Very Happy May Day!

It's May 1st (in case you didn't already know) and the May issue at SNM Horror Magazine is out. My story was one selected for online publication.

And I got second place and a spot in their anthology! Woohoo!

You can read the story here: http://tiny.cc/16lds Just a reminder that it's not a website for kids.

In other news, I auditioned for "The X Factor" at the booth set up in Anchorage. For those of you who haven't heard about it, that's Simon Cowell's (American Idol) new show. I had two minutes to introduce myself and sing a song. The recording was then sent to the judges. They'll let me know by email if I make the callbacks. It's hard to sit still when I think about it. Thank goodness I have writing to occupy me. I sang "What Did I Have" from On a Clear Day because it's short and shows a bit of range and movement.

The scariest part about it was the fact that you get only one chance. You don't get to redo the video if you don't like it. You don't even get to see the finished product, which is probably just as well. I'd be analyzing myself over and over if I had access to it. Another scary part is that you sign a paper that says they can use it to make fun of you, too. So you really need the ability to laugh at yourself or you might get seriously crushed by the results.

I watched part of an episode of "The Voice" as well. I like that show better than any of the other talent search shows they've had the last few years. I went to their website where they have an audition tool. You pick a song from their very short list and have 30 seconds to record it. You can redo it as often as you want, and when you submit it you get a score. Anything over an eight has a chance of being viewed by the people looking for talent, but that's not a guarantee. They're closed for the current show of course, but the video can be included in future considerations.

I've been trying to record a song, but for some reason it's not working. It acts like it's recording, but I can't see the video (sometimes it only shows me a second or two), and when I submit it, the score is zero, which basically says there is no video. Very frustrating. They don't seem to have a help section and their FAQ section is very short and lacking. Ah, well.

Lots of fun stuff going on! Can't to see where this wacky journey takes me next. :)

Hippo birdie two me!

I got the perfect gift from the Universe for my birthday today: sunshine! It's soooooooo nice outside today. It's just a bummer that hubby has to work and I have to teach, but we'll get to do things tomorrow, I'm sure. Hope the nice weather holds.

Yes, I've officially turned 34 today. "Why should I lie? Age is only a state of mind. What age do you want me to be?" Emotions are running a huge gamut. Part of me wants to ignore the day and just go about my life. But that little part in me that most want to keep hidden, that little part that makes me such a spotlight ham, is almost screaming, "Shower me with attention! It's my special day! Wheeeeeeee!"

I'm sure everyone has that little part buried deep inside. If anyone says they don't, they need their own reality TV show. (Hyuck.)

Mailing off my Group Power DVD today. Subbing for Group Power this Wednesday, so that'll be interesting! Also subbing for a Group Active class at the fancy new Eagle River Club, then immediately attending the "Pride and Prejudice" auditions after. Can't wait to see the turnout for this. As usual, what I get will depend on the guys that show up. Technically, I'm too old for any of the daughters, could be the right age for the best friend Charlotte, too young for the mother. I could pull off Miss Bingley, too, I suppose. Well, we shall see. There's lots of talent in this town and it's not a musical, so I may very well not be cast! I can assume nothing at this point.

Even if I don't get in, my next one will be "Nunsense II." As that is a musical, my chances for getting in that one are a little better, I think.

I read a blog post of a friend of mine who recently lost his dad. His words were poignant and full of feeling, and the things he wrote about definitely rang within my soul. If he'd posted it on any other day, it would not have affected me so much. But by the time I was done reading the post, I was laughing through my tears. I am blessed in so many ways and it is too easy for us to take the good things for granted. I try so hard not to do that, but sometimes I get swamped in the difficulties of life, just like everyone else. And sometimes it takes the keen insight of a friend who has been to hell and back to bring you back to your senses. Many thanks to my friend for being so honest and full of the love of life to share his experiences with others.

And on that serious note, now I need to decide what cake I want to have tonight: chocolate, cheesecake, or ice cream cake ... ;>

Nanowrimo Fail, but Christmas A-Ok!

Yes, it's true. I failed to reach the 50k mark in last month's Nanowrimo experience. But the defeat is not so crushing as I thought it would feel. Truth be told, November kind of ended without me. There has been lots of drama regarding employment on the home front, among other things, so I kind of forgot that November has to end some time.

But what I got from the experience was worth its weight in gold. I finally tackled a story that has been bugging me to be written for a long time, but I avoided it from my own fears. So I plunged in and tried to use those fears to my advantage. I got lots of great ideas from my fellow writers and even from friends who are thousands of miles away from me at the moment. I learned more about how the story wants to be written, so much that I know I'll have to start over from scratch. (I wrote it in third person, but the story desperately wants to be told from the main character's POV. So when I get to rewriting it, that's what I'll do!)

