Spring has sprung

I mean it's, like, really good...

This is the response I received from John Allen after threatening to explain the appeal of Twilight: "i understand they are well written books, but come on! "OMG I, like, really like this guy, like and like he's a vampire!" It's like Judy Blume's Stories from the Crypt. HAHAHA"

A little writer's humor

Mark Kano totally rocks

I'm obsessed with Athenaeum. I have all their albums, including the six-song demo from like 1997ish. I spent 45 minutes in a Tower Records in Chicago looking through a Spin magazine in 1998 trying to find out who sang the song "What I Didn't Know" and then practically accosted a sales guy to ask him if he knew. As it turned out, the store just so happened to have the song on a listening station and thus my absolute devotion to the band was born.

I've seen them multiple times in concert as Athenaeum (and as the stripped down version of Mark and Mike). I begged the owner of The Bay in Chattanooga to let me in the night before my 18th birthday because the bad was playing and you had to be 18 to get in. Thankfully the owner was awesome and I rocked out with Karen to some of our favorite music.

So, now to the point of my story. I found out today that Mark Kano, the lead singer, has a solo album coming out at the end of the month!!! So I pre-ordered a copy and then sent him a nice little email telling him how excited I am about it (in a much less anxiety-inducing way than above). I told him he made my day. Then this afternoon I get this reply:

"Thanks Susan. YOU just made my day! I hope you enjoy the record! Best, Mark"

Yes, that startling, high-pitched noise you just heard was me freaking out like a crazy fangirl.

Looking for a good read?

Since you're reading my blog, I assume you know me, or at least like what I have to say. So please come join authonomy.com and read a (not quite perfect) draft of my novel. But please don't judge me by my typos! You can leave comments there or here. But either way please give me feedback and back my book on Authonomy!

Welcome baby Blayden

My first nephew Blayden Sheffield Schwartz arrived this morning at 11:34 (Tokyo time). He is roughly 5lbs. 5oz. and 19 inches long. Mom, dad and big sister Skylar are all doing well. Can't wait to meet this little guy.

This tweet's for you

I (along with two other Talkers) made the Star News' "Tweets of the Week" list for last week. My entry came from Friday night when I was about to head for home. And my TV. Gotta love DVR.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

So the weatherman said it would snow. But when is the weatherman ever right, right? Well he was today. It actually snowed in Wilmington. Not much. But enough to coat the ground in a whispy layer of white. And it was beautiful.

A work of art

From my very first interview at Talk, I've coveted two metal wire seahorse sculptures on the boss' wall. They are whimsical and intricate and utterly stunning. After multiple discussions with Michael Van Hout, the artist and one of Deb's very close friends, I finally have a pair to call my own. The house is quickly turning into a modern art gallery. And I love it.

On to the next...Almost

Fear that I only ever had one complete book in me has been haunting me for years. Brewing under the surface and bubbling violently over into reality when the prospect of finally completing the first novel seemed too daunting a task.

That all changed on the drive to work yesterday. I had a name stuck in my head along with a picture of a cupcake from the bookmark of my new Real Simple subscription (thanks Mom!). That's all it took.

Now if I can ever finish editing and then draft and edit a query letter to find myself an agent (literary agent that is), I will actually write a second book. And it will revolve around two sisters and a cupcakery (a cupcake bakery that is). Harper and Jack are already blabbing away in my head but I must resist the temptation to really listen until Reminders is complete.

Must not, must not, must not write anything new. Yet.

Tweet, tweet

So you may have noticed the new Twitter feed on the right hand side. (yep, right over there -> under my new profile picture) Yes, I have gone over "to the darkside" as Lindsay put it. I am twittering. Everyday. Multiple time a day.

What this means for you is that when I'm not updating the blog regularly (like I should be, but because I'm a slacker at heart I simply don't some days or months), you can always check my Twitter feed and see what I'm up to. I have to Twitter for work, so I thought why not include it on here so everyone can take the internet stalking to a whole new level. Enjoy.

You can never have too much art

While shopping for a new employee gift at Blue Moon, I came across a local artist who has quickly become the next on my must have list. Mandy Johnson paints with bright acrylic colors on canvas to capture southern and coastal life in all its vibrance. The card in the artist booth said that any painting can be reproduced on canvas in any size. I've got my eye on one particular painting of three red beach houses (either one long painting or chopped into three smaller pieces). Or the picture that is my current profile picture of the girl reading a book with her cat. Now that I mention it, I want them both.

The Bishop clan in all its glory

Lax

There is no excuse I can come up with that justifies my blatant disregard for updating my blog. I promise to return soon (with back-dated posts) as soon as I quit finding other things to do. For now, here is a quick list of things to blame:

• Editing is a long and laborious process. Even when you think you're done, you stupidly pick it up again and change things. (And find more typos!)
• We had Christmas and New Years Eve parties and the house needed cleaning - before and after
• My Christmas CD this year is really, really addictive.
• I spent four whirlwind, crazy-busy days in TN.
  
