Golden Girls Play, She Sells Seashells and Writing

I'm looking for a unique costume idea... however, Miss Rose had the best costume about five years ago, so I'm going to borrow her idea. She did "She Sells Seashells," which is based on that tongue twister, "she sells seashells by the seashore." The goal is to repeat that saying three times fast. I'm not sure how well-known that tongue twister is, but her costume was adorable! Emory and I now have to go to the beach to find a few shells I can paste to a cardboard box lid. 

We saw Golden Girls, the Laughs Continue. It's a stage play with an all-male cast. The television show was from the 80s, but is deeply loved, so I couldn't wait to see what these actors would do with the theater show. 

I had expectations of something silly and cute like the original television series. The play itself is very modernized and a bit raunchy. We laughed so hard, and we weren't the only ones. For me, it was the shock value of what was being said. I think these actors did a fabulous job. 

I really wish we had the ticket to the meet and greet afterwards, but we didn't know that was even an option. I would have fangirled so hard that it would have been embarrassing. I have this thing where I get speechless and stupid around people I admire. Emory would have had to do all the talking.

I've been going through all the puzzles and putting them in a plastic bag for the hand-off in Arizona. Sue wants to head up that way in December, and I plan to hitch a ride. 

I'm also buying stuff for my cousin's Easter Basket. I know, why are you thinking about Easter this soon? Well, there are tons of cute things to put in an Easter Basket right now. My cousin and I never had children, and she loves Easter like I love Halloween. My brother gave me a Halloween Basket, and it was freaking awesome! So I'm making an Easter Basket for my cousin. I found Alice in Wonderland chapstick and Wicked hand lotion. 

Emory asked me if my cousin would like these things. She's very different from me in so many ways, BUT there is one thing I noticed. If I like cute things.... she seems to like those exact cute things too. So if it's something I would buy myself, I know she'd like it too. 

Writing Update:

I think I have a fangirl. This one person has been going through all my stories and commenting on every chapter. I think it's so sweet, but I'm at a point in my life right now where I don't know if I want to read comments on unfinished projects. I don't want to be swayed to write a certain way.

Werewolf/Fairy Untitled Story: I am rewriting this. I feel stuck and I don't like the way its going so I'm going to write it a different way. I think I have about 6,000 words already written and now I'm starting over on it again. 

Cooke's Coffee, Shopping with Sue and Writing

It's so funny! Ann said she would NEVER buy me more coffee because I have "too much," which maybe she's right... Lucille said I drink too much coffee, and Ann agreed. They think I should have maybe two cups and call it a day. I drink a pot, and if I thought I could get away with it, I'd make another pot for good measure.

So, Ann went to Canada and New York for a total of eleven days, and everyone kept asking her if she had tried this amazing Cooke's Coffee. It was so amazing that she had to pick up a bag of coffee for me and a 2nd for Steven, but on her way back through customs, they checked only the dark roast bag. Sue was teasing and said, "So if you find anything in your bag of coffee, it's courtesy of Ann." 

Poor Ann. 

But nope. There is nothing but coffee in the bag. I know customs is probably looking to make sure it was sealed, but does anyone remember the toys at the bottom of cereal boxes? That's what I sort of thought when Sue and Ann told me that story. I know a toy is NOT what customs was looking for.😂

The "No Kings Protest" was peaceful. 

I had a busy weekend. I went with Sue to Dollar Tree, Ross, Spirit Store and DYI. We also stopped by a street fair that was fun. I bought so much stuff and I found stocking stuffers for Emory. I think he'll have a fun time opening them. I have them hidden right now. 

I found this really cute Christmas Glass on the internet that said it could be found at Dollar Tree, so I sent the request out into the universe... also known as: the commune group chat... to be on the lookout for this glass because I can NEVER find anything I'm looking for at Dollar Tree. Well, Steven and Leila sent me a picture stating they found it! How crazy is that? They found this glass. So now I need to go to AZ to get it. 

Funny thing, but as I write this, Sue asked if I wanted to hitch a ride to Arizona in December. I said I'm all for it. So we're going to the commune. I guess Steven moved out, but Leila might be moving in? It's uncertain right now. I know there are now two rooms open for travelers... the thing with travelers is that sometimes they stay a while. Aren't we all travelers though? 

Emory and I went to Reign of Terror, which was such is always a good time. We went into the place with 4 people but ended up with 6 more people in our group. I think they caught up to us, somehow. I had such a great time with this group. The 6 people behind us were all guys and they were jumpy. It was funny because whatever scared me, I'd look back to see the same thing jump out and scare them. 

Writing Update:

I have one chapter ready to post on C., but I'm stuck on a chapter for F.C. 