In the meantime, I'll be going back to my very first novel, Sparkless. My new year's resolution last year was to finish that one and move on to some others that have been sadly neglected. Well, I have not yet reached that goal, so I want to achieve that one very soon. Summerland's Savior will be next on the list. It still needs to be finished, and then revised. It has been waiting patiently for, um, several years.

I finished all my Christmas shopping early and sent everything off last week. I hope the boxes reach their destinations with all due speed and alacrity. Now if I could only find the time between teaching and work to clean the house and set up the Christmas tree. I think I'll try to accomplish that today!

Things are changing for Logan on the job front. He put in for the Store Manager position, but it was filled by a corporate employee. There are more changes afoot, but I'll leave those for later when things are more solidly settled.

As for me, my jobs remain the same. I'm sure in January I'll find myself with more time on my hands. After all, retail dies after Christmas and I'm the part timer in my department, so I fully expect it and I'm not bothered by it. I've seen it from the management point of view, too.

Guess that's all for now. Gotta get to cleaning! And watching the snow fall outside.

I Won, I Won, I Won!!!!

After a couple of years tinged dark with the taint of failure, I have finally won Nanowrimo for a second time! I was beginning to think that first time was beginner's luck, a total fluke.


This year I joined with the local Nanoers here in Wasilla every Saturday for a write-in at the bookstore/coffee shop called Pandemonium. I think that made all the difference, really. Here's a group of people as crazy as I am doing the same thing I'm doing.

I'd had a dream about Nanowrimo a few days ago. A nightmare, really. I dreamed I'd gone well past 50k, but forgot to validate and lost! Arrrgh! After a month of torturing myself to get it done, and only to lose from forgetting to validate my word count, what a disaster!

So I told my fellow Nanoers. They all insisted last night that I stay until I passed 50k and validated to make sure I didn't forget, just in case I didn't make it to today's final write-in.

I am now at 52k + and an official winner. I am posting some of my badges of honor in the side column on this blog. Worship me, for I am greatness personified.

Yeah, okay. So it's going to my head a little. Sorry about that (two, three, four).

Anyway, I'm very happy for myself and congrats to all the thousands of Nanoers out there who crossed the finish line (including the ones who are still frantically typing at this very moment while we still have a few hours left before midnight.)

Write on!

Hubby is Going to Jail!

Yes, it's true. My husband is going to jail "for good". Below is part of his wanted poster:

"WANTED



Description: Usually Wears a Smile
CAUTION: Heavily Armed With Kindness…This Could Be Contagious!
PRIOR CONVICTION: Thoughtfulness and Generosity

Please Help Me!!! I have been arrested and will be put in jail for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Lock-up. Don’t even bother asking what crime I have committed – it’s not really that important. I just have to raise my bail of $1600 before the Lock-Up and they will go easy on me, but I need your financial assistance to post my bond. Please lend your support during the:

Mat-Su Hacienda Lock-Up

Your 100% tax-deductible donation will help MDA continue research into the cause and the possible cure of the 43 neuromuscular diseases they cover. Your support of the MDA Lock-Up will also help MDA provide medical equipment, clinic visits, support groups and a magical week of MDA Summer Camp for the families served by the Association in our local area."

If you have a little to spare, any donation to help bail out my sorry-@$$ hubby would be greatly appreciated! Donations need to be received by December 3rd. Here is the link to donate:

https://www.joinmda.org/matsu2008/logan_heather/SID/1912113/

Thanks so much for your consideration!

Full Blown Nano Freak!

Nanowrimo is in full swing and we're almost at the halfway mark. That's why I haven't been posting much lately; most of my writing is saved for my daily word count! Since I couldn't come up with any inspiring fiction idea, I am indeed writing a ... Well, I guess you could call it a fictionalized autobiography. It's based on my blog, so a lot of my blog entries are in it, but then I write more detail in story form.

I can't remember every little detail of stuff that happened, so that's why it's "fictionalized". I'm making some of the stuff up as I go to fill in the gaps. I started out in third person, but I don't like that at all. However, I can't lose time to changing what I've written, so I'll save that for the revision and rewrite. AFTER Nano, that is!

I even attended a couple of the Mat-Su Valley chapter of Nano's write-ins. I met some new people and had a lot of fun. We had word wars and drawings for prizes and got goody bags of candy, stickers, little notebooks. Turns out one of the two municipal liaisons in charge of the write-ins also does theatre stuff at Valley Performing Arts, so we met at the auditions for "Spitfire Grill"!

So until December, here is where I'll be: chained to my computer, trying to catch up (I should be at about 20k right now and I'm only around 16.5k). That is, chained when I'm not at work, not at rehearsal, not practicing my teaching routines, etc.

Now that's cold!

My hair froze today.