• I didn't finish Half Blood Prince on CD on my drive back from TN, so I had to finish it once I was home.
  
• The Twilight saga is happily back on my bookshelf - that is, when I'm not pulling them down and rereading.
• Ash said it best: Facebook is a time-sucking void.
• I contracted something that loosely resembled the plague, but I think I may be recovering.
  

Fin

It is done. The first full draft of the book. 380 pages. 99,150 words. Now comes the editing.

A little Twilight in the morning

Thanks to mininova.com I spent the morning watching Twilight with my computer hooked up to the flat screen. It gets better each time I watch it. I'm sure to watch it again before the long weekend is up.

Thankful

On this day of giving thanks, I wanted to share a few things I am incredibly grateful for: quiet moments shared with family and friends, the overwhelming love I have for my husband, the stories and characters that live in my head, laughing until it hurts, having friends who "get" my quirky personality and like me because of it not in spite of it, friendly smiles from strangers, the feeling of obsessiveness I get from reading a good book, passionate heartfelt songs that give me goosebumps, snuggling with kitties in bed on a lazy morning, putting the right words down on paper, a glass of crisp white wine, fictional characters that I love enough to cry over when they are gone, random cards and emails that let me know the people I love love me back.

Traditional oyster Thanksgiving dinner?

We purchased a 1/2 bushel of oysters in preparation of Mark's family coming down for Thanksgiving. Then, due to some unforseen and sad circumstances, plans changed. And we were still lerft with a cooler full of oysters that I wouldn't touch.

So we did what we've done for all of the other holidays when we couldn't be with family. We called our friends. Krysti, Andrea and John came over and we camped out around the kitchen table and polished off 2/3 of the oysters. The high point of the evening came when Mark broke out the bacon and sharp, white vermont cheddar and John decided Mark needed to add it to the Priddyboy's menu because it was the perfect meal.

The Edward to Erin's Bella

These are our seriuous Twilight faces.

Twilight: initial impressions

The movie totally rocked. Apart from a few minor things that annoyed the crap out of me, I LOVED this movie. I sat sandwiched in between Mark and Erin on an almost full row of people our friends had invited. Mark seemed annoyed but kep to his promise of not saying "Awww" once. Though he looked very much like he wanted to. Erin was so excited, she held my hand through most of the movie.

The Good:

• Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart - they were kinda perfect as Bella and Edward. Playful and serious, and intense and gorgeous.
• Voice overs from the book that made it feel like the book I fell in love with.
• Their first kiss - OMG! Much more powerful than I was expecting.
• Stupid Lamb quote was intact and exactly the way it was said in the book.
• The music kicked ass. Especially Muse during the baseball scene. (Erin and I sang along quietly to almost every song.)
• I cannot wait to see it again in Chatta with Mom and Karen!

The Bad:

• Edward sparkles so much better in my head.
• Edward shows Bella that he sparkles because he is trying to scare her, not because he's sharing some wonderful, perfect secret with her as in the book.
• Edward looked sick when he first smelled Bella not hungry or mad. It was sadly laughable.
• I liked Jacob. (And I HATE Jacob!)
• No "Stupid shiny Volvo owner"
• If I hadn't known the back story of why they loved each other, I probably would have been confused. And that makes me sad.

Twilight Tonight

Midnight, baby. T minus thirteen hours and counting.

Holy Half Blood Harry Pt. 2

This is quite possibly the best Harry Potter trailer ever.

Ramblings from the anti-social

• At trivia on Monday I talked to my friend Bret's girlfriend for the first time. We'd exchanged a few hellos and what nots before, but we had never actually had a real conversation. She sat next to me and we bonded over Edward. As it turns out, she's a really cool chick.

• On Wednesday, I went to Krysti and Billy's for a Rock Band party where, thankfully, they did not force me to participate. I toured the house, pet the sweet kitty who I was told doesn't usually like to be pet by strangers, and continued bonding with Erin over Twilight, and then Buffy and Linkin Park.

• I realized last night while talking to Ash for over an hour that I haven't seen her in almost a year. And though we email and comment on each others blogs frequently, I haven't spoken to her in that long as well. Hearing the Georgia twang creep softly back into her voice when she got really excited about something made me smile. It's been way too long and I've missed her way too much.

The end is near

I think that by the end of the month, I might be, maybe sorta kinda, finished with the full first draft of my book.

Almost Perfect

We had a perfect score through the first three rounds of trivia. Bonus questions included. Things were looking up. Then Adam, the trivia host said that if out team got all questions right in the last category we would be the first team in two years to have a perfect game. So naturally, we were screwed.

