Torturous Screams

      Earlier I sat here pondering what I was going to rant about tonight. I had an adult beverage, discussed the work day doings with Charmed One, and finally came up with something. 

      Then we went to walk the dogs. 

      I had headed for the living room where Charmed had the dogs ready to go when I heard a blood curdling "AGH" out the window. The following conversation ensued.

      Me: "Did someone's face just get ripped off?

      Charmed: *Sigh.* Stares out window watching screaming person.

      Me: *Walk up to window and watches person who screams as if they are being tortured. Said person walks a few steps and screams "AGH" again.* Then I ask. "Is he screaming at people?" *Looks around and thankfully sees no one in near vicinity.*

      Charmed: "I'm calling the non-emergency police number."

      Me. "Okay." *Keeps watching said crazy man walking up street continuing to yell at top of his lungs. *Shakes head.*

      There are many times when we get a chuckle about things happening outside these windows. This is a touristy city, so you'll have that. But this is the first time we had to alert the good men and women in blue. If I had any doubts I saw six police cars and vans roll by within the next five minutes. 

      I don't know if they found that individual, but I was reassured by the police presence in such a short time. 

      I know I have times when I want to yell in frustration at the top of my lungs. But I hold it in, or vent to a friend. I don't purposely set out to wreak havoc upon people, or cars, or animals, etc. All I know is I'd like to track this troubled guy down to thank him for some interesting moments this evening, and providing me with a subject for this rant. :)

      Have you ever overheard something that made you think someone was being harmed? Have you ever had to call the police on someone? What do you do to relieve frustration?

      

I'm Fired

      I got up this morning and realized it was Thursday.

      And I hadn't blogged.

      :(

      So I'm firing myself. At least until tonight, when I may add more to this one. 

      Please accept my apology and try to forgive me! I promise I'll do better in the future. :)

Soon

forever orange

      The last time I charged my Nook I swear it took almost 20 hours to get it fully charged. *sigh* That is not a good sign.

      That was probably a month ago. *double sigh*

      I miss the days where I come home from work and am able to read or write for a while. This time of the year I'm so worn out it just doesn't happen. It seems that as soon as I sit down and get comfy I fall asleep. 

      I miss it though. I miss the writing. I miss the reading. Big time.


      I miss it so much my heart hurts a little. I feel like I'm letting myself down. I feel like I'm letting my favorite authors down. 

      Soon. Soon I will be able to get back to my loves. Soon my hours will more manageable. Thankfully I'll be back to 4 days on and 3 days off. Then, my friends, I will get some massive w and r done. And let me tell you, I CANNOT WAIT!

      I feel like a part of me is missing. My imaginary world is sitting idle. My characters are stopped in motion. Words lie on the tip of their tongues. That one little spot of my pea brain where these characters and stories come from is in the start postition waiting for those gates to  open.

      Soon. 

      I keep telling myself that. Soon.

      Until then I'll keep trying to get through this book I'm reading. One or two pages at a time. With apologies to J.A. Redmerski, and her book, The Edge of Always. She's a great author, and this is a wonderful second book in the series. I wish I could just spend a whole day finishing it up. 

      Soon.

     Do you have enough time in the day to do everything you like to do? What are you currently reading?     

Aflutter

      I've been holding onto these upcoming pictures and story for just over a week, waiting for just the right time to tell it. I have no idea why now is the right time. Maybe because it was a frigid 43 degrees here this morning. Maybe it is because some people are still getting snow. Brr. It gives me the chills just writing that. 

      Well, if you are one of those people who are/have been experiencing a very late Spring, or a winter that won't end I write this for you. :)

      Last week was our first week where we were consistently in the mid 70's and above. It seemed every day at work something new was spouting new growth, or a new bloom caught my eye. I'm working with some new-to-me plants, and some I haven't had the chance to play with often enough. One such plant is the Asclepias tuberosa, or Butterfly milkweed. We got them in both yellow and orange flowering. 

