The Paladin of Mariposa

For those of you who don't know, I am in the process of writing my first novel. It is of the fantasy variety and the working title is "The Paladin of Mariposa." Here is a synopsis:

As reigning national video game champion, Vaila Grayson is an idol among her peers. One day, she is given a video game prototype to test drive and review. What she doesn't know, is that the game has been cursed. She is forced to endure a saucy knight, named Cenric, and they must find a way save Spain from a renegade cloud of dark magic. While they search for a way to break the curse and defeat the enemy, the pair will experience a world of anceint magic, interesting riddles, and an ending that may surprise you.

My target audience is 16yr old - mid twenties, due largely in fact to all the video game jargon. I completed chapter 7 yesterday (that's roughly 130 pgs double spaced, so far). My goal is to have the entire first draft completed no later than Christmas. If I'm going to teach in the fall, I'd best get a move on.

I'm thinking about changing the title. Most people are like, WTF is a paladin?

Spring Forward, Fall Asleep

So, today Eric and I began our preparation for daylight savings. I know the big event is still 2 weeks away, but I got a serious butt kicking last year that I wish not to repeat.

This week, we moved the clocks ahead by 30 minutes. Next week will be the full hour.

I feel pretty good today. I actually had time to read my library book that's been sitting on the table for a week. If this little experiment works, I'll be one happy camper.

Shopaholics Anonymous

So I had some gift cards burning a hole in my pocket, so I thought it was time to put out the fire. My first stop was the Gap. After purusing the racks for twenty minutes, I found a cute t-shirt (pink in pic). That was it! A t-shirt for $20 (ouch).

JcPenney proved to stretch my dolloar further. I mangaged to walk out of there with 2 necklaces, 2 pair of pantyhose, 2 pair of underwear, 1 dress, 1 blouse, 1 workout shirt, 1 sweater and a 2 for 1 polo and thermal shirt. I bet you're wondering how much it was. Well . . . . the total came to $51, but I was only responsible for the $1.

I made out like a bandit, walking away with 13 pieces in all (including the Gap). I spent 4 hours in that hunting for the best deal and my persistence paid off. At the bottom of the receipt. the sale price is subtracted from the orignal price to give you a total savings amount. I tread on the edge of theivery by saving $243.43! That is sick and ridiculous and thus makes this the deal of the day.

Dinner in Sage City

David, Steph-Ann & Vicki

So as a conclusion to Vicki's visit, Eric and I hosted another get together. Eric's brothers, David and Jesse, and Steph-Ann (David's girlfriend) came over for dinner. We had a lovely meal which consisted of spinach and mushroom lasagna rolls, garlic bread and garden salad. For dessert, I tried my hand at funnel cakes, which suprisingly turned out well.
After dinner, Vicki entertained us with an Ireland slideshow (she went there in October).
We had a great time with the family and can't wait to have everyone over again.

Alert: A half naked juevenille delinquent shoots with arrows

In other words, Happy Valentine's Day. Although Eric and I have long boarded the the ship of Anti-Vday, we do recognize that others wish to celebrated this pink and red hullabaloo.

Whatever you do today, have fun and we don't have enough money to bail you out of jail.

Star Sightings

Vicki and I had the pleasure of watching Ysabella (our goddaughter) today. After several failed attempts to capture the perfect picture, I settled on something cute. As I looked at her, I couldn't help but notice how Ysabella looked like the actress Michelle Williams.

We just might be looking at the next big star or maybe she'll grow out of it.

Anyway, we had a great day. It was like 62 degrees today and we all enjoyed the warmth and sun. As it is supposed to snow tomorrow, we look forward to spending summer days with our little blessing.

Adults Only

Our friends, Tim and Stephanie, came over for Adult's Night. My sister, Vicki, is also visiting, so we had a full house.

I made a stromboli from Rachel Ray and a lemon souffle from America's Test Kitchen. the wine and company was lovely.

We then played 1 vs. 100. Four players take turns answering questions privately unitl someone wins. The first round, the mob took all of our money. Tim won the second round on a very good strategy.

I got hosed by a question about Martha Stewart. I like Martha, so I thought this would be easy. So the question was "Martha Stewart said 'Your fired' on her version of the Apprentice. Let's hear it. a) you don't fit in, b) you can take your wisk and beat it, c) it's a good thing your outta here.

Well, I chose b) ,but go fig the answer is a). I had $117,000 tooo. Never listen to the peanut gallery.

God Bless the Solider Dads

So our friend Joe called today to announce that he and his wife, Angela, will welcome a baby boy into the world.

I already knew this, as I am partially psychic when it comes to guessing the gender of my friends babies. I'm 6 for 6!

So all this baby talk brings up an interesting question. Is the phrase, "It's a boy/girl" politically correct? I mean and baby isn't an "it", he or she is a person. Wouldn't it be more PC to say, "He's a boy?" Someone contact Hallmark and get this changed.

Here's another pet peeve. Asking someone what their baby's sex is, seems so unattractive. Asking about a baby's gender, sounds so much more appealing. It would be an uphill battle to get the world to change this bad habit.

Good Luck to Joe who leaves for Iraq on Monday.

A Super Fat Tuesday

So where are your loyalties? Do you exercise your right to vote and sit in a primary/caucus gathering for a couple hours, hoping that your presence makes a difference? Or do you revel in the spirit of Mardi Gras and overindulge because Lent begins on Wednesday?

Well, we had Mardi Gras cake and watched all the political news on TV. As much as they over publicized the results of the caucus, we should have partaken in something of the hard liquor variety.

Super cup . . Super dish. . oh, Super bowl!

We went over to a friend's place to watch the Super Bowl and I learned a few things. 1) On any given Sunday, it's any body's game, 2) don't let boys plan parties, 3) the Superbowl isn't worth the calorie splurge.