Friday, May 14, 2010

F³A: Random Bits of Nothing

It's been awhile since I did the Friday Free For All, so I thought I would get back to it.  Oh wait, crap, I didn't finish my Caregivers.  The last and most important was supposed to be teachers.  sigh.  But I have too much to say, so, I'll just give a shout out to some of my favorites. (and why were there not hottie guy teachers like this guy when I was in school?)

Mr. Anstett, the most awesome literature teacher in the WORLD.
Mr. Wilkinson, you are part of the reason I write.  Thank you.

As for my kids teachers, Mr. Allegro, Mrs. Gibson, Mrs. Harkness, Mrs. Jepson, Mrs. Willy, Mrs. Strong, you all rock in a BIG way!!!

Okay on to nothingness.
I finished the first draft of Cheesy yesterday.  Ah!  And today I'm going to try and take a break, although I don't think I'll be able to.  I think I'm going to want to start revising NOW.  I'm that excited about it.

In a couple weeks blogger Amy Munday is going to feature me on her Writer's Scribbles at her Unabashed Impropriety blog.  You should check them out.  My fellow vlogger and friend, Cat has one there.  Give her a read.

I also want to give a shout out to my two friends, Jeff and Tracy, who are new to the whole blogging gig.  Give them a read and follow if you will.

One other blogger I want to mention today is B. Miller.  She's got this pay it forward contest she's doing for the rest of the month.  Winner gets a $25 gift card to your book store of choice, OR if you are a published writer, she'll buy, read, and review your novel.

Here is my pay it forward story.  I was in the Fred Meyer parking lot with Rusty, and this woman approaches us and asks if we will buy her $25 FM gift card for $20.  She said they were going to shut off her electricity the next day if she didn't pay her bill, which was, if I remember right, $80.  We gave her $20 and told her to keep the card.

I'm not gullible people, and I know she could have taken the money and bought meth or crack or booze, but I just had a feeling.  I was walking through the store and we're filling our cart and I must have had a look on my face because Rusty said, "You want to give her more?"

I said, yes.  He asked how much, and I said enough for the whole bill.  So I went to the cash machine, got the money and went outside.  She was in her car.  I approached the window and said, "I sure hope you're telling the truth" and handed her the money.  She began crying. The look of gratitude on her face made it all worth while.  And we left the parking lot at the same time, she was in front of us for a time, and she was headed in the direction of the utilities building.  Of course, I suppose her drug dealer could have lived in that direction, but, I did feel good, and I had a good feeling about it.

I like to help people because many people have helped me along the way, and it does make you feel awesome.

I suppose that's all I've got for you today except for the...

Favorite song of the week: Okay, this may not really be the favorite song of the week, but it's been in my head since Monday so I'm giving it to Hey Soul Sister by Train.

Current Read: Alchemy by Mike Wood
Blurb: The summer of 1984 was a golden time in America. From California, where gymnast Mary Lou Retton was winning Olympic gold, to Cape Cod, where explorer Barry Clifford was discovering pirate gold, the nation seemed obsessed with the precious metal. But for 15-year old Al, that obsession hits a little too close to home when he finds a code-filled notebook belonging to his missing father that may contain the ancient formula for turning lead to gold. Convinced that his father’s sudden disappearance is connected to his secret experiments in alchemy, Al sets out to find the truth. He enlists the help of Cammie, a beautiful girl staying for the summer while her marine biologist father tracks a wayward manatee, and together they begin unraveling the mystery. But the closer they get to an answer, the closer they grow to each other, and as the end of summer draws nearer, Al wonders if they can break the code without breaking his heart.

Movie of the Week: Boondock Saints II these guys kick ass.

"I'm so f*c@ing smart, that I make smart people feel like they are retarded" ~ Eunice from Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day.
Okay, I think that's all I have.  Have a good weekend.

Ciao,

Megan

12 comments:

  1. My all-time favorite teacher recently passed away and I want to blog about her soon but not sure I'll find just words to describe her influence.

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  2. Thanks for the mention, and I loved the pay it forward story. Thank you for being a good person and listening to your heart! That's what this pay it forward thing is all about!! :D

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  3. Travis, I know. I should take a week and blog about each of my favorite teachers. They deserve so much more then they're given.

    Becky, I love paying it forward. I totally believe in Karma. Rock on.

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  4. Did you talk to Gae? I told her yesterday how that Soul Sister song is driving me nuts. I do this spelling unit, where each week I'll pick a song that has ten decent spelling words, give the kids the lyrics (minus the ten words) and play the song while they fill in the blanks. Problem is, I have five classes doing the same thing for 5 days, so I've heard more Train this week than should be allowed by law. Next week it's back to Cake!

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  5. HAHA. No I did not talk to Gae. I've been singing that song all week driving myself and my kids nuts. I don't even know where I'm hearing it because the radio station I normally listen to doesn't play Train. And it's not that I hate Train, but to have that song in my head for an entire week is too long.

    I think I'll go listen to some music.

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  6. Love me some Train!

    Love me some great teachers!

    Love me some kind hearts and pay-it-forward. I bet that woman paid her bill, Megan.

    Great post.

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  7. Whew! That's a way lot of material, Megan.

    Had a few stellar teachers, but sadly one that scarred me for a long time (said I couldn't write, so...)

    Pay it forward -- great.

    Train -- just heard it for the first time this week and can't recall it enough to love, hate.or be stuck with it, thank god.

    B

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  8. Oh! And congrats on finishing your first draft of Cheesy!! I looooove that feeling.

    Now enjoy the weekend and give yourself a wee "break" and CELEBRATE before jumping in for the edit.

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  9. I do love Drops of Jupiter. That song kind of speaks to me.

    And thank you. (sorry about that awful teacher. Aren't they there to inspire our dreams, not crush them?)

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  10. Hi, Megan - saw your link when I was updating my database on 2k11.

    I love pay it forward stories. Yours here reminds me that it doesn't matter what that person does with the gift. The blessing in our lives comes from the giving. The blessing in their lives comes from knowing a stranger could care enough to give. No matter how it was spent, those two things still happened.

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  11. Thanks Tess. It's so true. The giving feels so good, it almost doesn't matter what's done with it. Sometimes you have to trust your heart. If no one ever did, this would be a cold indifferent world we'd live in. :)

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  12. Congrats finishing your first draft! I'm in revisions now and let me tell you--it isn't as fun as creating the first draft--especially when under the gun of a submission request! Best of luck, fellow sistah of the written word. (=
    http://jostorm.blogspot.com/

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My Dad. He's awesome.

John Messina, Personal Injury Attorney

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