The Liars Club

Like Fandango, I’m already breaking my own rules and playing a game instead of writing, aka lying. Blame Rory and his Daily Fun Three.

Name Three…

Three of your childhood books?

– Arty The Smarty, The Velveteen Rabbit, Little House on the Prairie

Three of your best memories?

– the themed parties I did for my kids ~ forex… one Barbie/pink, one Halloween/pirates, and one backwards birthday (probably the most fun ever)

Things that are yellow and triangular?

– a slice of lemon meringue pie and a lemon square cut on the diagonal which is now two triangles if you know math which I do so that’s three right there boom 💥

Wishes you would like to be granted if you had a magic genie lamp?

– instant and complete elimination of all weapons that cause mass death and our ability to make more of same, eliminate pollution everywhere, fix my fucking heater since my landlord is ignoring my text 😡

Beautiful places you have ever visited?

– Zion National Park, the Grand Canyon, Monterey, CA

Things you fall back on to make you feel better when having a bad day?

– sugar, rage, resolve

Things that best describe your family?

– smart, successful, funny (daughters & sons-in-law)

Of your favourite blogs?

– Fandango, The Haunted Wordsmith, Msjadeli (also all others, bloggers or not, who comment here regularly… much ❤️)

Things you would choose if you had ten minutes in your favourite store if you didn’t have to pay for them?

– three fucking heaters

Dishes you can cook in less than 15 minutes and ready to eat direct from serve?

– I don’t understand this question

Pet peeves?

– passive aggression, vehicles with obnoxious blindingly bright headlights, BMWs in general

Bird species beginning with the name G?

– gnu, goose, green parrot 🦜

Of your most favourite letters from the alphabet?

– XYZ

Of the most boring things you have ever done?

– tried to read Ulysses, played Encore with geniuses, driven from Irvine to LA on a Friday night omg

Questions you would ask of your pet if you could?

– why are you so yowly, why don’t you bury your p00ps so our enemies won’t find us, why can’t you let me smoosh you when I’m cold???

Of your favourite cartoons from now or when younger?

– the Pink Panther, Rocky, Bullwinkle

Of the emoticons you use the most when writing or in social media or comments?

– ❤️😀😂

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30-Day Song Challenge [4]

Day 7… a song to drive to? No question this is the entire Save Me, San Francisco album from Train. I’ve already poasted “Soul Sister” recently, so how about the title track now?

https://youtu.be/zftcZYdOl3Y

Three of a Mind

(Via the Blokey Guy)

Name Three …

Cold things?

– Chicago winter, doggie’s nose, how best to serve a dish of vengeance

Hot things?

– jalapeños, molten lava, Taron Egerton

Boy’s Names beginning with Z?

– Zachary, Zev, Zorba

Countries beginning with the letter G?

– Greece, Germany, Greenland

Animals species that begin with the letter P?

– Porcupine, porpoise, platypus

Things that are square?

– old TVs, those little tiles in Grandma’s bathroom, YOUR MOM

Holidays you have been on?

– Portlandia, Seattle, SF

Words that rhyme with Pink?

– think, blink, wink

Urban Legends?

– soul mates, twin flames, true love

Things that are pink?

– Champagne, pearls, white panties after being washed with a red tee shirt

Things to do with baseball?

– that guy in the underwear ad, the funny Meatloaf song, the Abbott & Costello routine

Marvel Heroes?

– Spiderman, Wolfman, Crocoman

Ice Cream Flavours?

– salted pretzel logic, peanut brittlefingers, mocha polkadots

Things that come from the ocean begining with the letter O?

– Octopus, owlfish, onionshark

^^^ Taron Egerton, FYI.

Questions from the Queen

Aka Teresa 👑

1. What is the oldest thing in your refrigerator right now?

– Pickles probably (they don’t go bad, right?).

2. If you were picked to be on a game show, what type of game would it be (family feud, Jeopardy, etc.)?

– Jeopardy or WOF.