I kid you not. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there saying, "So what? Happens all the time." In fact, maybe I even wrote about it happening last year, but I don't remember. If it did, I don't think it happened on this scale. I usually don't go out with really wet hair because it makes me colder. (Duh.) But this morning I was in a hurry and I had to walk the dog, so I went out with the ends of my long hair still wet.

As the dog sniffed along, I pushed my hair away from my face. When the ends scratched my cheek, I looked at my hair thinking, "That's funny. I don't remember putting hairspray in my hair!"

I'm just lucky that moving my hair about like that didn't break off the lot of it. I left it alone until I got back in the house, where I gently pressed it between my palms and felt it go soft again. This time, when we left for work, I tucked my hair inside my scarf so it wouldn't freeze again.

Later on, I told one of the managers about it and he told me a story about a girl who had just moved to Alaska and got her hair done at a salon. She was in a hurry (hm, sounds familiar) and refused to let them blow dry her hair. She dashed out to her car. He said that as she hustled, she flipped her hair back and the ends shattered off. She sprinted back to the stylists, crying her eyes out. She ended up with a 2nd new hairstyle in the same day.

Well, I've been doing a lot of sitting on my @$$ and playing vulture over the new office manager's shoulder at work. She's doing fine, but she and my boss both said they feel better with me there to oversee things, so sat I did. I know a lot of people wouldn't mind being paid to sit around, but I don't like wasting my life, no matter how much I'm making. (Okay, maybe I wouldn't mind if it was a s--t load of money, but it has to make being bored for that long really worth it!!!)

But then today the girl I will eventually replace said it's her last day because some things came up all of a sudden and she'll be leaving sooner than she thought. So Thursday I start back in receiving. I hope my manager doesn't think I'm an idiot because I've pretty much forgotten everything already. Ah, well.

Saw some Halloween pictures on my friend Tiff's Myspace page. Sigh. I miss celebrating Halloween with my friends. Looks like this year I'll be wearing my costume to work and then giving out candy if anyone knocks on our door that night. Of course, if I'm working in receiving that day, my southern belle frou-frou may not be a good idea! I'll have to talk to the manager. I'll be lucky if I can fit the thing in my car. No hoops, just lots of fluff. And it's kind of heavy, too.

Of course, with how freaking cold it is (13 degrees at 8 am this morning), I'll probably wear my hiking boots under the skirts. I'm sure no one will notice!

After Halloween, I'll post pics of my costume and probably some of my coworkers' costumes, too.

Pumpkins here don't last very long. I remember the ones in California would last at least a week before they got soft and moldy. I've been through two pumpkins and had to throw them both out after two or three days! Must be because we have to keep the heat up in here since it's so cold outside.

Also, because of the insane growing season, the pumpkins are generally larger and more hollow. I got a ton of seeds out of each one and now I'm addicted to pumpkin seeds. I may go back for a third pumpkin soon.

Rehearsals for the Spitfire Grill start on November 3rd. I actually got the lead! I'm so stoked and nervous at the same time. The last lead in a full blown musical I had was Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. That was, oh, about a decade ago! I hope I can pull it off.

Okay, that's it for now in my current Alaska life. Nanowrimo starts soon and I was thinking of taking this blog and making a novel out of it! I can't think of anything else I want to write about at the moment. Usually I have an idea all planned out by October, but nothing is biting me yet. Bummer.

I can see, it's a miracle!

After a year of wearing my glasses every day, I decided to go back to contacts. I didn't really start missing them until the last couple of months, especially when I started teaching.

I'm used to old school teaching. You know, using my theater projection to reach all the ears in the room. But now I'm teaching at a fitness club that has all the fancy technology. Not the most up to date tech, but still more than I'm used to.

I have a headset mic to make it easier to project my voice with the music. Unfortunately, it fits over my ears where my glasses rest. So either the mic sits awkwardly or my glasses get knocked askew, especially if I snag the cord.

So today I went to the eye doctor in the Fred Meyer store and got my first set of contacts in over a year. I'd been wearing them since I was 14, so I'm an old hand. I was glad that I didn't have any trouble getting my new ones in. It was like I'd never stopped wearing them.

The double takes at work have stopped now that everyone is used to seeing me there in the dark green employee shirts rather than the light tan manager shirts. Now they'll start again as they try to figure out why I look different!

Oh, yeah. Did I mention I went back to work at the store where I was the office manager? It's been almost three months since I quit and I was getting bored sitting at home all the time. So when my former boss offered me a position in the receiving department as a regular hourly employee at a VERY decent pay per hour, with the plus of having whatever schedule I want or working in any department I choose (except hunting), how could I say no? I still teach, too. And receiving is much more relaxing than management. I don't think I'll ever want to be a manager again.

But now I'm suspicious. Apparently the lady who replaced me as office manager is, well, let's say she's not enjoying it anymore. I think she's about to quit. I hope my boss doesn't think he'll get me back in that position. He'd make all kinds of promises to me about it, but I know Corporate won't even consider paying me what I'd demand. They'd just tell him to find someone else. Ah, well. Not my problem.

