was nice to be there amongst other writers and to get a feeling of rejuvenation. It's like going to church every week and feeling spiritually renewed. This was more like writing-renewed. Here are some of the tips I thought were especially useful or good to remember.

     1) Live a life as varied as possible. This will give you LOTS to write about. (Something for me to keep in mind!)
     2) Keep a notebook with you everywhere you go- then you won't forget things that come to you randomly.
     3) Read constantly. Analyze what you read. What makes a book good? What makes a book not work?
     4) Write every day. (Duh)
     5) Always leave your writing at a good place. That way you'll want to go back to it the next day instead of putting it off for laundry or something.
     6) If you're stuck- step away. Take a break. Go on a walk, eat something, fold some laundry. Then go back to it. Just don't talk on the phone, or go out with someone or anything like that because that won't help.
     7) Write everywhere!
     8) Figure out your elevator pitch (something I'm working on!) which is one sentence, maybe two, of what your book is about and why you're the one to write it.
     9) Revise, revise, revise. And give it some time in between.
     10) Read your book aloud- that will help you to find what's wrong and what doesn't work.
     11) Cut until you can cut no more.
     12) Trust your reader- not everything has to be explained.

      She said that as writers we need to make the reader understand the world we are living in inside our head. We need to find the words and the way to describe it so that they will see what we see. That might seem like, duh to some people, but that's one thing that really hit me. Because I live so much in my own head that I need to make sure my story is coming across on the page as good as it is in my head.
     Anyway, just some thoughts and tips from Gail Bowen. I'm looking forward to meeting with her in a couple of weeks to discuss my first 25 pages. Hopefully she'll be able to give me specific advice for my book. And one last thought...
     A writer's goal is to help readers enjoy life, or endure it.

The Hunger Games

    First off, sorry that my last posts were sort of cop-outs. Videos. Not that I don't love those videos. It seems like I didn't have a whole lot of thoughts last week. Scratch that. My thoughts were more outward, less internalized- if that makes sense. Basically I was living less in my own head than usual.
     Anyway, after reading Rick Riordan's "The Red Pyramid" last week- which I totally enjoyed (I love Rick Riordan- he's so funny and captures the pre-teen voice perfectly)- I read the final book in the Hunger Games Trilogy- Mockingjay.
    
     Don't worry, there won't be spoilers. Although by now I'm probably one of the last to read it. At least among those who were waiting for it to come out. That's what happens when you're put on a library waiting list.
     So I really liked it. The ending and everything. It didn't turn out quite like I thought it would but I was happy with the way Suzanne Collins did end it. There's something funny about those books though. Or rather, how I feel about those books. I can't quite explain it. I enjoy the books. I got teary-eyed during a few moments. And I am (and have always been, no matter what happened) on Team Peeta (unlike most).
     But are these books on the top of my favorites list? No. Why? I'm not sure. Since I've been pretty much immersed in the Hunger Games world this past weekend, I thought a lot about the books even when I wasn't reading. What I discovered is I don't feel that Katniss is a very relatable character. I just don't connect to her the way I do with other characters- say Bella, or Mia, or even Harry. There's something about her that just doesn't appeal to me.
     And then there's the whole world that Collins created. A world so icky and unfair and brutal that I would never want to go there. I've often dreamed of attending Hogwarts or the Gallagher Academy, visiting a vampire-infested Forks, or living in the modern world and being friends with characters created by Sophie Kinsella, Clive Cussler, or Meg Cabot. Not one teeny part of me would like to be a crazily-painted tattoed member of the Capitol, or one of the starved rabble from District 12.
     I think that's where I'm put off just a bit. I prefer fluff over tough.
     Which isn't entirely true. I like girls who can kick-butt, stories with battles and wars, and circumstances so extreme that it seems impossible to escape.
     But there's somthing kind of disturbing about all three books that put them lower on my 're-read' list. Maybe it's the scary thought that the books could be reality someday. But mostly, I think I like my worlds- imagined and real- to have some redeeming qualities. To have beauty. Even if fighting is going on, the grass is still green and the sun shines. Even if a girl is killing her enemies, she still feels love in her heart.
     Maybe people who read this will think I'm missing something from the books. Yes, the sun shone during the Hunger Games. Yes Katniss felt love. Sure, there were redeeming qualities to her and to some of the other characters. But I can tell you that although I really liked all three- there's something about them that leaves me feeling cold.
     That doesn't change the fact that I can't wait for the movie version to come out!

