I've been behind in running my school and contest on wdc. Some of it for lack of participation, some because life has just been crazy out of control. But, I feel up for the challenge and getting back into the things that I love.

HSP is set to re-open for session 5 on February 14th.

ID: 1639097   (Rated: 18+) House of Sensual Prose  Breaking down the elements of writing successful Erotica by Purple T-cicle

ID: 1639733   (Rated: 18+) Survey for HSP  Class selection for House of Sensual Prose. by Purple T-cicle

And my contest is open again just in time for Valentine's Day.

ID: 1702029   (Rated: GC) Tales of Seduction  Tales is back. December Prompt Posted. by Purple T-cicle

I'm looking forward to both. Now I must head out and see how much snow we really got over night and try to clear the driveway. I'm so glad the snowblower is up and running. I hate shoveling,

I've cruised my way to chapter 11 of APF, and now I'm trying to figure out just where Grant should make his entrance, where he can have the most collateral damage, that is.

Backstory: Ten years prior, Anna was dating Nolan for a month. Grant sweeps into town, has the hots for her and lies about having connections in the fashion industry back in New York. Being young and naive, Anna runs off to New York without a word to her friends and family. Once in NY, Anna quickly learns of Grant's lies, but is too ashamed to go back home and spends the next decade alone in NY going nowhere.

Now: Anna and Nolan are fighting the attraction, but losing and resigning themselves to try again. Anna just got a new job at a boutique and her boss likes her designs.

Dilemma: Should Grant
a) Come into the Boutique and sell himself to Lisa, Anna's boss?
or
b) have a public entrance where both Nolan and Anna are?

I can't decide which would be worse for Anna. Just Grant's reappearance will cause trouble for her. Since Nolan already believes she'll never stick around is having trouble trusting her, option B would work. Her new career is just taking off, and having him try to manipulate her boss would definitely have a major impact on her as well, so option A could work.

Sigh, I just can't decide.

I'm open to suggestions!


 

I sent the first 10k, 5 chapters off to my editor, so now I wait for word on what she finds so I can make the appropriate changes. I'm working on the next 5 chapters, and an entry for Paradise Cove. Deadline is tomorrow night, so I need to get my booty in gear.

It's already been a long and cold winter. At this point I'd welcome some sunshine and warmth.

I'm contemplating doing MarNoWriMo, but haven't made up my mind as of yet. Guess it will all boil down to time, and if I get through APF before March 1st.

Other than that, I can't complain. How shocking is that?
 

To blog, or not to blog, that is the question rambling through my brain.

I do miss it, so here goes.

Let's see. I took the psych class and passed. Yeah!!! I took a romance writing class and did well there too. From that class, I found a good editor, and now I'm working on a major revision of A Perfect Fit. I like where the story is going, and am excited as I comb through it, chapter by chapter. It's my favorite of all the stories I've written. Always a good thing.

I was going to take another college course on the way to my degree this semester, but changed my mind days before classes began. I really want to write, to get this story as good as it possibly can be, and try to submit it by spring. Between work, the kids and house, there just wasn't enough time to take the English class. So writing is what I'm focusing on at the moment. I know I made the right decision. There is never anything wrong with choosing a path and sticking to it. My follow through usually sucks, but this time, I know it's the right path for me, so I move forward.

Tales of Seduction is put on hold do to lack of entries. I'm trying to figure out what to do with HSP as well. I guess my plate is full
 

RIP Irish.

I miss you like crazy. Seems you were the one that held us altogether, and without, well, it's just not the same.

And seriously, I need to take something with me to the cemetery next time to cut away all the grass that is trying it's damnedest to grow over the stone.
 

So, I'm in Lebanon, a place I visit almost every summer for the past 15 years. This is the first time I am driving here. It's insanity at its finest. I confess I've adapted quickly, better than I thought I would. Had a few close calls with smashing the Mercedes. Parking is the most difficult in Beirut. Good luck finding a place without circling around the block three and four times. Hey, I even got a parking ticket! Yep, that's right. I saw other cars parked next to the University, figured I was safe. Nope. An hour later, head off for some shopping and yep, yellow ticket on the windshield.