      Some of my co-workers were saying we needed to plant more of this because the butterfly numbers have been down the last few years. Those same friends/co-workers were on break when I stood in front of those plants and a fluttering motion caught my eye. I stood and watched the lazy wings and felt I was in another world. Could I be seeing what I was seeing? Were those wings orange and black? 

      The fluttering wings traveled from plant to plant, sipping the sweet nectar of every flower. Sometimes this beautiful creature would fly high in the air. It seemed like the wind took it at will, blowing it freely from one area to the next. A smile came to my face. I felt transported to another world. The hectic minutes of the work day stood still as I watched this beauty finally fight against the wind to get back to its food source. 

      My only movements were that of reaching into my pocket for my phone so I could get a couple pictures. I knew if I was lucky enough to be witnessing this phenomenal creature after a 2500 mile flight back from its migration site I had to share. 

      I have to say I am still in awe for witnessing something I never had before. After only watching this Monarch for a couple minutes I wondered how it can fly all the way from Mexico to the U.S. without being blown way off course. 

      All I know is this: I was, and am, truly blessed to be a witness to some wonderful acts of nature. Not all have happy endings, I'm just happy that this one did! :) 

      Has Spring finally sprung where you live? Have you experienced an incredible or sad act of nature in your life? Do you like birds and butterflies?

W.P.I.-  Butterfly weed, or milkweed, (see first picture) is a native American wildflower that is at home in both the wild garden and as a border. It is a flower that attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. Blooming from late spring into summer, having sprays of small orange, yellow, or red-orange flowers are striking in their beauty.
      Butterfly weed grows easily in sun and tolerates a wide variety of soil types but performs best in soil with good drainage. Once a butterfly weed develops a good root system, it becomes a long-lived, drought-resistant plant.

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Just Wondering...

      I'm wondering what to write today. 

      My mind is tired, as am I. But I keep putting one foot forward. As we all do. 


      I'm not complaining, trust me. I love you guys, but I've hit the proverbial blogging wall. My life is full, but not worth writing about. Television stinks to me, so again I won't waste time watching it or writing about it. I really don't do movies. Some music is interesting, but everyone has different tastes when it comes to genres, same as reading. 

      That is another story. I've been so busy that I haven't even had time to read. Or write.

      *I weep as I write those words*

      Well, that may be a little dramatic. But it does hurt that I don't have time with that. 

      Anywho...

      I was just curious...

      What do you do when you when you are too tired to do your fun things? 

      Do you just give up and go to bed? What is your relaxation "go to?" What do you love to do, but can't find the time to do? 

Them Faces

      I'm not going to say much today because my throat hurts. :)

      So I've decided I have to give you a ton 0f cute to make up for it.  Like maybe this...

      Or...

      What's that? You don't care for either of them? Well...

      C'mon, that brought a smile, didn't it? If not, this one might...

      Who comes up with this stuff? And one last one to maybe bring a smile to your beautiful face...

      Are you an animal person? What is your favorite pet? Did one of these pics make you smile more than the others? C'mon, spill!

W.P.I.- Lucky Bamboo is really made up of the cut stalks of a Dracaena Sanderiana plant and is native to West Africa and Eastern Asia. These stalks are usually between 4″- 24″in height. Followers of feng shui believe that Lucky Bamboo brings prosperity and good fortune to a home or business. If a Lucky Bamboo arrangement has three stalks it brings happiness, five stalks bring wealth, and six stalks bring health. Four stalks are never allowed since the word four in Chinese sounds too close to the Chinese word for death. 

Package Design 101

      How is everyone today? 
      
      *Looks around room*

      *Good, Good. Notices someone with a sad face. Not so good.*

      Life is too short for boo-boo faces peeps! Here is an old, but good (in my opinion), attempt to put a smile on your beautiful faces. 

      I don't understand how the elderly do it. I'm *gulp* middle aged (when that happened I don't know), and I can hardly do it sometimes. This one thing in life should be as easy as 1,2,3, yet instead your fingers start to cramp, and your temper starts to explode (at least mine does). At times you feel like you need to pull out the heavy hitters. You step into the garage for pliers, or you grab a good pair of scissors to get the job done.

      For what you ask? 