Michael Bublé - Hollywood (OFFICIAL Video)

Two great albums came out on Monday, Taylor Swift's and Michael Buble's Crazy Love Hollywood Edition. This video for the song "Hollywood" is hilarious- especially when Michael pretends to be Justin Bieber. I bet he had a lot of fun making this video and playing all those parts. The album is awesome- of course. How could Michael Buble be anything other than freaking amazing?! I love you Mikey!

Taylor Swift - Mine

In honor of Taylor Swift's new album which came out on Monday, I thought I'd post this video which is really cute. Me, Jade, and Kori all love to sing along to the song at home. Although the girls like to sing, "careless man's PURPLE daughter". Ha ha.

A Dance Piece called Rejection


So You Think You Can Dance (Canada and US) is one of my favorite shows. Watching the dance routines just makes me itch to dance. This one is called Rejection and it's by far one of my favorite routines I've EVER seen. It was choreographed by Mia Michaels for the opening number on the Canadian show a few weeks ago and then they danced it again on the finale last night. I LOVE IT so much (it gives me goose bumps) that I had to post it. Watch and enjoy.

The Devil is in a Mini Mars Bar

    Why is food so good? No, scratch that. Why is food that's bad for you, so good? Why can't desserts and bread and pasta make you lose weight instead of making you puff up like that marshmallow man in Ghostbusters?
     It's plain annoying. Can I lodge a complaint? Dear Whoever- change the rules so that foods with the most calories, therefore the most flavor, are the foods that are good for you. Please? Pretty please?
     I guess not.
     I'm realizing for real that food is going to be a lifelong struggle for me. I did weight watchers on my own for about a year after having Avery to help me lose the baby weight and get down to where I've always wanted to be. Although I didn't make it quite as low on the scale as I wanted, I was happy with the weight I achieved. I thought that after being on it for so long, I was used to what I could and couldn't eat, and I could move on to eating normally without having to count points or measure portion sizes.
     Ten pounds later...
     Obviously I can't be left to my own devices.
     I wish I could change my view on food. Instead of viewing it as oh-so-yummy-just-gotta-eat-it-because-it-tastes-so-good, I need to view food as fuel. FOOD IS FUEL. Something that my body needs to keep it going.
     Ha, good luck with that. It ain't happening. Because food isn't fuel- it's yummy. It makes me happy. I can't help but smile and go 'mmmm' when I bite into a soft but crusty piece of garlic bread.
     It does not make me happy to eat fish, greens, and egg whites every day. Seriously, how do actresses and models do that? It's ridiculous. And nasty.
     It turns out that the devil is here on earth and he rests in a mini mars bar, tempting me with his chocolaty yummy-ness.
     I want to enjoy life. And enjoying life to me means eating things that I love. So where does that leave me?  I guess I'm going to have to watch what I eat for the REST OF MY LIFE. Sigh. Because I need to find balance between eating what's good for me and eating those mini mars bars that I love so much.
   

Resources

     You know, it's really amazing the resources we have at our disposable these days.
     (And before you say YAWN, read on.)
     I just can't help but feel lucky to be able to read the ka-billion articles, blogs, websites, etc that are out there on the internet. For example, my sister-in-law Emily sent me some articles she found on some site (totally can't remember the name of it) that proved to be really helpful. One article in particular pointed out things that writers can work on to improve their work. Some I had already heard of before- like show, don't tell. Which I honestly don't know if I'm doing well enough. (I think sometimes I'm telling, sometimes I'm showing). But there were other things I had never considered. Like they tell you to use the 'active voice' not the 'passive voice'. Which means, don't use words like: realized, hoped, thought, considered, and wondered.
     I knew right off the bat that I use the word 'realize' a lot. Sure enough, there were 70-some times I had used it in my manuscript. Then I moved onto 'wondered' (80-some times), and then thought (200-and-some times!!!). So basically I've spent most of today going through all those words and trying to change them when I could. (I couldn't every time- especially with the word 'thought'.)
     There are also so many blogs out there that help with query letters, editing, publishing, finding agents, you name it. The ones I go to most are shown at the side of my blog, but I often find myself at other sites, usually because I clicked on some link that led me there.
     The only problem with so much is that sometimes there can be too much. I could totally waste ALL my time surfing just writing sites. And sometimes, actually a lot of times, there are conflicting opinions that can get rather confusing. Like some people say to start your query letter with why you've chosen to query that particular agent. Others suggest going straight into your story. Some say the first thing you should mention is your title, genre, and word count. Others say put that in at the end.
     I often find my mind screaming, "TOO MUCH INFORMATION! WHAT DO I DO???"
     Well, one of the comments I just got from Barb (another sister-in-law) was 'go with your instincts'. It's totally true. Unfortunately sometimes it's hard to trust those darn instincts when you've got no idea if they're leading you straight or not.
     I guess I just need to learn to trust in them. And while I'm trying to do that, I won't stop reading the advice of others. Because people are wise. Me- not so much.
    