3. You’re walking in the woods and see a man waving to you…what do you do?

– Pretend I don’t see him and walk away.

4. It was a perfect snowfall…what do you build?

– Snowman!

5. What is the worst thing someone could put on popcorn?

– Spicy stuffs.

6. What flavor of potato chip (crisps) do you like?

– Lime.

7. Do you cry when happy?

– Not unless I’m laughing like a maniac.

8. ET lands back on Earth and invites you to go home with him…do you?

– No, I’d miss my kitty!

9. Who is your favorite actor/actress?

– Tom Hanks & Sandra Bullock.

10. Northern hemisphere, Southern hemisphere, or equator…which would you choose to live in?

– SoCal (Northern).

11. If you were on an awards committee and had to pick three books published in the last five years as winners, which would they be?

– Haven’t read enough books to judge.

12. You have to create a role-playing character, what do you create?

– 008.

13. Which song best describes you when you are: happy? sad? angry? bored?

– She’s A Rainbow 🌈 (happy)

– The River Cried (sad)

– You & Ur Hand (angry)

– Break On Through (bored)

Sunday Song Lyrics: Soul

For this week’s prompt, I debated between Jewel’s “Save Your Soul” and Train’s “Soul Sister.” It was a tough choice because I love both songs so very much, but ultimately I went with Train. I chose their album Save Me, San Francisco to listen to in my car, full blast up and back to Berkeley on repeat in late 2012 to visit my daughters. It was a mixed year for me personally with big ups and downs, but that trip filled me with joy. My girls were doing so great, successful and happy, and all the songs on that album were super inspirational to me. I left at 4AM to beat the traffic on the first part of the journey back to SoCal, cruising out on the 580 in the perfect darkness, all alone on the road, just me and the music.

Everything is different now. My car broke down on a subsequent visit north when it was about 150 degrees on the Fourth of July and now I only fly up there. I really don’t even enjoy driving at all these days, though I still love Train. Only one daughter lives near SF now; the other lives in LA. I no longer have wild ups and downs, just steady blahs, which is better.

Hey, hey, hey
Your lipstick stains on the front lobe of my left side brain
I knew I wouldn’t forget you, and so I let you go and blow my mind
Your sweet moonbeam, the smell of you in every single dream, I dream
I knew when we collided, you’re the one I have decided who’s one of my kind
Hey soul sister, ain’t that Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo
The way you move ain’t fair, you know!
Hey soul sister, I don’t want to miss a single thing you do, tonight […]

Written by Amund Bjorklund / Espen Lind / Pat Monahan; 2009

I Put the Lie in Liebster

Big thanks to Kristian for the award! Loved his answers. 😀

RULES

• Acknowledge the blogger that gave it to you and display the award
• Answer 11 questions that the blogger gave you
• Give 11 random thoughts about yourself
• Nominate 11 other bloggers and notify them of their nomination
• Ask your nominees 11 questions

The origins of this award are as follows:

“This award is meant to encourage new bloggers. From The Global Aussie: “The earliest case of the award goes as far back as 2011.  Liebster in German means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.”  The award initially focused on bloggers with less than 2000 followers, but as its popularity increased this number has gone down to 200.”

My questions from Kristian:

1. If someone were to make a film/movie about your life, which actor would you like to play you? Joan Cusack. People have said we look alike, and maybe I’d get an intro to John.
2. If you had to stand up and sing a song at Karaoke what song would you choose? Already tried to sing Bang Bang with someone and goofed it all up.
3. If you received a plane ticket through the post that could take you absolutely anywhere in the world, where would you go? Back to NorCal to visit my family.
4. You are trapped in a mountain hut in a snowstorm. You have all the food and drink you need but there is no TV. What books would you like to have with you? All the romances I haven’t read. But nothing scary if I’m trapped!
5. If you could go back in time and meet someone from history who would it be? Whoops! Couldn’t decide and then forgot to answer. I’ll just put Emily Dickinson.
6. You arrive home after a long day and the magic elves have cooked/prepared your favourite meal, what is it? Sautéed mushrooms over wilted greens and lovely fresh seafood pasta.
7. Someone pulls out in front of you on the motorway, makes you slam your breaks on, then speeds off. What would you like to happen to them? Ticket for speeding and reckless driving. I know that sounds boring, but if people were actually penalized properly, things would get better on the roads and we wouldn’t have to hate each other and be so stressed.
8. What burning question that I didn’t ask would you like to answer? How many words am I up to in NaNoWriMo ~ 7674