      Ah yes, the dreaded safety seal on packages. Nothing gets my red headed temper going quicker than not being able to get into a package at the instant I want to.

      Lets start with salad dressing, shall we? Are you kidding me? Some salad dressings have protective seals over them stating "Lift 'n' Peel." Most times when I do this the plastic lift n peel layer comes off and nothing else. Grrrr. I then resort to, eek, using my teeth, or a knife to try and get it off. Trust me when I tell you I am not the most graceful person to walk this lovely planet. I dropped a knife the other day and for an instant my foot thought it would try to catch it. Luckily it thought better of it, and got out of the way instead. Anyways, I digress.

      How about opening a box of cereal? Usually the box isn't the hard part, the bag inside it is. Really, are you kidding me with this? Sometimes I cannot, for the life of me, pry the hermetically sealed bag apart. I try at an end...nothing. I try the middle where the seam comes up...nothing. Yes, here comes my temper. I try the end again, and rrrriiiippp. The bag rips in some obscure place and cereal flies all over. Ah yes  I love package design.

      How about I not mention the times when the head throbs and feels like it will explode if you don't put some form of aspirin in it at once. If it isn't the lift tab here on top, it is little tiny notches on the sides. Line em up and pop the top off. Yea, that isn't as easy as it sounds either. Finally when you do get in you may run into a whole cotton plant on top before you can get to those much needed aspirin. *Shaking my head*

      I had this blog in my head for a while, but kept putting it on the back burner. Last night though changed me. I fell asleep in my favorite chair. That is nothing new, it happens quite often. I awoke and turned instantly grumpy at myself for not taking my tired body to bed when I should have. I sleepily looked at my two babies, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, who told me it was time for their last treat. We slowly walked to their magic cupboard that produces food and treats. I pulled out a new bag of treats and tried to open it. Heaven forbid it's one of those with a notch that you pull across and it has a zipper to close it. I ripped, but couldn't get to the zip. I didn't want to open my eyes very far for fear that I would wake up too much, but that bag had me going insane. Those two dogs looked at me with their big brown eyes and that was the end of me. I threw the bag back into the cupboard and opened up a Tupperware container that was full of treats, and gave them their snack. "That's it," I stated. "Thursday's blog is about package design." Besides, if you had these faces staring at you I bet you'd do what it took to get them their treat!

      I am not joking when I say I don't know how the elderly do it. I think of my mom who has arthritis in her fingers and thumbs and wonder how she gets anything open. 

      I know this is a necessity in our sometimes evil society. I just think there are so many smart people out there, can't someone come up with easier packaging solutions?

On a side note, these are my dogs, Savannah and Alexis. They are camera hogs and will make their way into more blogs, I am sure. If you'll have them, that is. My guess is that you will, because I haven't found anyone that can say no to those faces!

Am I wrong in my thinking about package design? Is there any easier way I could be opening these products so I don't lose my cool, or my cereal?

Your Thoughts and Opinions Are Welcome

      Well, you've caught me in the middle of a work week where I'm on 5 straight days. For normal people that doesn't mean anything. For me, it means I'm exhausted. They are ten hour days with only thirty minutes break. That's nine and a half hours of on my feet, running, lifting, pushing, and pulling. 

What I feel like after a day at work!

      What is my point, you may ask? Well, I have a couple. I'm tired, so I'm going to cheat a little on this blog. But on the other hand I consider you, my beloved readers, fortunate for my jaded self. I'm going to give you a glimpse into a work in progress. This is a very rough piece from the New Adult story I am writing. 

      You know I don't do this often, so please sit back, relax, and feel free to critique at the end. Remember, the only first person writing I do is this blog. I don't care to write in first person, but New Adult is always done that way, so here goes...

      I never thought I’d get sick of people cheering for me, chanting my name. Every time I stepped out on stage I inhaled the atmosphere, took in thousands of faceless people. Even though I could only see about the first twenty rows I swear I heard each and every one of their voices. Knowing they come to see me overwhelms me at times. It always hits me when I’m about to go on. My heart beats in triple time. My nerves assure me they’re functioning fully from head to toe. I get tunnel vision and for a few moments I see people talking but don’t hear a word. Then, as soon as my feet hit that stage something happens. I ingest the music until my body can’t resist. I dance to the front of the stage and start singing. The crowd screams.