Ups and Downs

     Life is full of ups and downs. Some days are great and others... not so much. The same goes with writing. Or more accurately- trying to get published. Some days I feel great- positive, upbeat, and sure that my book will get published because duh, it's awesome! And others days I'm just like maybe this will never happen for me. Some people take years and like ten books later to get published. And then there's people like Stephenie Meyer who give us all false hopes that our first book will get picked up almost immediately and will earn us an advance in the hundreds of thousands.
     Thanks alot Stephenie Meyer.
     Just kidding- I love you and your books.
     Anyway, I was psyched to actually get some feedback last week in one of my rejections. Unfortunately, now I just feel like- what the heck do I do??? I feel like I've edited so much that I've almost over-edited the thing. And I have NO CLUE how to make the voice more interesting.
     I can't help but wonder what my next step should be. Do I keep sending it out? Do I edit again? Do I leave it for awhile and then edit it again later??? ARGH! I NEED HELP!
     Ok, calm down Melanie.
     Two things I know I will do. First I'm going to stop sending it out. It's not good to bug agents around Thanksgiving through New Years anyway because who is really focused on work during that time??? In some ways I feel it's a waste of time not to be sending it out. On the other hand, it's a waste of time, and of great agents, to send it out when it's not the BEST it can be only to get nos in reply.
     The next thing I'm going to do is get the Calgary Public Library's Writer in Residence to take a look at it. Unfortunately that means I'll have to pay $112 bucks for a Calgary library card. I know- ridiculous. But I'm hoping it will be worth my while. Hoping...
     So, I think until then I will let my book sit, I will try NOT to think about it (ha! yeah right) and I will edit it again once the writer in residence has given me her opinion on it. THEN I will start to send it out again and hope, HOPE that it's good enough to make it to the next step.
    Sigh. Why does it have to be so hard???

Best Chick Flicks of All Time

    
     In honor of seeing Life As We Know It this past weekend and it becoming one of my new fave chick flicks, I thought I would make a list of my top ten favorites. Comprising of romantic comedies only- not teen movies, dance movies, period pieces, etc.

1) The Wedding Planner- Jennifer Lopez has to plan a wedding for a guy she's totally fallen for- hello Matthew McConaughey. It's got tons of hilarious moments and it's definitely one of my fave JLo movies. Even though she's ridiculously gorgeous and there's no way she would ever get dumped by that dude in the market, she's actually very believable as a neurotic, OCD, lovelorn woman. And my favorite line- "you saved... my shoe."

2) Only You- Marisa Tomei plays Faith, a woman who gets the name of her soul mate- Damon Bradley- off a oujia board when she's 11. Days before her wedding she answers the phone and it's Damon Bradley, calling for her fiancee. She freaks out and then follows him to Italy, hoping just to get a look at him before she gets married. While there she falls for Robert Downey Jr who pretends to be Damon Bradley- low I know, but he's so crazily in love with her that you kind of forgive him immediately. The setting is the best thing about the movie, showing Venice, Rome, and Positano (sp???), making anyone who watches it long to be there. And it has what I think is the most romantic moment in a chick flick ever- when Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr slow dance in the middle of the road to a saxophonist playing nearby. What can I say- I have a thing with dancing.