On a chillier note, the snow has started to fall on the mountains that surround the Mat-Su Valley. It was such a blustery day last Thursday that one of my coworkers and I peeked out the receiving door to see what was making the rollup door bang. We caught sight of the mountains and could tell by the blur that it was snowing. By the end of the day the tops were white.

I wonder how long it will be until it snows here. If I remember correctly, it didn't snow until November last year. But this summer was so drizzly and cool, maybe it'll start snowing earlier. The weather is getting colder. I had to turn up my thermostat a smidge yesterday. (The nice thing about a lot of apartment complexes here in Alaska is that they pay for heating. Thank the gods for that! I try not to abuse it, though.)

I can't wait until Bruno sees the snow. He'll go nuts!

Less than a month until auditions for the Spitfire Grill here in Wasilla. I'm so excited I can't sit still!

And the Christmas Show at the Olde Coloma Theatre in Coloma, California was written by me and my best friend! If you live in that area, go see it! Go see the Halloween show, too, also written by my best friend! (Not me, but I was in the first one a couple of years ago. It's good stuff.) If you have a video cam, record these shows and send them to me so I can see them, too!

Teaching in Alaska... Fall is near

I taught my first group fitness class here in Alaska today. All the people who have been involved in getting me ready for this have been supportive and have complemented me so much, it might give one an ego.

Well, if I had an ego, it was deflated today.

Only one person came to the class.

And that one person was one of the office people that works at the club. He had taken the training weekend for this particular group fitness class, too, so it was like preaching to the choir.

Bummed as I was about that, at least it gave me a chance to practice using my iPod for the music and setting up the head mic. I got to feel what it was like to move with that thing and I've discovered that I prefer the old school way: Military voice, like I used in teaching martial arts. Still, I'm just not used to it. As soon as I am, I'll probably appreciate it more.

And now for something completely different...

I can feel the change in the air today. There is a colder, stronger wind blowing. Last night we were shivering, so we closed the windows and put on sweaters. While the fall colors are not evident here yet, they've already started farther north in Fairbanks. Autumn is on its way

And in entertainment news...

My best friend has had some struggles with the theatre she works at. They're in need of new material for melodramas, so I've decided to help them out and put my extra time to some productive use. In this, my best friend and I are very compatible; she has little time to write and many ideas, while I have tons of time and can usually write well as long as I have an idea to begin with. That's always the hardest part for me, coming up with ideas.

So now I need an idea of what to write for National Novel Writers Month in November.

SingSnap Stir Crazy!

I've been going nuts over a website called SingSnap. It's a karaoke community where you can record yourself singing songs and post them to things like Myspace or blogs or whatever. There should be an example embedded here somewhere.

And you can open it to all the other obsessed singers on SingSnap and they can rate you and leave comments.

But that's not the really cool part.

You can also record a duet with yourself. You know, record yourself singing one part, then again while singing another part with yourself.

Or you can harmonize with complete strangers you've never met who live thousands of miles away. Or with people you love.

Hint, hint.

The idea that I could sing Broadway show songs with my closest friends or country songs with my daddy or make my mommy happy just hearing my voice, it blows my mind. And brings tears to my eyes.

Okay, that's not a hint, that's a tell.

I've got "Suddenly Seymour" on there right now waiting for a guy to sing Seymour's part. (Batting eyelashes at Matthew.)

My voice is beginning to return to its former strength. My upper range is still nonexistent (aarrrrrrrgh!) but it's creeping back like a nervous cat. I have to be careful not to push too hard and lose it again, but I was having so much fun today, I recorded several songs and had to make myself stop. I'm such a karaoke freak!!!

Anyway (one), please feel free to stop by for a listen. If you sign up for a free account, you'll be able to leave comments, too. (Gods, listen to me. I sound like an advertisement.)

http://www.singsnap.com/snap/profile/overview/b71b440e

Hope you enjoy the website as much as I do!

My dog eats dandelions...

Ooooo-kay.

My dog has discovered the joy of chomping on those bright yellow flowers and flinging petals around. There's a big bed of them right in the area I usually walk him. My dog is a flower-puppy. Bliss and rapture.

There are actual flowers here! I was starting to wonder if it would all just be green until fall, but I'm seeing some nice things, like bluebells (I think) and dandelions. And this is just at my apartment complex.

And now for something completely different...

Switching to rant mode...

Krrrscchh!

Ah, okay. Here we go.

WHY DO PEOPLE FEEL THE NEED TO CHANGE THINGS THAT WERE ALREADY GOOD TO BEGIN WITH AND MAKE THEM WORSE IN THE PROCESS!?!?!

Whew. That's better.