I know the way up and down the mountain, to the freeway, and where to get off and head into the city. But what I never expected, was the freeway to close for 15 days so they could work on it. I was already in Beirut where I heard the freeway going up to Bchamoun was closed. I had to go up since I was going to the beach today. So ok, I get directions from 4 different people, think I can manage this, going to the old road Ouzai. Right? WRONG! Well, I missed the original turn, but managed to get myself to Ouzai, and made it home. Took an hour, but I did it. So this morning, I am feeling good, know that the freeway down to Beirut is open, and guess what? IT'S CLOSED!. I took this little short cut that I always take, and see all the cars on the entrance ramp backing up and turning around. UGH. Son of BEACH. Do I know the way to Ouzai. Nope. I have Z call his Aunt, tell her the freeway is closed, and she can't help me. Doesn't know the way to the old road. When I tell her I'm in Chofait, she freaks out, says she'll call her husband and he will direct me. Good plan right? Well here's the thing, my SIL speaks English, my BIL, not so much. He can say, I love you, yes I do, yes and no. How is this helpful?

Anyway, I head off, following the rest of the traffic, and there's a sign that says "Beyrouth". Yes, I take that turn, and it's OUZAI! Go me. Now here's the fun part,where do I go once Ouzai ends? No idea. Take the bridge up, go down beside the bridge? I cringe at the thought, get to the end of that road and call my SIL. She doesn't remember the way back. I turn to Z, "This is the exact reason I shouldn't be driving in a foreign country." And damn it, I shouldn't be. Anyway, I take the road beside the bridge, recognize it as my wrong turn from the night before, and then I get to do the fun part.

Those damn European turns. OMG. What torture, Multiple cars fighting to cross, go up and to the left, go around. Don't ask me how, but somehow I managed to survive the freakin turn, hit the right road, and get to my SILs. Only, no parking. NOT. I had her come down to take my car and find a place to park. It's one thing to drive, another to shove your car into the smallest space possible on narrow roads with constant traffic. Luckily, a neighbor saw her having trouble parking, and had his son come down and move his car so she could park mine there.

Now I ask you, does that kind of thing happen in America? I think not!

Going back up after the beach and massive sun burn, I was smart. My SILs brother was at her house, and lives in the same mountain I do. Me no fool. I ask him to show me the right way to go home, and yes, traffic wasn't so bad tonight.

Let's just hope I can keep my cool for the next ten days until hubby arrives, and I can happily hand over the car key!

T is out...
 

My Zak graduated on Saturday! Woots! ~ T does happy dance for her son~

The place was packed, and even being there a half hour early wasn't good enough. We ended up sitting on the lawn beside the bleachers that belong to the new football field, the one the ceremony wasn't held on. I cannot get over how rude people were. We could barely hear anything, since the hordes of people decided it was better to talk through the entire ceremony, to chat and catch up with people they hadn't seen in awhile. So damn irritating I tell ya. But my favorite part was the person standing on the fence behind me. After the rain started I moved back to sit on the sliver of cement the fence was posted into. The person behind me picked the prime opportunity to stick their foot up my ass. And yes I mean literally. I leaned my back further into the fence, hoping it would hit them enough for them to remove said foot, but nope. It remained. What a scum sucking pig! Seriously.

It did rain during the ceremony, but not enough to make people leave. After that, we rushed home for some pictures, and then Zak and I had to be back at the school for the Senior party, with the theme of "New York Nights." The party was fun, until the storm hit around 11, and tornado warnings started going off. They shuffled all of the kids into the gym, and most of the parent volunteers as well. That went on for a good half hour. By 3am, R was texting that we had a swimming pool in our backyard. I flipped out. The roads were flooded as well. So all night I was working 'coat check'. Every time one of the 300 graduates won something, we had to put it into their bag. Running up and down the hallway was oh so much fun. I saw Zak a few times, kept waiting for him to bring me something he won, but nope. Nada. Not a thing. At 2am they were entertained by the hypnotist. They brought the 2am prizes and still nothing. There was only one drawing left, 3am. The party ends, the fun begins with giving all of the seniors their gift bags. And I am running, and waiting for Zak. No Zak, no Zak, no Zak. Finally after 250 kids take off, I see him. I ask, "Tell me you won something." The brat says, "Well, actually..." and places a nice white box on the table. I turn it..OMG OMG OMG. My son won the top raffle prize. A brand new Mac book. He told me how he was putting his tickets into other prizes, trying to win a flat screen tv for the living room, an ipod for his cousin. He put only 1 ticket into the laptop. ONE. I still can't even believe it