3) While You Were Sleeping- Sandra Bullock is also great in romantic comedies (a nod to The Proposal is in order here) and this one is one of her best. Playing a loser who falls for a man she has never even talked to- only seen daily taking the train, she's sweet, charming, and loveable. I love watching this movie at christmas- since a lot of it takes place during that time. The best scene is when Sandra and Bill Pullman slip on the ice, fall down, and his pants rip open. So funny and yet surprisingly romantic at the same time.

4) How to Lose a Guy In 10 Days- Ok, this has to be THE funniest chick flick ever. Kate Hudson is absolutely hilarious acting like a crazy girlfriend who does all the wrong things to drive Matthew McConaughey away. When she melds their faces together to make pictures of their kids, puts a kleenex to his nose and tells him to blow, and forces him to eat some sort of barley wheat crap while she sneaks a hamburger in the back room, you can't help but laugh out loud. Although the song at the end is painful, the two of them have major chemistry And again- hello Matthew McConaughey!

5) P.S. I Love You- This movie is so sad, it could almost be a drama instead of comedy. I cry during almost the entire thing- seriously. Gerard Butler is at his best and most charming in this movie- he's what keeps the movie from being a total downer. I love it I love it I love it- even through all the tears.

6) 13 Going on 30- Jennifer Garner is made for these kinds of movies, and she does an awesome job playing a thirteen-year-old trapped in a 30-year-old body. Although it's highly unbelievable that a teen would want to be 30 (trust me- you don't want to be), Jennifer is hilarious with all the freaking out she does- just like a 13-year-old would do if she suddenly turned into an adult with a job, a boyfriend, and boobs. Whenever I reach the end of the movie I can't help but wish I could see Matt and Jenna's life played out until they get married. But this is just one movie, not a book, so obviously not possible. Sigh.

7) The Holiday- Don't really know why I love this movie but I do. Maybe because I think Kate Winslet is a fantastic actress and Jude Law plays such a sweet, loveable character (unlike the icky Alfie). Maybe because both Cameron Diaz and Jack Black do great as the comic relief. Or maybe because it seems so honest to me, so real. It's not all magic fluff and happy happy trips in la-la land. Not that I don't like that too. I just get a lot of emotion from this movie and I like that. The only downside- the fact that I can't help but wonder what the crap they're gonna do when the movie ends. I mean, hello? Both couples live in different countries. So not going to work, but whatever.

8) Just Like Heaven- Reese Witherspoon haunts Mark Ruffalo- he thinks she's dead- she thinks she's alive. Since she's pretty much like a spirit- he's left to figure it all out. The best scene in this movie is near the end when he's stealing the body from the hospital and then has to kiss her to wake her up. Cheesy? Yes. Romantic, sweet, and heart-wrenching? Yes, yes, yes.

9) Penelope- Other people probably wouldn't have a movie about a girl with a pig-nose whose parents keep her locked up while trying to find a blue blood to marry her on their list of fave chick flicks. Well I do- I love this movie. Although I don't think Christina Ricci's nose is quite so horrendous as to make one want to run screaming and then crash through a glass window on the second floor, I do feel for her whole situation. She has to marry a blue blood to break the curse of her ugly nose. Enter James McAvoy (again probably not most girls top in handsome and swoon-worthy leading men) who has been mistaken as a blue blood but really he's an ex-musician who's addicted to gambling. She falls in love with him only to have him reject her proposal because he can't in fact break the curse for her. She learns to love herself, he quits gambling and goes back to music, and duh- they end up together in the end minus the pig nose. Trust me- it's a great movie.

10) I have to give a shout out to Julia Roberts- the queen of romantic comedies. There's Notting Hill, Runaway Bride, My Best Friends Wedding, Valentine's Day, Eat Pray Love, and of course Pretty Woman. How could I not mention her, with her long red sometimes curly locks, her ginormous smile, and her burst of a laugh. The woman is a chick flick icon. Not mentioning her would be a crime.

     And there you have it folks- movies I can watch again and again and again. Watch 'em and you'll love 'em too.

What? A Good Rejection???