What I'm talking about is a set of DVDs I just bought. When Quantum Leap first came out, I didn't watch it too much. I saw repeats later on, though, and my mom had recorded a lot of them with her ever-present and trusty VCR. I fell in love with a few episodes in particular, one of which I even put on an audio tape.

Why would I do that? I was scared of the dark for most of my life until my later teens. I would listen to favorite movies, like The Little Mermaid, while going to sleep to keep me distracted from my fears.

So I put the episode called "Good Morning, Peoria" on tape and listened to that at night. It had some of the great oldies songs, including one during the most romantic scene that I have no idea who did or what it's called. I'm sure Mom could tell me if I asked.

Anyway (one), when you listen to a tape for many, many nights in a row and love it as much as I did, you expect it to always be that way, right? I mean, why would anyone change anything about a single episode, right?

But that's just what the bastards did.

I bought the entire collection of Quantum Leap on DVD so I could see all the cheesy early episodes I missed and all the good ones later on that I loved. That show truly improved as it aged.

I was jubilant when I got to "Good Morning, Peoria." I insist on watching it all in order, so I had to go through the whole first season and part of the second before I finally got to it last night.

THEY CHANGED SOME OF THE SONGS!!!!

Why the hell would they feel the need to DO that?!!?

The song they picked to replace the romantic one I loved was beyond cheesy and even inappropriate to the momentum of the scene. It just didn't work as well.

Of course, now I'm asking myself why I'm so irritated with it. It's just one episode. And technically not one of the better ones, either. Nothing poignant or special about it, like the evil leaper ones, or the finale, or the one where Al and Sam switch, etc.

I guess it's because I loved it the way it was. And they f***ed with it.

Mom, if you still have that one that you recorded off the TV all those years ago, can you make me a copy and mail it to me? There's nothing like the original.

Book mania!

Wow, it's been longer since I last posted to this blog than I had thought. I've been working too much, as usual. And Logan's putting more hours in than I am, the poor schmuck.

It's been snowing like crazy here in Wasilla the last few weeks! All the locals are grumbling and complaining. It's not supposed to snow here in April, they mutter.

Every time I see snow flurrying about outside the store's sliding doors, I start cheering and dancing. The locals shake their heads and say, "It's because you've only lived here a few months. By the end of next year, you'll get over it."

I stop dancing long enough to tell them that it snowed in April where I came from, too, and it was still magical. This snow is even better because you can literally see the crystals! I wish my digital camera could catch what I see sprinkling my black jacket when I walk in the snow. I feel like my own fairy tale were coming true.

But it only lasts until I go back inside and get back to work. Sigh.

But Logan and I finally got a day and a half off together. We went to Anchorage for the half day. We hadn't been for a couple of months and my trepidation about meeting another mean panhandler that would beat me like she were my baby sister was wearing off. Besides, this time we had a plan and it didn't involve taking our car to the shop. (If you haven't heard about how that went, let me know and I'll tell you. It's kind of funny now, but it wasn't back then!)

We decided to check out the other mall in town, the one that has an ice rink in the center, and then hit the bookstores. We'd already been to the five story mall.

This one wasn't as tall, but it sure did sprawl. We found a map and it didn't have a "You are here" button on it, so it took us a while to figure out where we hadn't gone yet. This mall was different because it had an ice rink in the center and we watched a young girl learning to do some of the fancy stuff you see on the Olympics. I checked out their calendar and sure enough, no lessons for old people, just kids. Sigh. Don't they ever have any adults who want to learn new things?

Oh, right. Adults are worried about looking silly whilst they learn. That sucks the fun out of everything, man.

I wish Myndi, Tiffy, and Matthew were here. They'd be right there with me, ready to look as idiotic as we possibly could in someone else's skates and having a glorious time doing it. Oh, and Awwen, too.

When we finally hit Borders, I went a little nuts. I bought about five books there. Then we went to one of the smaller local chain bookstores called Title Wave Books. It was pretty big for a small chain (I think there are two of them in Anchorage) and it had used as well as new, kind of all mixed together. I bought about six books there.

I think I'm getting bored. You'd think I was laying in a supply for a long winter. But winter is over! (At least, the calendar says so.)

I got a wide range and I've finished two already. I read one called the Raw Food Detox Diet. It makes a lot of sense and I'm really tempted to try it. But there are things Logan refuses to give up and I can't say I blame him. Not to mention a raw food diet doesn't lend itself very well to survival oriented people who like to stash food away in case of an emergency. I wanted to email the author and ask about that, but her website states she no longer answers emails. I guess a survival diet would be very different from what a person could do now, especially living in an apartment like we do.

The second book I read was a story called Marley and Me; Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog. It was a really good book. Even though you knew the end would be sad, it's hard to put it down once you get going. Everyone who has had a dog can find some part of their dog in Marley's life. What sold me was a picture in the middle of Marley with the author's wife and he was chewing on her wrist. The caption said something to the effect of: Marley never met a watchband he didn't like.