Zak drives us home at 5am. I get to the house, look outside and want to cry. Most of the backyard was under water, and the tent, table and chairs were right in the middle of it. What a mess. I tried to go to bed, my mind was a mess, trying to figure out what to do, where to put all of the guests, if the water would go down. By 8am, I had to get out of bed instead of trying to sleep. R heads out back, disappears into the treeline, and is able to unclog the top of the sewer so the water could go the hell away. It wouldn't be enough to use that portion of the yard though. The recent heat wave was gone, replaced by a cool 70. No way the sun would come out long enough to dry the yard. I called the company and they came out and moved the tent to higher ground. We got the decorations up just in time. The place was packed, but we had a great time. R and I were so busy we didn't even have a chance to eat. The lack of sleep didn't help either. By 8pm we made the mad dash to Target to get last minute items before our Monday flight overseas.

Not sure if it was the bright lights, but I wound up dizzy, quick headache and almost passed out. Not a good combo. R had to finish shopping and Danny took me to the car. All in a weekends insanity.

I'm off. Got to finish packing and head to the airport. Will check back in.


 

Classes start Monday, so if anyone's interested:

ID: 1639097   (Rated: 18+) House of Sensual Prose  Breaking down the elements of writing successful Erotica by Purple T-cicle

It always amazes me how you go through life thinking certain things, only to have a family gathering and watch as skeletons come out of the closet. Oh yeah, my jaw was hanging wide open. It was a shocker to say the least, but it doesn't change the way I feel about the people I learned things about. Just adds to their colorful history.

We had fun, that's for sure, a lot of laughs, especially with 5 teenagers in one room.

Zak likes kids, it's not something that surprises me, or that I didn't know until last night. But watching him with Rachel, his 5 year old cousin, it suddenly struck me that he is going to be an amazing dad. I couldn't help myself, I even told him so. Nothing like sitting back as a parent and getting to see your kids through newly awakened eyes.

Trip to Lebanon is almost set. Seems everyone has a return ticket, including my parents, except for....ME. Not really. At this point, the way things have played out trying to get tickets, nothing surprises me anymore. All I know is, that first week of June I will be running my arse off, and will probably sleep the entire flight trying to catch up.

June 1st, my niece turns 16, June 3rd Zak will be 18, June 5th is graduation, followed by the senior party, which I'll be working from 8pm until 3:30am, June 6th, Zak's family graduation party and June 7th, I'm on a plane out of here for TEN weeks. Can you say...DOWN TIME

Danny had no choice but to be yanked out of school one week early. I am still hoping all of his teachers will accommodate him with early final exams, but if not, oh well. Nothing I can do about it. No seats out of the US in June. We have the last three. I swear it's insane. Hope that ash clears up before I fly.

Tf
 

Out for our usual Friday family dinner, we ended up discussing beauty. What I find amazing is how the men in my life see women so completely different from me. Makes me wonder if it is I who truly can't see, or could it be them.

We wind up at Ram's Horn at least a few times a month. We know the owners, their siblings and children who work there as well. There are three women who look very much alike. As they should, they are family. I thought the girl working the counter that night was the daughter of the owner, looking so much like her mother, but no. Hubby informs me that it's her sister. I remarked how much they all look alike. He starts telling us that he and his single friend N were commenting on her, with a waiter the previous week. That the waiter told them she was divorced with three kids. Well, since N is divorced with two of his own, and actively looking, the conversation grew. Hubby relays how they were joking to the waiter, but he thought they were serious,that N couldn't get a women like her.

"She's ugly," hubby remarks.
"What? You've got to be kidding. She's prettier than I am," I say.
"OMG mom, you just don't realize how beautiful you are," Zak points out. "She looks like a fish."
Hubby laughs, "See."

Of course I shake my head and think they're both nuts.

So what is it? Is it my perception that's off, or theirs? I spent the rest of dinner trying to figure this out. And let me tell you, my head hurt from doing so.

I have a tendency to look deeper into people, not at the outside as if it were the be all. And I admit that I do not see myself as others do, even find it hard to believe some of the things people say to me. Compliments make me cringe, lol, but I'm working on it.

So what is beauty anyway? I imagine it means something different to everyone. Just because I can't see it in something, doesn't mean someone else won't or cant. So, I do declare everything I see is BEAUTIFUL!

Congrats to Lonewolf on becoming a MOD. Oh my, I know a blue case, I know a blue case. Now...about that lunch

Tf