            Right now I’m getting my hair done. I’m on in an hour, and I’m exhausted. Things haven’t been right for a while, and I can’t dig myself out of this… feeling that has settled in me. I’ve started getting panic attacks and I can’t sleep. The bags under my eyes taunt me in the mirror, as do the pills in the bottle that stare at me every night. I won’t take them. I can’t. I don’t want to be like her.

            I close my eyes and try to concentrate on something happy, but that’s another thing. I can’t concentrate. I fidget in the chair much to the chagrin of my stylist. She’s been talking to me and I haven’t heard one word. I really do think I’m losing my mind. All I can think of is that night a few months ago. I can’t get the picture of my best friend’s dead body out of my head. Walls start closing in around me and once again my breaths grow short. Just when I think I can’t take it my phone rings. Relief floods me when I see it is my lifeline, my sister.

            “H-hey Jess.” My damn voice betrayed me and the silence on the other end made my breaths grow short yet again.

            “I’m on my way, Raven. Are you going on?”

            “I h-have to, I can’t leave 22,000 people waiting.” I whispered.

            “Yes, you can. Lose your voice, Raven, like when we were younger and didn’t want to deal with anyone. I’m in my car now. I’ll see you in a couple hours.”

            Tears left my eyes. “Hurry, Jess.” I need her just as much now as I did years ago, and she is the one thing I count on in my life. Jessica is not just my sister. She has taken care of me for as long as I can remember.

            The tunnel vision starts again. My heart hammers so hard against my ribcage I wonder if anyone else can feel it. I’m certain it can register on the Richter scale at the moment. Just a few feet away is where I will enter the stage. I pull in the biggest breath I can take and let it out slowly. I can’t leave all these people hanging. They’ve paid way too much money to see me. But this is the last show I’m doing. Ever.

            Nobody knows that. The last time I told my agent I needed time off he made it perfectly clear that if I took so much as one day the world would forget about me.

Raven and Nate, so needing each other.

            I’m twenty-one years old.

            At one time I loved being so adored. Now I just want to be alone. After three straight years on the road I’m ready to be “normal” if that’s even possible anymore. I care about the world forgetting about me, but I don’t. That’s how messed up I am. Half way through the concert my legs are burning. The dancing combined with the lack of sleep is messing with my muscles. I keep smiling, keep dancing, keep waving, keep singing. Then I spot my sister and everything falls away. Just seeing her gives me the energy I need to give the fans what they want. I try not to look at her often though, worry oozes off her.

            Finally the show ends. The band and I waved and say our thank you’s. I turn toward Jessica and feel my feet taking me in her direction. People try to stop me, they try talking to me, but I have tunnel vision now. Jess is frantically trying to get to me. She knows. As soon as we are face to face I lose it. I collapse into her arms.

      

      So there you have it. A very brief glimpse into Chapter One of the New Adult book. Yes I have a title for it, but that'll be subject to change. Now, its time for you to speak up!

      What did you think? What genres do you read? Did you want to read more, or put it back on the shelf, so to speak?

W.P.I.- The spectacular Angel Trumpet vine is native to the forests of South America, and delivers a dark triad of potent toxins—atropine, hyoscyamine, and the mind altering scopolamine. Unlike the other plants on this list, Angel Trumpet is less dangerous in of itself, than as a biological weapon in the hands of humans. In 2007, Angel Trumpet was featured in the documentary “Colombian Devil’s Breath,” for its use by criminal gang members who refined scopolamine from the ethereal looking weed and used it to turn victims into zombies – literally. This “hypnotizing herb” leaves its victims unaware of the nature of their actions, but still completely conscious. The documentary contained numerous horror stories of scopolamine attacks, including one eerie case where a man had scopolamine powder thrown in his face, and promptly emptied his entire apartment into the van of the robbers. Voluntary experimenters have seriously injured themselves in their psychotic state.