And then, we got the last set of questions. Our confidence level was high. We felt pretty good about most of the answers. We at least had answers for all of them but the bonus. The questions had to do with giving the nickame of a convict, whose real name we were given. While all of us threw out any names of criminals we could think of Micha, who never talks, said was that the guy who escaped from Alcatraz? None of us knew. So we put some other answer down. We should know by now that when Micha answers, it's right. He only answers when he knows he's right.

So on our almost perfect round, the only question we missed was the bonus question on the very last round.

He must really love me

A few weeks ago, I was complaining to Mark that I didn't think I could drive to TN for Aria's wedding knowing that Twilight came out at midnight and I hadn't seen it yet. Those eight and a half hours seemed daunting in my current obsessive state of mind. This is the exchange that followed:

Mark: "I'll go see it with you at midnight."
Me: "Seriously? You'll go see Twilight with me?"
Mark: "Yes. I know how badly you want to see it."
Me: "You'll go at midnight? What about having to be at work early?"
Mark: "It's okay. I'll deal with the lack of sleep if you want to see it before you leave."

So I just bought my tickets to see Twilight at 12:01 am on 11/21 from www.fandango.com so he can't back out. (though I think he actually wants to see it so he knows how the big fight with james ends. He didn't get that far in the book on CD on the last drive from TN.)

Stress:the ultimate buzz kill

For the first time in nine years, Mark and I did not carve pumpkins this Halloween. It's my favorite holiday and we did not even decorate this year. What's wrong with us?

Daisies In Danger?

I love my DVR. It lets me record shows and watch them when Mark's not home so I can spend an hour with him at the end of the night. Lately I've taken to DVRing all of my favorite shows and watching only one in real time.

Wednesdays at 8:00 I am glued to my TV watching the best show on television: Pushing Daisies. And now my beloved dramedy is in trouble. After being off the air for 9+ months (due to the writers' strike) after debuting its irst nine episodes, the ratings this season are dangerously low. Check out this link to a story on E! to find out how you can help to save my show. Please don't let my Daisies die.

Current obessions collide

So I'm sitting here watching Daisies and relaxing for the first time today. This is the one show I really look forward to each week and my excitement is reminiscent of the good ole' days of Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars. I finally have a show that makes me giddy and girly and oh, so happy again. (I've missed this feeling!)

And then the first commercial of the first commercial break begins. With Edward and Bella! This is the first trailer I've seen on TV. And it has new scenes in it. Just a few small ones that I have not seen before that made me rewind and watch it two more times. The one I watched is not included in the clip below; I couldnd't find it!) And each time James tells Edward he's not strong enough and Edward replies "I'm strong enough to kill you.." I say the line out loud right along with him.

What could be better than Ned and Chuck and Edward and Bella all in a five minute time span?

Little C turns four

Happy Birthday, Caroline!

Holy Half Blood Harry!

I hate that we have to wait for this movie, but the last scene in this trailer totally makes up for it.

Bella's Lullaby?

I must confess, I was a dorky fan-girl and went to Hot Topic at the mall last night to hear the unveiling of the Twilight Soundtrack. I only made it though a few songs because I felt like such a dork. While I was not the oldest, I was in work clothes (ie: dressed up in heels) and did not quite mesh with the skulls and goth clothes in the store.
I very desperately wanted to hear two specific songs: Never Think by Robert Pattinson (the lovely Edward) and Bella's Lullaby, composed specifically for the movie. But I didn't want to be lurking around a store with lots of tweens ans teens eying me like I was out of place so I left before either song came on. So today I did what any dorky fan-girl would do after missing out on my songs - I found them on You Tube. They're not the best quality, but I'll take them. Enjoy.

Quote of the day: Talk

While looking at a Cougar paper sample book:
Susan: "Did you feel the chameleon? You totally have to feel the chameleon!"
Shawn: "I think I've been asked that before."

Muggle Quidditch? I could totally play this game...

For the first time, ever, I wishes I lived in the northeast. At least for the weekend. This Saturday at Middlebury College, the Intercollegiate Quidditch League Tournament will be in full force. 14 teams will compete to win the illustrious title of quidditch world champions, complete with trophy and major bragging rights.

Though they won’t be flying like in Harry Potter, these athletes ride brooms around a field and play with imitation quaffles and bludgers. They have the goals positioned on the ground so the hoops are high enough in the air to be a challenge. As for the golden snitch, well, instead of a speedy golden ball, it’s a person who turns the match into a game of hide and seek, making the seekers run all over campus trying to locate him. That's a position I could totally play.

TV quote of the week: Heroes

"High five turtle." - Matt Parkman to his spirit animal guide on finding his future wife Daphne waiting for him at the airport.

I'm too sexy...for a bus shelter?

Quote of the day as read in an article from the Los Angeles Associated Press about Kevin Smith's latest movie, Zack and Miri Make A Porno:

"If they want to call the movie `Zack and Miri,' that's fine, but Zack and Miri cannot make a porno on my bus shelters," Cutler said.

Good Eats?