Eight is the new 11, yayyy! Thanks Kristian for not going up to 11!

Eight random things about me then:

1. My ears are significantly asymmetrical.

2. I remember names much better than faces.

3. I don’t ask/care about/remember facts about people such as age, location, job because those things bore me, but I will remember something funny they said.

4. I have written two complete, legit romance novels (available for Kindle).

5. I have done stand-up comedy.

6. I won an award in high school for being awesome at Spanish.

7. I barely remember any Spanish now.

8. I still have some Beanie Babies.

If you have fewer than 500 WordPress followers, you have now been chosen by me as a Liebster Award Recipient ~ congrats! Please follow the rules above and take my 8 random facts (8 is the new 11) and questionize them (what about you is asymmetrical, do you remember names or faces, etc.).

Happy Liebstering!

20 Questions

I saved these from Ashley Leia since my blogging has been a little light the last few days. Yesterday I wrote over 2500 words on my NaNo novel and penned a poem for my new book in progress, so I feel super productive starting the week.

• what’s the most dangerous situation you have ever been in?

– Driving in SoCal.

• what’s your favourite culture?

– Feline.

• what do you dislike about your own culture?

– The thing that’s currently president.

• your favourite type of travel?

– Staycation!

• do you feel understood?

– The lizard 🦎 gets me.

• how do you feel about your body?

– Hurts too much imo.

• what is your favourite film?

– When Harry Met Sally.

• are you adventurous with food?

– No.

• have you ever hated a place and wanted to come home?

– Always.

• are you bothered about others seeing you naked?

– Who? What have you heard?

• Are you a good loser?

– Yes.

• what was the favourite time of your life?

– When my girls were little and my mom was still around and I could do whatever I pleased.

• Do you have a close family connection?

– With my daughters.

• can you speak another language?

– No.

• will Trump be in for another term?

– 🤮🤮🤮

• what are your thoughts on English people?

– You mean like James Bond, Hugh Grant, handsome Dukes with castles who sometimes have to go about disguised as pirates because of some mixup… what was the question?

• was life better without mobile phones?

– Yes, and the internet, microwaves, vaccines, cars, bras, antibiotics, indoor plumbing, wheels, and fire. Fucking fire, caused so many problems.

• what has been the biggest change in your life?

– Being completely alone in my 50s and accepting this new reality.

• is climate change real?

– Duh.

• why do you like answering questions?

– It’s a nice little break from writing. Then I save them to publish in the middle of the night and know I’ll have at least one poast out for tomorrow.

Feel free to C&P and play along!

Quickie Q’s

I wrote over 700 words on my novel this morning before work, yayyy! That’s why I didn’t do my usual massive blog read/feed, sorries. But I did grab some fun questions over at Teleporting Weena, so I can keep up my daily poasting habit.

1. How long have you been blogging?

– Since around 2004. I’ve had this blog since 2011, though I’ve been less active at times.

2. Do your friends and family support you in this?

– No one cares.

3. Which is your favorite time of the day?

– Whenever I’m not in pain.

4. What would be your dream vacation?

– Staying home with my kitty.

5. What genre of movies you like best?

– Romcoms.

6. What do you wake up to?

– Meows or just darkness.

7. Are you a morning person?

– More like an afternoon person. Why is this never an option. Remember “Afternoon Delight?” That’s my theme song!