I thought, "That's my Bruno!" and grabbed the book.

Now that I'm done with that one, I've got to decide what I'm going to read next. I'm thinking one of my writing books. I'm determined to read every single one of these books that I brought home. When I buy used books, I have a habit of buying them only because they're dirt cheap and end up not reading them. Not the case with these books.

When we drove home, it was snowing and starting to stick, so we had to go slowly. It drove me insane because Bruno was at home alone in his kennel and I wanted to get back to him so he would know we didn't forget about him.

But we were happier than we'd been for a while. We'd gone out and had fun. We spent time together.

And I didn't get punched by some homeless lady taking her frustrations out on me. That was definitely a reason to be happy.

The differences in DMVs

I'll bet you've never considered the differences between DMV offices in different states. It's not something one lies awake at night pondering. "I wonder if Alaska DMVs have brown counters or tan counters..."

But I must admit that I was surprised and delighted when I visited the Palmer DMV to get my Alaska Driver's License.

I've seen several DMVs in California. Here's my impression. Mellybean will appreciate this.

Everything is brown... F**king brown... Brown again...

Brown, tan, cream, beige, neutral, whatever you want to call it. No wonder people who work there are so bitchy. I'd go nuts spending eight hours a day, five days a week in a dry, airless, brown building where the customers get so bored they start off with an argument just to wake up again. And the workers reply in kind.

Here's the first thing I noticed at the Palmer DMV: Quilts.

Quilts hanging on all the walls behind the counters. The walls were pale green. The counter tops were pink and the walls under them were teal. Only the carpet was brown. (Considering how there's a lot of dirt and gravel and mud everywhere here, that was probably a good choice.)

The guy I got to talk to the first time was chewing gum. He yawned just as I got up to the counter. I thought, man, this place is lax!

I didn't see a single person having an issue with waiting. Or with any of the workers helping them. They actually looked like they enjoyed being there.

Imagine, enjoying something as mundane as a visit to the DMV!!!

Well, I flunked the test the first time. It was my first time using a computerized test, so I guess it's to be expected. But I passed the second time the next day.

That was another thing: For some reason, I remember having to wait a while between taking the written tests if you flunk. Is that still true? Here, I got to take it again the next day. I was still a bit miffed because I was doing this on my days off, but at least now I'm an official Alaskan Driver.

My picture actually turned out decently, too. That's the true miracle.

When it rains, it snows...

And it is snowing yet again. I actually thought we might have seen the last of it for the season.

But where I used to live, it snowed in April, so I'm not surprised.

Well, I had planned a nice long blog entry, but my husband is playing with my hair and kissing my neck.

I can hear the squeals of "Ew! Get a room!"

We have one, thank you. Two, actually. One belongs to the cats, though.

To be continued...

The one that got away...

Well, maybe, maybe not. I thought we'd found the ONE. The home we wanted to buy and live in and everything. Nice new construction on a bit more than half an acre, but surrounded with trees so that you can hardly see any neighbors, out in the "sticks" but still close to work (of course, most areas out here are the sticks.)

But there were issues between our real estate agent and the builder. To make a long story short (no, it's not too late!) we've been hearing a lot of stuff that we want to learn more about that could help us buy a home. Stuff like grants for first time home buyers, for buying a home in Alaska, and classes to help first time home buyers knock some numbers off the price of a home. Turns out our coworker's mom is a real estate agent, but one who actually has a vested interest in finding her son a good place to live for as little money as possible. She turned us on to a lot of this stuff while our agent and the builder were "exchanging pleasantries".

Yeah, maybe we'll lose out on this home. But he's building others. And maybe we'll find something else along the way. But if we can work all this stuff we've been hearing about, that could add up to a sweet deal. Worth waiting for, doncha think?

But I am disappointed. Very disappointed. I really liked that house and how it was situated on the property. And the neighborhood. And Logan did, too.

Sigh.

The snow is mostly gone, but the wind is back in full force. We had about a week of gorgeous weather were you could actually feel the warmth of the sun! Most of the time the wind just freezes your flesh until you feel encased in a glacier, effectively blocking the sun's rays.

Logan is very busy with work and very stressed out. But at least he got his raise and his promotion to Hunting Manager here in Wasilla. It's official; we're not going to Victorville.

I've been working, too. But I don't have to put in as much time as Logan has had to. I'm trying to be understanding, but I'm bored. And a little depressed, too.

I'll be back in California on March 19th (bright and early in the morning because I'm taking a midnight flight. It's cheaper.) I'll be in town for about a week, returning on the 26th. My best friend's wedding is smack in the middle of it.

Can you feel it Myndi? Those wedding bells vibrating the air near your ears... Wah ha ha... Mine is an evil laugh!