I have one spiral notebook for the book, and another one for all other writing ie: ideas for future projects. One in particular is a very bare bones listing of characters for a young adult novel. It's been sitting open on the living room floor for a month now so I can quickly jot down names like "The Nova Academy" or "Jaclyn 'Jack' Gregory" before they slip out of my head again.

Lately, Chaucer has taken to picking at the notebook, using his front (clawless) paws to knead it curling the pages in the process. Today I looked down and he was eating the page. Litererally chewing the bottom right corner and pulling pieces off like he was going to eat my story piece by piece.

It makes me wander if he thinks I'm paying too much attention to my computer and not enough to him.

Phoenix raps with the best of 'em

So I arrived in Phoenix last Thursday afternoon (a week ago yesterday), and the first thing I noticed after the inundation of brown was the City of Phoenix's logo. At first glance, the logo whizzing by my taxi window looked familiar. The wings of a bird-like creature curved up into a "w" shape reminiscent of Wu Tang Clan. It didn't occur to me that this was the city's logo of a phoenix with flaming wings until the ride back to the airport. I thought the southwestern mecca simply loved its rap music.

But if Dumbledor had had a logo, I think it would have looked something like this:

(Please note: The landing was rough and I was trying not to hurl in the back of the cab on the way to the hotel, so my mind was not as clear as on the way back to Sky Harbor when I recognized what the symbol really was.)

Parasitic aliens in love

So I was sitting in the Phoenix airport on Sunday, after a long few days at a conference, sobbing as quietly as possible for twenty or so minutes all because of a book.

I had saved Stepahnie Meyer's first adult book, The Host, specifically for this trip. Not only would I be in the author's town, but I would be in the vicinity of the setting of the book. (Yes, I know, I'm a dork!)

I expected to love the book simply for the fact that I am obsessed with her other books. Her characters are more alive to me than some people I know. But I also expected to be a little wary of it. While vampires and werewolves don't phase me, I have a big problem with aliens. They're just not my type of thing. But this book is so my type of thing. Above all else, it is a love story. A wonderfully sweet, tragic love story that involves Melanie (a host body that has been invaded by an alien), Jared (Melanie's one true love), Wanderer (the centepede like alien in Mel's body) and Ian (the human who loves Wanderer even without Melanie's body).

In the beginning I was rooting for Mel and Jared. But by the end, the most heart-wrenching characters were Wanderer and Ian. These are the two that broke my heart. That had me bawling surrounded by fellow passengers who kept giving me sidelong glances to make sure I was OK. And if I didn't have as much faith in Stephanie Meyer and her love of romance, I'm not sure I would have been OK. But knowing that Bella and Edward survived it all to be together and no one stood in their way, I was banking on The Host to deliver much of the same. Lucky for me (and the passengers around me) the crying didn't last too long.

The vampires are coming...

Here is the full trailer for Twilight. Enjoy. (It gave me goosebumps!)

Love redefined

Random text from Mark while I was in Phoenix:
"So I got in my new grills and I think I'm in love."

Living Twilight

So tomorrow I am going to Phoenix for a work conference. And you know the most exciting part? I get to go to Sky Harbor Airport where Bella runs away from Alice and Jasper in Twilight. Then I get to take a cab into Scottsdale. Hopefully I won't be racing toward a demented vampire set on killing me though.

It'll be kinda cool to have that part of the book come alive for me once I've seen what it all looks like though. I may just have to take a detour to the bathroom on level three of Terminal 4 and take a picture for Karen and Ash, just for fun.

Facelift

I gave the blog a facelift today. And something about the change makes me feel more sophisticated, grown up. Like I could actually finish my book and be a published author. Like I could open a stationery store one day and spend my afternoons surrounded by paper. Like I may actualy get to do all the things that live quietly inside my head desperately hoping one day to be real.

2 years at Talk

Yesterday was my 2nd anniversary at Talk. Today is my review. I have a few things on my mind and I hope Deb doesn't fire me for saying them. But at some point, you've got to decide if your in it for the long haul, and if you are, you need to get over worrying that your boss won't like you if you speak your mind. Hopefully today is my day.

Love sick?

So one of my favorite shows returned last night - Pushing Daises. I've been waiting for this night since last fall when it went off of the air due to the writer's strike and didn't come back. I was giddy with anticipation for the return of my pie maker and his untouchable girl, Chuck. Olive was running off to a nunnery, Emmerson was longing for his daughter, and Digby was helping keep Chuck alive by barking if she and Ned got too close. It was going to be a perfect night.

And then the fever came. It was only 100.4, but it was enough to have me sleeping from 6-8 pm, turning on the TV and wishing I didn't ache everywhere so I could enjoy this long overdue premiere.

In the end, I made it though, laughed a little, sighed a lot and promptly went to bed.