     Today I got another rejection- my 15th (eeek!). But actually, today's rejection wasn't so disheartening. Instead of receiving a form, thank you for submitting to me but unfortunately it's not what I'm looking for right now, best of luck, blah blah blah... This agent seems to have actually read the few pages I sent her. And, she gave me some rare advice. She said that she thought my idea was "charming and salable" but that she wasn't swept away by the narrative voice.
     Now, you'd think that criticism hurts. But actually, all I could think was, finally, something I can work on. So my query letter isn't totally bad, my word count and title- ditto, but the voice wasn't there- at least for her. It's almost a relief to know that there's something I can fix instead of having to just keep on plugging without any clue as to why I'm getting rejected.
     Of course I realize that maybe, somewhere, another agent won't agree and WILL be swept away by the voice. But chances are, if one agent sees that as a problem, others will as well.
     Let me just say that I'm glad to have something to work on, something to improve, even if it drives me crazy. Because that kind of crazy is a lot better than the not-knowing-what-the-heck-is-wrong kind of crazy.
     So thank you to that agent (who will remane nameless) for a rejection that actually gives me hope, instead of crushing it flat for all time.

Boys Like Girls


I've been a Boys Like Girls fan for a year now. But for some reason lately they're all I want to listen to. I'm not sure why. They have two CD's out- Boys Like Girls and Love Drunk. The Love Drunk CD is one of few CD's where I actually like every song. Every single song. I don't skip any. That's rare. So in honor of my love for their music I thought I'd post their music video for my second fave song of theirs (Two is Better Than One is my first fave): Love Drunk. Enjoy.

Life is the Messy Bits

     
     Last night I watched the movie "Letters to Juliet" starirng Amanda Seyfried, Vanessa Redgrave and Christopher Egan.
     The movie was cute and I liked it, although they overdid the cheese in the end. Seriously, the writers could have done better with the whole balcony scene- I was thisclose to rolling my eyes. And I usually don't mind the cheese, but it was a bit much.
     There was one line that really stood out though.
     They're driving up to a mansion of what could be the guy they're looking for and Christopher Egan says something about how she can skip all the messy bits and go straight to the good high-style living. Then Vanessa Reedgrave replies,
     "Life is the messy bits."
     Never has a line in a chick-flick stood out to me more. Life is the messy bits. It's not all perfect and wonderful and mansion living with no problems. Sure there are great moments, and there are awful moments. But if you try and skip out all the messy, then you've basically skipped your life. And if you try to avoid it, then you won't ever learn and grow and become better.
     It was a total ping moment for me.
     I was watching J.K. Rowling on Oprah and she said the same kind of thing. If it weren't for her failures, for hitting rock bottom, and her mother's death, Harry Potter never would have existed. Because she wouldn't have had it in her to write it like it was. There never would have been a Harry Potter.
     Now that doesn't mean that those things weren't hard, or that they're better now because of her success, but look at the person she has grown into and what resulted. It's truly amazing.
     I think it's a good lesson for us all to learn. Life is the messy bits. But that's what makes it life. And that's what makes us who we are. And hopefully who we are is better for all those messy bits.

Brain Freeze

     I mentioned on facebook yesterday that being pregnant four times has shot my knees all to heck. Aside from that and the many other physical ways my body has been destroyed by having four kids, my mind has also become somewhat less than it used to.
     I'm talking, of course, about the brain freeze. And no, not the kind you get after taking a big sip of slurpee. More the kind where you're in the middle of talking and suddenly- BOOM- your mind goes completely and utterly blank.
     This happened to me yesterday while I was doing my visiting teaching. I was in the middle of giving the message about nurturing the rising generation- something that should have been easy for me to talk about because I do it every day (or at least I hope I do!). But right in the middle of me expressing my feelings about the topic, all thoughts instantly and suddenly disappeared from my head, leaving nothing but emptiness.
     How embarrassing.
     Even after blushing and stammering and saying 'yeah' alot and explaining what had just happened, it still took me like five minutes before coherent thoughts returned to my head.
    Really embarrassing.
    And that's not the first time this has happened. Before having kids I could speak in church or bear my testimony with no problems. My talks would be written in point form and then I would get up and talk easily, using only my notes as my guide. Now I have to write every single word down and I spend most of the talk staring at my paper so I don't lose my place and then start babbling and then suffer what's sure to come- the brain freeze.
     The last time I bore my testimony (which has been more than two years now- yikes!) the brain freeze descended. I was in the middle of it and suddenly- whoosh- there went my thoughts and I was left standing there, blushing and saying 'yeah' over and over until I could get some sort of intelligence back. It's no wonder I've been reluctant to bear my testimony since, not because I don't have one, but because "yeah... yeah... um, yeah" isn't much of a testimony.
     FYI- I'f I'm saying 'yeah' a lot, that's a sure sign the brain freeze has hit me.
     I can't help but wonder if the brain freeze is a physical complication of bearing children- like stretch marks and a flabby tummy- or if it's actually the result of spending the last six years at home with mainly small children as conversation companions.
     Either way, when the brain freeze hits, I'm screwed. And embarrassed. And red as a beet.
     So if you happen to be around when this happens, please cut me some slack. Because I will eventually get my brain power back. It just might be a few minutes and a lot of 'yeahs' later.
    