Happy Birthday tomorrow, Daddy!

Many happy returns of the day tomorrow, Daddy! I love you and I miss you!

And now for this quick commercial break:

We're not moving to California after all!

Very long story. I waited to post about it until I had told a few important individuals. I thought perhaps they'd rather hear it from me first than read about it on my blog. What really cracked me up was that most of the people I told responded with, "Aw, rats. Now we don't have someone to visit in Alaska!"

I'm glad I make a good vacation spot for the family.

At any rate, Logan and I have decided that we don't really want to leave. We haven't even been here a year. We've seen nothing but wintertime. (And I love the snow here!) I want to see summer. I want to see warmth. I want to witness what everyone who lives here raves about.

They've got someone else in mind for the SoCal store, anyway. Corporate still hasn't made an offer to Logan. I'm now starting to wonder if they're even going to bother.

The Hunting Manager here managed to get himself fired and Logan is acting Hunting Manager. So he'll still be getting a promotion and a raise. And we'll stay in Alaska. I think it's working out well.

Tomorrow we're going house hunting. I can't wait. We're going to buy a house!!!!! A house with a backyard that I can toss the dog into when he needs to go potty, instead of dragging me around on the end of his leash. He's getting bigger and I can feel it!

I posted a chapter of my first novel on Critique Circle. If you like to write and want someone other than friends and family to read chapters of your work, this is a fantastic website to go to: http://critiquecircle.com/default.asp

Of course, you have to be willing to do critiques of others before you can have one done for yourself. I find writing critiques helps me view my own work with a fresher eye.

Besides, there's nothing like posting your work in public to make you notice all your mistakes. Like the fact that I seem obsessed with what the characters do with their hands in the first chapter. Oh, well.

Hopefully I'll develop a thicker skin and a more critical eye for my own work. I truly intend to become a published novelist at some point in my life. I'd love for some of my blog readers to check it out. It should come up in the critique queue by February 20th. It'll be under the Newbies section since this is my first one. Time to get my feet wet in the public pool.

I think that sums everything that's been going on lately. I feel pretty scatterbrained right now. Hope I'm making sense. But then, have I ever really made sense?!

Happy Ewe Near!

I guess that's what farmers say to each other when their pregnant sheep are about to give birth.

Okay, yeah, I'm reaching. I'm tired. I get a day off tomorrow, at last.

New Year's is a little different here. Since it's too light in July for Independence Day fireworks, they have them on New Year's instead. And this year was Wasilla's first time allowing regular civilians to purchase and set off their own fireworks.

And I saw some fireworks that I never saw in California. Roy, brother dear, you would be jealous.

A friend and coworker invited us over to his townhouse apartment to shoot off a boat load of fireworks in his yard. We gave the neighbors quite a show. And all the while the town fireworks were going off high in the sky, too.

We got those firecrackers that come in a string, and did a lot of lighting and tossing. The snow didn't even dampen the spirits of the colors (the flowers did not spin, however.)

We got the ones that are shaped like bombs with long green wicks and you put them down in this tube, light the wick and stand back. Like miniature cannons, they shoot up into the air with a loud FOOM and explode with colors and sparks, looking only slightly smaller than the professional ones. Those were my favorite.

One fountain type firework went screwy and blew the bottom out, sending some sparks in weird directions. We had to duck and cover. A solemn reminder that you can get hurt if you're not careful.

Okay, enough with the public health message. I was having a mild pyromaniac blast last night! It was so cool.

Of course, I realized at 11 here, it was already midnight in California. I'd gotten a text from my best friend and I sent one back to her with tears in my eyes. I miss my family and friends a lot, but I say that nearly every post now, don't I? What a sap.

Tomorrow we're going to look at some vehicles and possibly purchase one so we'll have two cars again. I think we're going to be looking at Landcruisers. Possibly a Suzuki Samurai, too. Then I'll be able to go karaoke-ing without having to drive my husband anywhere (need someone to go with, though.)

Well, time to go to sleep. No resolutions this year. Yeah, I bit all my nails off already, but I know I can stop doing that any time I want to, so I don't need to resolve to do it anymore. I already exercise whenever I can. I can't think of anything to resolve to do this new year. And it doesn't feel like a new year. It feels old to me. Brand new year, same old blonde! Wonder what I can do to liven things up a bit.

Okay, now I'm just babbling, stream of consciousness aloud. Good night, y'all! Happy new-old year!

Only in Alaska!

Get a load of the excuses we got from a couple of our cashiers yesterday. You'd only find this creativity in Alaska!

The Great Hair Debate

This happens all the time. I can hear my friends moaning, "Here we go again."

I can never make up my mind about my hair.

I promised my best friend I would grow out my hair as long as hers so that whenever we go shopping, I can tie our braids together so she won't get lost.

She's the type that squeals, "Ooh, shiny pretty!" and disappears.