Walkers and Wine

Brothers and Sisters is back tonight in all of their Walker glory. Secrets will be spilled, expensive housewares will be destroyed, relationships will be tested. It's time to get a glass of wine and settle in for a season-long ride that is sure to keep all the Walker's (even Rebecca who really isn't a Walker and Ryan who doesn't yet know he's a Walker) in emotional upheaval.

How not to celebrate an anniversary

1) Do not buy a business the week before your anniversary.
2) Do not agree to go to a work skating party.
3) Do not eat pizza and drink Diet Coke at said skating party in lieu of a nice romantic dinner.
4) Do not have car trouble, making your spouse drive all over creation instead of getting dessert.
5) Do not forgo the glass of wine because you are tired.
6) Do not go directly to bed after finally arriving home from the same said skating party.

The final countdown

Mark signs the papers today. And though it won't take effect until Monday morning, after today he will be a business owner. He'll have a payroll and suppliers and long days filled with grilled sandwiches. And he is deliriously happy.

I am a force to be reckoned with

Well, maybe I'm not quite that good, but I have managed to personally get two people in love with Edward Cullen. And I talked about it at work so much that Deb and Kristen started the series and are now in love with him too. Shawn even said he "may" have to read it. :)

Unnerving news

I realized today that I after I finish The Book, I may be a young adult writer. I'm not sure how it happened, but it did. I have a few outlines of characters and plots for books about teens. And I want to write them. I'm trying to come to grips with my future by reading more young adult lit to convince myself that it is respectable. is JK Rowling and Stephanie Meyer can do it, maybe writing for teens isn't such a bad thing. Right?

You are invited...

And one to grow on

Happy 90th birthday, Grandpop! We look forward to many more!

My obsession knows no bounds

So after I posted my irate fan blog about Midnight Sun, I read through the 264 pages that Stephanie Meyer made available on her website. I skipped dinner. I barely remembered to feed the kitties I was so engrossed.

And I was blown away. I didn't think it was possible to love this story more that I already do, but hearing it all from Edward's point of view made me fall in love with him all over again.

Watching him fall in love with Bella and realize that he would fight his family over her if necessary was just as powerful as Bella's need for him in Twilight. True love stories do not come around often, so when one this perfect does, it's hard not to go all gooey and turtle-dovey.

So here's my plea to Stephanie Meyer - Please, please, please finish this book. I cannot live happily ever after without at least seeing "Confessions" from Edward's point of view. I need this. And I know you do too. You can't give up on him now!

Beware the wrath of angry Twilight fans

To the jackass who leaked portions of Midnight Sun on the internet-

Just who the hell do you think you are? Midnight Sun was not yours to distribute to the masses. You were given a copy because you were a trusted friend (or possibly even family member). And what do you do? You betray not only Stephanie Meyer, but also the legion of now devestated fans, by being the world's biggest ass.

As a writer, I am horrified by your blatant disregard for the legal copyright of Midnight Sun. As a fan, I am furious and devestated that you have potentially ended a story that I have been dying to sink into. (So furious in fact that I'm close to wishing you bodily harm. Serious harm that would help the overwhelmingly global impact of your actions sink in far enough that you are never quite right again!)

Did you think that we'd all be so voracious to read the unfinished manuscript that your betrayal would be forgiven? Because of you and your selfishness, the world may never know Edward's story. (I may never know Edward's story!) And that is unfrgivable. The fact that Stephanie Meyer said her mood was dark enough to let James win and kill all the Cullens should make you ashamed of yourself.

And even if Stephanie proves a kinder person that I (which I am counting on), I will always think of you as the person who tarnished the near-perfect saga. And like the books, Edward was damn near-perfect too and you've ruined that for her. At least for today.

So you better find a way to fix this disasterous turn of events and convince Stephanie that you are the lowliest type of scum on the planet and your actions should have no bearing on her writing or Edward's story. If you don't, I think there just may be a special place in hell for a person who angers and devestates millions of women with one careless action.

Think about it.

Sincerely,
A Seriously Irate Fan

One big, fat I told you so...

Comment from Karen on Facebook today after finishing Twilight:

"I am absolutely furious that you would do such a mean and horrible thing to such a loving sister. I mean really, giving me a book like that to read, knowing that I would be DYING to read the next one and PURPOSELY NOT bringing it. Honestly, I thought you cared. And seriously, what an awesome book!"

Proof

I have friends. Need proof?

The first picture is Krysti and me at the Karaoke Kong Marathon (notice my KK logo on the right side? I made that); the second is Andrea and me at Krysti's birthday party. My friends rock.

Is my beloved Veronica coming to the big screen?

Michael Ausiello made my day today with this post about how Kristen Bell and Rob Thomas had an impromptu meeting about making a Veronica Mars movie! (Yes, that sound you just heard, the one that sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard from a distance, was me sqealing my head off in sheer delight!) I don't know if it will ever come to fruition, but a girl can dream, can't she?