I was working on the werewolf story and I think it's good, but I'm stuck on chapter two and it's driving me insane. I think I need a different approach to this. I might have made the story too tight with no real room to see where my imagination is going. I am a "pantser" so I need to go back to those roots and write.

Huge Puzzle Trade, Haunted Hayride LA and Writing

I went to this huge puzzle exchange. I dragged Ann and Sue to do it, which I'm so glad I was able to. They both have strengths in areas I'm very weak in. 

Ann did so much talking. She actually talked up my YouTube puzzle channel to anyone who would listen. (She's pushing that I get business cards and T-shirts with our logo). Sue is much more organized than I am. She stayed with the puzzles and wrote down the lot numbers for the people trading with us.

I only brought 20 puzzles to trade. Out of those 20, we brought 7 of our stock back. So how did I end up with 45+ puzzles to bring home? 

I blame Ann. She said people were just telling her to take what she wanted. I was really surprised because the very first trade I went to, people were guarding their *treasure* like dragons. This trade group down by Magic Mountain was so laid back, and people really were telling us to take what we wanted. I told them to come and take our puzzles too, but very few people did. That's how we ended up with all these puzzles, and Sue took only 4, so I think our real count was 50 puzzles in all. Three of those puzzles are mini pieces. I can't wait to try them.

Emory and I went on a date night to Haunted Hayride LA. It was so much fun. There was a haunted house themed as Elvira's home. It was way spookier than I think even Elvira would live in. The production of the actual hayride was amazing. I had so much fun! Even when the actor threw hay at us. Emory was picking the hay out of my hair after the ride. 😂

There was a live band... or maybe not so alive band: Monte Revolta! I love this guy. He played at the Haunted Hayride last year, too. He's so much fun, and every song is a production. He needs more followers on Instagram. Send some love to him, peeps!

We went out to eat a few times this week. That's more than I usually go out to eat. It's too expensive now with everything going on. 

Writing Update:

 I have projects edited and ready to post, but I have such a heavy heart.

Yes Man, Strangers to Friends and Writing

Much like the movie "Yes Man" with Jim Carrey, sometimes I like to just see what opportunities await if I just say "Yes." 

That said, I was walking Mozart in an unfamiliar place, and this man asked me to come inside. Now. I'm not a quick thinker, but something inside of me said, "Okay, let's see." So I followed him inside. 

Let's call him Mr. P, and he was probably my mother's age. He was one of eleven children! 

I had the most wonderful conversation with him. He was giddy like a little school boy because he had just gotten married. It sounds a little complicated, but everything in life is. 

This was his mother's house, who recently passed away. He was giving her stuff away, and I guess a woman dressed like she hadn't showered in weeks with a little mutty-looking dog was the person to put his trust into. However, there was nothing I could fit into my apartment, which is sad because I would love to have a piece of his memory in my home. I sometimes feel like if there is an afterlife for "forgotten things" I'd be great there, keeping things labeled and dusted and ready to be remembered. 

He told me stories. We laughed. 

It was such a great bonding moment with someone I had just met. I don't usually allow myself to be open with strangers. People in general make me nervous as all get-out! 

He showed me pictures on his phone and even walked me through the backyard to a little private gate that opened to the church lot. From there, I can walk back to my apartment. 

I just met him, but he now has a special place in my heart. 

So when I went on my walk, I had expected it to be just Mozart and me. Now, I actually met someone that I'd like to visit. 

Writing Update:

Why am I so distracted by little stories. I need to focus on finishing the big ones. I have chapters due. I have schedules to keep. 

Jaws 50th Anniversary, Scrapbooking and Writing

So many exciting things are coming up this month! 

Sue is back from her adventure, and we went out for lunch. That was so much fun. We had a chance to catch up over strawberry margaritas. She has such a busy schedule with yoga and guitar lessons. She volunteers and also tutors on the side. 

I went to the airport to pick up Ann. It feels like I was just there at the Burbank Airport.... maybe because I was. We dropped her off at the commune, and I stayed while they fed Ann. There was a little wine left over after book club (not my club, but the commune's club), so I poured a little to taste. Sue said she had no desire to finish the wine, so she told me to take the bottle home. That was incredibly nice of her.

There is a Jaws 50th Anniversary party in the park. We're thinking about doing that. 

I also need to drive down to the puzzle exchange location to make sure I know where to find it. It's in the same direction as Magic Mountain. I like that area. Emory and Sue both think I could avoid the freeway to get to the exchange point. Ann really wants to do this, and I NEED her to do this because she's the most outgoing person I know. She takes saying "hi" as a challenge.... maybe a little too aggressively. 

Ann bought us vegan peanut butter cups. We took them up to the commune, and despite the "we don't eat dessert" comments, everyone tried it. We brought up all the vegan yummies, and they went fast. 

We walked up to Lemon Zest. The weather out here is getting pretty cool. 