I find myself saying, "Hey, Myn, look at this neat shirt... Myn? Myndi?"

So my hair is finally reaching my shoulder blades. Well, half if it is. The hair in front is still just below my chin. Old layers from the first really really really short hair cut I got a few years ago.

It was great, except that I couldn't style it most of the time. We lived an hour away from everything, including work, and I couldn't use a blow dryer because it would cause a power outage (we were off grid and getting power from a generator at the time I had my last short haircut.)

It looked really good styled. It was horrible when it wasn't.

But long hair is its own misery, particularly mine. Because it's so fine, it breaks easily. Every shower, I have a fistful of hair in my hand from all the strands that break. I have to condition it every day because my snarls can withstand the most expensive detangler. And when it's dry, no amount of hairspray can keep it from getting static clingy and rising up like that electric ball they have you touch in grade school.

I can't really use most of the hair things I've bought for various reasons, such as my hair slips right out of them or they hurt my head, blah, blah, blah.

Id love to perm it, but that's ungodly expensive and it usually just causes more breakage anyway. I don't want to end up bald.

I love the way my hair looks when it's first blow dried and brushed. It never stays that way, though.

And then there's another reason, the one that keeps being rudely dragged to my attention.

A girl I know was recently sexually assaulted.

One thing that makes it easy to control a woman is her long hair.

I know, some are saying the chances of that happening to me are not that great.

Except it was right here in town.

Being a martial artist, this sort of thing is very important to me.

So this always brings up the question of : To chop or not to chop.

More to add to the debate: Long hair covers my ears and neck and keeps them warmer. But short hair fits better under hats and scarves are a great addition to my winter wardrobe. (Particularly the green one you made me, Myn.)

Long hair is better for theater because of the different styles you can do with it. But short hair fits better under wigs.

My husband likes it both ways. What he doesn't like is when it's in between. Not short, not long, just ... yuck.

What do I like best? I like how I look with long hair, but short hair makes me feel sassier. My hair feels healthier when it's short and I use less shampoo, conditioner, and time in the shower.

Of course, I'd get a kick out of growing it really long and then chopping it off to donate to charity, like Locks of Love or whatever it's called.

Okay, enough about my hair. What do you guys think? I'm going to sleep on it.

I just can't look...

Facing reality is like seeing a 90 year old woman pretending to be Marilyn standing over the sidewalk grate as the subway goes by; you wish you had been looking the other way.

I've noticed something as we get closer and closer to the send-off date and it leaves an unpleasant taste in my mouth. I've hardly gotten the opportunity to spend time with the people I love and I'm fully aware that this may be the last time I see some of them for a very long time, and yet I have the same problem with all of them:

I can't really look them in the eye.

Why is that? I find myself looking in a non-direction most of my recent waking hours, even when talking with customers at work. I wonder if it comes off as rude or weak or whatever, like I'm too self-absorbed or wrapped up in my own pathetic woes that I can't focus on any one person. When I do look someone in the eye, it's very brief and uncomfortable for me.

Is it that I don't want to face the reality of leaving, like witnessing Grandma Marilyn's dress floating around her nose?

Am I a subversive snob just now coming to the forefront because I have "authorit-ay" over people in my new job? There's a dreadful thought.

Is it that I know I'll miss some people so painfully much that I simply can't stomach meeting their gaze because I'll burst into tears and blubber like a baby whale?

I'm betting the last one is pretty accurate (because who wants to admit she might be a snob?!)

Here's another thing I've noticed as we roll on toward the Alaskan cliff. I've gotten real tired of people asking me if I'm excited about going to Alaska. It's gotten to the point that no, I'm no longer excited. This new job sucks up so much time and energy that all I want is to have the move finished and be settled into my soothing routine rhythm. I want all my stuff to be spread out in my own space in my own special psychotic way.

Logan and I have discovered recently that we have forgotten how to have fun. The things we used to do we can't really justify anymore, so they no longer sound fun (going shopping and just buying stuff to buy stuff, for example). We don't have enough time to do the things we think we'd still enjoy (like camping, hiking, bike riding, etc.) And the traditional stuff that most people do for fun hold no interest for us (going to clubs and bars, partying with alcohol, etc.)

I actually miss the old arcades that were so popular in the '80s. Sure, it's a big waste of money, especially with home video game systems all the rage now. But they always had other interesting things, like prizes you could exchange tickets for, old fashioned candy, the old psychic lady in the booth.

And feeding quarters into a machine made the game all that more precious because you had to make that quarter (or quarters) last as long as you could possibly manage. Air hockey was my particular favorite because if you and your opponent were well matched, one game could last an entire afternoon!

Sigh. What a gripe fest. Maybe I am that self-absorbed snob after all.

Hey, it's my blog and I'll whine if I want to.

I'm going to get some cheese to go with it.