Direction Pt. 2

At lunch today, I told Mark that I finally gave into an idea and now my novel has a new direction.
His response: "You added vampires didn't you?"

(If this doesn't make sense to you read a few posts back about Twilight and it will all become clear. And to answer his question - No.)

Direction

After years of rebelling against romance of any kind in my writing, I have finally given in. For the longest time, I didn't want to be seen as one of "those" writers. I didn't want to be chick-lit or romance novel-ish. I wanted to be respectable. I wanted to be literature.

I wanted to be taken seriously as a writer and have my stories mean something. Somehow in my mind I felt that being literary mean that I had to give up the things I enjoy (ie romantic love) to be replaced by grown-up plots and ten-dollar words. But I read romance novels, devour them actually, and I lap up any good love story. And stories don't have as much impact on me if they don't make my heart sigh.

So why do I consider these authors and books to be serious literature, but not my own?

And that's when something clicked in my sluggish brain. This deep rooted seed of romance sprang to life and my novel has a new purpose. The mental block lifted and I could clearly see the path Aden was to take to get to the happy ending. Just by accepting that two characters are meant to be (which in my head I knew, but never allowed to be acknowledged on paper), everything fit in place.

I'm in love with a vampire

Well, actually a whole family of Vampires – the Cullens. But Edward Cullen is top of the list with his golden eyes, bronze hair, wicked crooked grin, and unequaled love for one Miss Bella Swan.

I immersed myself in my latest obsession, The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, this past weekend and read the 2,515 pages of all four books in a four day stretch. Back-to-back. With only brief interludes for minimal food and bathroom breaks. Otherwise, I was all vampires all the time. And it was well worth the aches from sitting in a chair with my neck cocked down to read.

I cannot express how much I LOVE this series. In the next few days I will try though. I cannot stop thinking about the four books so I will do more blogging as the scenes keep replaying in my head like a widescreen. You'll also soon get to watch the trailer for the Twilight movie set for release on December 12, 2008. (Robert Pattinson - who played Cedric Diggory in Goblet of Fire - completely brings Edward to life.) Cannot wait!

Dwelling on what should have been

Just like too many cooks spoil a broth, too many trivia teammates second guess each other and we come in third.

I know I should be happy that we placed, but I'm not. It's annoying that we had right answers and then changed them. Oh well. There's always next week.

She's not done yet

Because no one, including J.K. Rowling herself, is quite ready to let go of Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the rest of our beloved (and hated) Potter characters, Bloomsbury, Scholastic and Amazon are releasing The Tales of Beedle the Bard – the book Dumbledor willed to Hermione upon his death. Proceeds will go to the Children’s High Level Group (CHLG) charity. This amazing addition to the Potterverse will be available December 4th. Amazon is also selling a leatherbound version for those with a little extra cash lyring around. I unfortunately am not one of those people, but I will be getting my grubby little hands on that standard edition!

When is a cake more than a cake?

When it's made by a bunch of half-crazed carpenters and artists turned bakers. That's when.

For a TV show with such an animatedly loud cast of characters, Ace of Cakes slunk quietly into my life. But now that the Baltimore bakery Charm City Cakes is on my radar, my goal in life is to one day get a Duff Goldman and crew masterpiece. And I'd probably be as girly as the group of librarians who requested that the cavalier, smartass Geoff deliver my cake.

Just spend one half hour on Thursday nights watching Food Network and you’ll be sold on them too.

Let the anticipation begin...

I received an email from Ash first thing this morning which made my day. Probably my week. Maybe even the month.

The Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince teaser-trailer hit the internet. Go watch it. Now. You won't be sorry. It gave me chills. I've watched it twice already and will probably watch it another million times before the day is up. Enjoy!

The family just keeps growing

I received a video today that told me I am going to be an aunt again. (And before you ask, no, it's not Karen.) Skip and Holly are expecting their second child in February. And Skylar is super excited about being a big sis. It'll be hard to see the new addition with them living in Tokyo now, but they'll be in the states for a good long vacation next summer!

A Little Self Esteem Can Do Miracles For Your Love Life

If you have not seen Penelope yet, stop reading this right now, and go see it. (I mean it, stop reading.) This gem of a movie should be on everyone's must-see list. It fits all the best criteria: quirky, heart warming, funny, clever, delightful, fun, entertaining, original. Plus it has Christina Ricci and James McAvoy (Where did he come from by the way? He's popping up all over the place in mega hits this year and setting the acting world on fire. And I love him in this!)

But I digress. Penelope tells the tale of a girl cursed with a pig's snout and hidden from the world by her self-involved mother. The only interaction she is entitled to is with the suitors who are brought into the mansion and forced to sign confidentially agreements to keep the family secret safe. But our little Penelope finally has enough and escapes her prision to have a beer (through a straw) and turns the world's prejudices on its head.

