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

Valentine's Day

I'm not really a fan of the holiday. Just another reason to spend money you don't have. And I don't need chocolates (definitely don't need), flowers die, I'm perfectly happy with my cheap jewelry I buy from Target (if you want to feel important you pronounce that Tar-jay)And if you love someone, you should show them all year round.

I have certain rules. No gifts. No going out to dinner. It's simple, right?

I'm perfectly content making a nice dinner for my family, and hanging out and buying a new movie to watch, which is what we normally do. Oh, and I usually get Thing One and Thing Two a little candy or something.

A few days before V-day, the husband and I are shopping at Fred Meyer looking to spend our reward bucks on a movie. We grab Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist for the kids, decide to buy them a couple gifts, nothing big, an iPod cover, a flash drive, and a set of headphones for the computer to use with a Spanish and Italian program we have. I'm standing in line and my husband says, "Do you want an iPod?"

Um. Was it a trick question? "No. It's too much." (though I really really wanted one)

"Are you sure? I know you've been jealous of the girl's." We got the girls iPods for Christmas. Yes I was indeed jealous. I wanted one so bad I could taste it.

"No, it's fine. I was going to ask for one for my birthday." (Which is in two months)

"Do you want it now, or do you want to wait? We have the money now."

I'm weak. I caved. Of course I wanted it. And what was the point of waiting two months? I broke rule number one. We bought the iPod.

Then we went to a hardware store and bought the husband $20 worth of tools. Not really a fair exchange, but one he was perfectly content with.

The night before V-day, the kids want a sleepover. Six girls total including mine. We went to our indoor soccer game, fed them spaghetti, they overdosed on rootbeer floats, and we didn't really see them all night (though they could be heard. LOUDLY.) At 1:00 am, husband told them to go to sleep.

Woke up V-day morning and made them bacon and french toast. This is when we found out that most stayed up until about 4:00 am, a couple others until 6:00. (Again I ask why I do this?) Normally we find this out later when we read their Facebook pages and they've posted at 1:30, then 3:00, then 5:00. This time, they just offered the information. Parents all over town would hate us that day.

The husband and I once again went to Fred Meyer, we bought Zombieland and Boondock Saints.

Started cooking pork chops. Rusty's favorite, and which we don't eat ever. Have to cook them slow, at least three hours if not nore. I had bought rib eye for the occasion, but didn't check the date, so we had to eat that on Friday or else it would have been green and tasted and smelled funky.

Last sleepover guest left at 3:30 pm.

Cooked twice baked mashed potatoes, peas, and homemade bread. Made garlic butter.

Thing Two gets invited to another sleep over.

I'm supposed to (so I think) drop her off in 30 minutes. so, I get dinner on the table and we sit down to eat. Doorbell rings and it's Thing Two's friend there to pick her up. She grabs her bread and leaves the rest, which is fine as her dad had no problem polishing off his plate, then her plate, then going in for more (should that be than? I get confused). I was surprised he could even move after all that.

We sit down to watch Zombieland with some wine. Very funny. Thing One fell asleep though, as she had been one of those to stay up until 6:00 am.

Rusty and I both fall asleep during Boondock Saints. Me and Thing One end up in my bed, Rusty in the basement.

And that's how it went. Romantic, huh? How was yours?