8. What motivates you?

– Not living out of a shopping cart.

9. How do you think your friends see you?

– Moody, crabby, grumpy, cranky.

10. What would be your idea for saving the environment from pollution?

– Get rid of humans.

11. Happy or peaceful, what is more important to you?

– Peaceful, which to me means stress-free. Happiness implies transitory joy, which will disappear and then you’ll long for it again and be sad. Meh.

Eleven, my favorite. 🙄

MoviePass Update

If anyone was wondering why I haven’t poasted any movie reviews lately, there are two main reasons.

First, when I went up to NorCal for a week in early October, I got out of the movie-going mood. Even though there were some new ones I was interested in, when I returned I was all… meh, who cares. Other things seemed more important to prioritize in my free time.

Second, MoviePass finally got sucky for me, just like others have been complaining about for a while. It became increasingly difficult to find a movie I wanted to see at a convenient time and place. MP does that deliberately to save themselves money ~ the app kept going dark to make sure I got so frustrated I gave up. Finally, they pulled my nearby E-ticket theater off the preferred list, so only crappy movies were available. That’s when I canceled my membership.

No biggie. From June through September it was a great deal and I saw 16 movies at a sweet price. Now I’m just back to where I was before.

I think this weekend I will see both A Star Is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody as early matinees. Those aren’t bad prices (around $6 or $8) and I really want to see these two movies. One, the previews are fabulous; and, two, they will motivate my writing. In the novel I’m writing for NaNo, two of the characters are in bands.

Do I know anything about music or bands? Hell no! But that never stops me. I’ve also written about true love and the mob, going strictly from hearsay. Or is that heresy? 😜

Where Tags Come To Die

The lovely Jay-lyn nominated me for yet another Sunshine Award and guess how many questions I have to answer? Yup. ELEVEN. 🙄🙄🙄 As per my SOP, I am not tagging anyone, but I encourage everyone who hasn’t done one of these yet to copy Jay’s questions and answer them on your own blog.

Thank you, Jay, for these great questions:

1. Do you believe in true love?

– Well, I’m not sure we all define it the same way, but do I believe that two people can, soon after meeting, discover a mutual and intensely fulfilling physical, emotional, and intellectual connection that builds into a caring and committed bond that lasts a lifetime… sure, why not? I think it has happened to other people.

2. Summer or Winter?

– Summer.

3. If you could travel anywhere in the world where would it be?

– Idk, I don’t really like to travel and leave my kitty. 🐱

4. Have you ever sat in your car and cried for no reason other than being sad?

– I usually have a reason for being sad. But yes.

5. Science Fiction or Fantasy?

– Not clear on the difference here. SciFi is like Star Trek and fantasy is dragons? Can’t mix those, I suppose, but why not? I liked the original Star Trek and the movies with those characters a lot, but I also liked the one with Chris Pine (no, I don’t want to hear about his penis), but I love love love Game of Thrones. However, that’s kind of a one-off; I didn’t love dragon stuff before and I doubt I will again. So… yeah. Idk.

6. If you could be any fantasy character what type would you be?

– A dragon! Purple obviously.

7. If you discovered the secret to slowing down the aging process would you use it?

– On myself? How would that work? I’d quit aging, so I’d never retire, but my bosses would, and then I’d have to look for a new job? Gahhh. What about my kids ~ they’d age past me and die?! That sounds pretty horrible actually. 😢

8. Walking through the forest you come upon a large tree with a door in it, do you open the door?

– No, that seems like a bad idea. Might be a dragon in there.

9. If you opened the door in the above question what did you find?

– Dragon, hello.

10. If you did not open the door in question 8 why not?

– Probably a drug dealer’s stash. Best not to know or to leave fingerprints. In a novel, the protagonist would of course open the door, which would cause a cascade of unnecessary problems and then of course end in true love. But before that… ughhh drama!

11. Favorite all time Halloween costume.

– Devil with a blue dress on.