The rapid-fire dialogue between Penelope and Max/Johnnie and their fantastic kiss reminds me why I love well-written characters so much. Give me two people I can care about and it doesn't matter if one of them looks like a porker or not. I just want them to end up happily ever after ("at least so far anyway").

We are the champions...

We came in first tonight. With three perfect rounds at trivia, and one not so perfect round. But all that really matters is that we earned that $30 gift card. Free beer next week!

My Current Life Soundtrack

Mark bought the new Finger Eleven CD a few months ago because he liked Paralyzer and I liked Falling On. But neither one of us had been big fans of the band before (Plead don't get me started on the awefulness that is The One Thing). But somehow this little 42+ minute album has wormed its way into my head and burrowed in for the long haul. And I cannot help but play it. Over and over again. It seems that it's finished as soon as it starts, and by the end, I'm not ready to give it up yet. So I replay. And replay. Until my stereo begs me for something different.

My Secret Blogger Identity

I've been blogging more at work and instead of double posting, I'm just going to link to Talk's blog so that you can read my witty posts direct from the source. The Hellboy and Harry Potter blogs are mine. Couldn't have guessed, could you? (I'm such a dork.)

Where Have All The Cool Cards Gone?

With the recent lack of my beloved Squibnocket cards, I found myself at a loss for witty, eccentric, kick-ass greeting cards. Then Michael Ausiello (formerly) from TV Guide posted his partner's stationery site in his (former) weekly Ask Ausiello column. Pretty Bitter is awesome! I already purchased a nice supply so that I will be well stocked.

Long Time Gone

They did it. After 39 hours and 2 minutes, Anthony finally shut up. And won the world record for longest consecutive karaoke singing by one person. With the help of Jeff, our very own Karaoke Kong, the two took over a local bar and rocked out for three days. I wasn't on hand for the record-breaking song (I had a client meeting – stupid clients), but as you can see from the video, Mark and our friends Jeff, Krysti and Andrea were there to cheer Anthony on. Since the event, the story has made it onto Yahoo! News and ESPN's Top Plays.

As it turns out

So today, my boss took the day-to-day contact with one of my favorite clients away from me. It's because, I was told, I am not firm enough with him. He likes to be put in his place and told when something he wants can't be done. But I am the type of person who will do whatever it takes to make my clients happy no matter how frustrating or hard it is for me. That, I thought, was my job.

Turns out I have been disillusioned for the past year and a half. My job is really to be a psychic and know how people like to be handled without being told. My job is to be an extrovert who loves people and is good in social situations, someone who always says and does the right things. My job is to wow everyone all the time. I can do none of those things.

After work, I made it down Eastwood to College before I started to cry. It seems that my top strengths, from the famed Strengths Finder test that my boss loves so much, all came crashing down on me on the drive - Relator, Achievor, Responsibility - resulting in having to face the fact that I failed months ago, but I just wasn't smart enough to see it.

These are the things I've learned from this:

• The mascara Mark put in my stocking at Christmas is not waterproof
• Being a nice person gets you nowhere in life and garners you no respect
• As I suspected all along, I am not cool enough to do my job

The Man Without a Face

After almost a year and a half of talking to one of my clients almost every day, I finally know what he looks like. We had to be sneaky. But since he refused to be in a picture, and I had made Deb and Shawn promise not to come back without a photo of said client, sneaky is the way it had to go down. And I don't feel bad. Not even a little.

Everywhere but the bathroom sink?

As many of you know Pippin likes to be in things. I woke up yesterday morning and I found him curled up asleep in the bathroom sink.

Quotes of the day

Quote 1
Kirsty (talking about a certain web programmer): "He needs to be ridden really, really hard."

Quote 2
Shawn: "Whose purse is this?"
Susan: "Lindsay's." (pause) "Why? Are you starting a collection?"

If you require context, please email me. Otherwise I hope you enjoyed those as much as I did.

The Results Are in

I received the official letter this week that I'm OK. The nodule on my thyroid is benign and all is well with my world. this comes two weeks after the phone call syaing the same thing, but seeing it in writing makes me feel much better. Let's hope the follow-up in August goes well.

Long Overdue

As you may have noticed, the blog has been incredibly quiet, okay non-existent, for almost a year. Many of you have asked for updates and I have unfortunately been very slack about posting anything, though I have actually had many things to say.

So I am backdating posts from the past year. If you are interested and have the time, check out the archives and you can get caught up in our lives. I'll try to do better in the future.

Sincerely,
The Slacker

13 Needles

I went in for a thyroid and lymphnode biopsy at my endocrinologist's yesterday. Since he was taking smaples from my thyroid and two lymphnodes I was prepared for 3 needles. But what I got was 10 for the biopsy and 3 for numbing the different parts of my neck. But those three seemed to be just to poke at me more because the other 10 needles hurt like hell. But luckily after 45 minutes he got enough good samples to test. Now let's just hope that all is well and I don't have to go through that again.