I finally got a scrapbook to put all of our adventures in. Ann went with me and we looked at all the books. She also helped me pick out glue for the book. I told Sue and Darlene that I wanted to learn how to decorate a scrapbook, and Mr. M said, "Please come over and take our scrapbook stuff." Sue and Darlene said they would help me learn the creative ways to decorate.

I told Emory I wanted to try my hand at building something, and he said I should. I told him he should see how my scrapbooking turns out before encouraging me on something else. I watch all the Halloween DIYs from Dollar Tree. I love Halloween. 

We need to run to Target and see what cool stuff they have.

Writing Update:

C: Finished editing and rewriting portions of chapter fourteen. It wasn't as much of a mess as I thought it would be. I follow Hemingway's philosophy in writing. 

F.C. I need to really get my butt in gear on this. It was supposed to be funny and lighthearted. So I really need to find those roots again because the chapters might be getting too serious. It's also supposed to be a romance/smut. So far, it's not really going in either of those directions. The feelings are there, but the characters on the page (if I stay true to their personalities) are having a really hard time just admitting to their mutual interest. 

I want to work on one of my extra projects, but my motivation is a little shot with everything going on in the news. I feel trapped by fear. Not really an excuse. Sometimes the best creativity comes from that burning desire to just be free to burn like a star.  

Grand Junction, Durango, Silverton, Colorado Springs, Denver

 The vacation continued because the posts can get way too long:

Grand Junction was so fun. There was a lot to do, so we did some sightseeing. Nothing too crazy, but we did check out a winery, and then our hotel had a live band, so we went for a quick snack, which consisted of chips and salsa, along with more drinks. 

Durango was our next stop. We had a ghost tour that met downtown, which was within walking distance from our hotel, but we didn't want to walk because we were both so exhausted. So there was a spot that is now a toy shop, but it used to be the morgue. They would prop the bodies along the walls outside to thaw so they could stick them into caskets. We took pictures, but we didn't go into the toy shop. We also saw the hanging tree. We went to a salon for drinks.... yes, we did this more than I thought we would, but we met the hotel manager, and he said he would give us a tour if we came back the next day.

We got on the Silverton to Durango train. That was so much fun. It took about 3.5 hours to get to Silverton. We ate at a reformed bordello, which now sells Mexican food. The portobello mushroom tacos were wonderful! Best tacos I've ever had. The bartender explained to us how the little town was situated, with the call girls on one side of town. It was pretty fun. We thanked the bartender and off we went to continue our adventure.

We found a really wonderful little winery! The wines were fabulous, and if I lived out there, we would be getting a membership. We ended up buying a fruit wine, a little wine opener that needs to travel with us for now on, and a cork that has Sasquatch on it. We did end up opening the wine back at the hotel... which the hotel had a huge sign that said Mary Jane was prohibited, stationed on their door. Okay, it's not about anyone with the name Mary Jane, but that magical little plant that so many people garden. My bestie sent me a "I garden" meme, and now I think about that when people say Mary Jane.

Our next stop was Colorado Springs. We went to the Olympic training center! So the year I was born had a torch, and the year Emory was born had a torch, so we took pictures by our torches. Then we goofed around and tried our luck with all the little equipment that let you try your skills. I did okay. Emory tried the running portion. I'm too lazy to run. I did catch video of that. We then went to the Garden of the Gods and that was breathtaking. ( I know I say that a lot ). I wanted to do shopping at the gift center but our suitcase was already 44 pounds. Can't keep shoving things into it.

Our last stop there was the Cave of the Winds. It started raining so hard at this point and getting up the steep slop was scary, but Emory is a wonderful driver. The cave was so neat. The guide explained how people originally crawled through the cave on tours that were 8 hours long. There is a spot where people can put a gift and see if you get good luck or bad luck, but they ask people to stop adding things to the wall in case the original stuff falls off. Someone added a tiny Lego man to the other side of the wall which I thought was so freaking adorable. 

Back in Denver, we visited the Botanical Gardens. They were fabulous! So stunning. I did lean over to smell the flowers and caught a few people (when I looked over my shoulder) sniffing the flowers I did. I don't know if that's normal. I went to a wedding once and the bride said I was the only person she saw sniffing the flowers. I might be one of a few that also hugs trees. I don't know. The garden itself was so neat. It had so many pockets of plants to look at and the air smelled wonderful! So many plants in bloom.

We did make it to the airport, but once again, our flight was delayed going out like it'd been coming in. We didn't make it home until about 1:20 am. We were exhausted and our luggage had been lost. That was rough. I had bought a few things for the commune that I put in my suitcase. Good thing I had the foresight to put our passports in my purse. 

We were called the next day that our luggage finally made it to the airport. I wonder what our bag got to see on its own little journey. 

Writing update:

No writing, but lots of great story ideas.