Get Up and Dance

     It's time to change the music up. Not that I'm getting sick of those songs because I LOVE 'em, but I'm ready for some more upbeat songs happening.

     This time I've put on my top five songs that I'm really into right now. Starting with Flo-Rida's Club Can't Handle Me. This song makes me want to get up and do my very un-cool hiphop moves (which I only do if no one's around). Then we've got Taylor Swift's new one Mine. I am a huge Taylor Swift fan and I love her new song. I can't help but love the line, "you made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter". Then there's Sky Ferreira's Obsession. I first heard this song on that Vampire Diaries clip I posted a few weeks ago and I've loved the song ever since. Although I'll admit I like the clip version better than the one I found on playlist, but what can you do?

     Secrets by One Republic is absolutely awesome. I love the violin (or is it a cello?) in the beginning- so gorgeous. And I have to admit that I became doubly a fan of that song after seeing the guy in The Sorcerer's Apprentice use his lightening-machine-thingy (didn't I say I wasn't a genius?!) to recreate that song. Amazing.
    
     Last but not least, a song I've been loving ever since I first heard it probably more than a year ago. Untouched  by the Veronicas makes me want to get up and dance too. But not in a cool way. More in like a jumping up and down and bobbing my head in a sort of 80s frantic way. Listen to it and you'll understand. And the song is kinda hot. There, I said it.    

Gallagher Girl

     I read this poll once that asked if you could go to any fictitious school, either from movies or books, which one would you go to? Of course the number one answer was Hogwarts. I mean, duh. And that would be my number one as well. My second choice would be the Gallagher Academy For Exceptional Young Women.
     Now let's put aside the fact that 1) I'm too old for school, and 2) both Hogwarts and the Gallagher Academy don't actually exist (sigh). I'm just going to ignore those two things because in my world, well they're just not true. AKA 1) I am an innocent and stretch-mark-free sixteen year old, and 2) those schools are out there somewhere training young witches, wizards and spies to be.

     Unfortunately if the above were true, I would have about as much chance getting into the Gallagher Academy as I would Hogwarts. Not only do I have no magical powers whatsoever (double sigh), but I am not, and have never been, an Exceptional Young Woman. I only know 1 3/4 languages (1/2 french, 1/4 spanish), I cannot invent knew truth serums or invisibility cloaking devices, and I am definitely no genius.

     For those of you who have no clue what I'm talking about, I recommend reading I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter- the first in the Gallagher Girls Series. From there you can move onto Cross My Heart And Hope To Spy, Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover, and then Only The Good Spy Young, the latter of which I just finished.

     Whenever I recommend these books to people, they kind of chuckle in a "yeah right" kind of way. But seriously- they're really good. If you're looking for explicit love scenes, the f-bomb on every page, and graphic and gory violence... well you won't get any of that with these books (so go ahead and chuckle away). But that's one of the reasons why I love them. They are innocent, sweet, funny and entertaining and I find that very refreshing. It's nice to read teen books that actually don't have sex, violence, and potty mouths galore.
     The best thing about these book though is the girls are strong, smart, and talented instead of the whiny, angst-ridden, and sometimes idiotic girls that are often portrayed in teen books. These girls are genuises. They know over a dozen languages. They take classes like Covert Operations, Culture and Assimilation, and Protection and Enforcement. They know how to kill someone with a barbie doll or a piece of uncooked spaghetti. Translation: these girl kick major patootie.

     Who wouldn't want to read a book about that? And more importantly, who wouldn't want to go to a school like that? So if I can't make it into Hogwarts, I'm holding out hope that I'll get in to the Gallagher Academy. Because who doesn't want to go to spy school?