Pool Table Fiasco pt. 2

After six months of no one knowing how to make the table and slate fit together, the one thing Mark had been asking all long was what eventually worked — why not just drill new holes in the rails to accomodate the new slate holes? Simple enough. At least it's done now and Mark can releive some stress up there while I watch my shows.

And the first one to use it was Chaucer.

Belles of the party

This year, all the girls in the office attended the Azalea Festival Garden Party while we left the two guys to hold down the fort. The Garden Party is our chance to get all gussied up, have free drinks and play the game "Who's had a Boob Job"

This year we found out it was one of our own. Any guesses Former Talkers?

All It Takes Is A Little Recovering

Our dining room table was my grandparents from when they lived on Signal Mountain, and maybe even before that. After they moved to the lake it went into storage until Mark and I moved into the condo in Wilmington and were in need of a table.

So this table has been around a while. And it was showing its age by the time we moved into the new house. As a housewarming gift, Susan and Dad offered to have the chairs recovered. So while they were visiting in October, we selected a coral print fabric for the chairs and for the two wicker chairs that we use if we have more than four for dinner.

After a few mishaps with the upholsterer, all that was left was to sand and repaint the frames, which Mark did in the garage with the help of a refrigerator box we took from one of the trash piles from a house in the neighborhood. And voila! They are gorgeous.

Boring Yard? Spice It Up.

Here is my landscaping wishlist:

• Pink Dogwood or Flowering Cherry
• Hollyhock
• Tradescantia
• Harlequin Hydrangea
• Lillies
• Poppies
• Iris ( Lousiana Black Gamecock and Lousiana Bold Pretender)
• Daffodils
• Tulips
• Azaleas (Wolfpack Red, President Clay, and White)

Quote of the Day

An exchange at work today...

Kirsty: "Shawn, you'd make a great pimp."
Shawn: "I'm not good with money. And I'm not good with hitting."

The After Party

David and Amber took two cases of champagne to the reception, but the venue refused to serve it except for the toast. Well we couldn't let that go to waste. So Pete gathered all the groomsmen and most of the bridesmaids at his apratment for the part of all after parties.

Champage. Karaoke. 17 twenty-somethings in a two bedroom apartment. Need I say more?

They Do!

David and Amber's wedding was stunning. Candles and groomsmen filled the chapel. Snow cascaded down, whirling around the front doors as guests arrived and the bridesmaids tromped around in their polkadot rain boots. The perfect scene for a Colorado wedding in February.

Cold Trumps Beauty. Any day.

My first ever trip to Colorado has shed some light on the state. Here is what I have learned:
Colorado is as breathtaking as Everwood depicts (even though the show was filmed in Utah) and Colorado is freaking cold.

Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Is it bad that all I could think of during half of Sweeney Todd was that Barbara Streisand sings "Not While I'm Around" on one of her CD's?

Seriously though, damn good movie. I mean it starts with three Potter actors Snape (Alan Rickman), Bellatrix (Helena Bonham Carter) and Wormtail (Timothy Spall) and then adds in Johnny Depp. You can't go wrong.

But you do need to be OK with blood, guts and crunching noises as bodies hit the floor underneath the trapdoor where they are then turned into meat pies to be consumed by patrons of the restaurant. Even if you are squeamish (like I am) go see this movie! Just remember to avert your eyes and plug yuor ears whenever anyone goes in for a haircut.

Pregnant Teens Are Awesome!

Or at least Juno, a movie about a pregnant teen, is. With lines like "That ain't no Etch-A-Sketch. This is one doodle that can't be un-did, Homeskillet", "I mean I'm already pregnant so what other kind of shenanigans can I get into?" and "He's the cheese to my macaroni", it was well worth going to the movies alone. Juno is part Napoleon Dynamite, part Veronica Mars with a dash of Gilmore Girls' pop culture references just for fun. Damn near perfect!

Once Will Not Be Enough

I've never been a huge fan of Keri Russel. I'll admit that I didn't watch Felicity longer than the first few episodes. But after August Rush, I'm a believer. Keri Russel is stunningly beautiful and a brilliant actress.

She plays a starcrossed lover who has a one night stand with Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Joe from Bend It Like Beckham) and gets pregnant only to never see him again. Add in Freddie Highmore (Willy Wonka's protege fron the Depp version) as a musical genius who is searching for his parents and you have a heart-wrenching movie with an amazing soundtrack.

I sat in the theater as the credits rolled to pull myself together and to talk myself out of sitting there and watching it all over again.

Southern Exposure pt. 1

I've been contemplating retiring from Smuudged Pot for a while now. I finally decided that November would be my last month at the shop. And then the PR Specialist at work pitched a story about me working at Smudged Pot to Wilmington Magazine for their Southern Exposure section — a full-page story and photo about "people you chould know" in the area. And the editor went for it. Now I can't quit. I mean how would it look for a marketing and PR professional to ruin a story before it even gets printed. So much for making plans.