stmargarets

These two are amazing. Be sure to watch to the end






Someone posted the translation - I don't know if it is correct, but it's lovely

Here, where the sea shines and the wind blows
on an old terrace on the Sorrent gulf
a man hugs a girl, after she had cried
then he clears his voice and begins again to sing.

I love you very much
very very much, you know,
it's become a chain
that melts the blood inside the veins, you know."

Since megan29 is dictator-of-lj-for-life, I couldn't ignore her command to post an update, even though I don't have much to say.

We've had a stressful time ever since Bill lost his job in November. It's been traumatic in a different way than other times he's had a job change. I've learned a lot about stress and how I deal with it. For instance: typical responses to traumatic situations are fight, flight or freeze. I tend to freeze when I'm stressed, which means my brain shuts down and I can only deal with what's in front of me. So I haven't been writing, but my house is clean and we've had many lovely meals. :)

One good thing to come out of this is that I've let go of feeling guilty for not writing. Freezing is a natural response to trauma and I'm just going to let myself go through the process until life changes yet again. (It always does!)

Anyway, I want to share something besides a tale of woe with my lovely friends on lj - so videos!

Funny - St. Patrick's Day Commercial


Heartwarming - A nine year-old builds an arcade



Thanks to everyone who has checked in on me these past few months. I really appreciate it. When I'm feeling less anxious, I'll be back. In the meantime, know that I am reading and sending out good thoughts to all of you. *hugs*

That's how many entries Mills&Boon had in this year's New Voices's Competition. (Last year it was 824)

Out of that pile, they will pick 20 entries for the next round on Oct. 13. So yeah - odds not good.

HOWEVER

I did hear back from the editor about my partial. She said lots of nice things and gave me lots of feedback to show where I went wrong. So I'm still in the game with that story. I've been working on the revisions and I hope to send it back soon. They could reject it or ask for more - so no instant success once I have it done. No matter what happens, I've learned a lot. Persistence and patience seems to be the key here.

Doh! I hate patience. *pouts*

How is everyone on this fine Canadian Thanksgiving? It's in the 20's here (70's F) and beautiful.

I just entered my chapter in the Mills&Boon New Voices Contest. It's very different from last year's entry (which they still have under consideration)and I'm a little a lot nervous about it. Last year I was one of forty on the long list. What if the editors don't like this chapter? Does that mean I've gone backwards? *wibbles*

Anyway, it's called "A Revenge Served Hot." http://www.romanceisnotdead.com/Entries/342-A-Revenge-Served-Hot/Chapter-One

Yes, it's a revenge story. Can you tell? I'm hoping the story itself is a little more subtle than the title.

rosathome also entered. Her story is called Lying For the Camera http://www.romanceisnotdead.com/Entries/50-Lying-For-The-Camera/Chapter-One Not only is it frothy fun, but it includes a plus-size heroine.

I'd love to hear any feedback from those of you who are romance fans. It's 3,500 words long if you want to plan your time.

You have to sign up to comment on the site (but you can download two free books for your efforts). Or just comment here.

Thanks to rosathome, moonette1, eudorahawkins and dooley5 for all of your help!

Andrew Sullivan posted this on his blog today. I'm posting it here because it's something I need to see when I log on to live journal. I have been around - I just haven't had a lot to say for myself.
*hugs to my flist*

The Laughing Heart

your life is your life
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is a light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods will offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can’t beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you.

@Charles Bukowski

I am shocked and sickened by the news and I'm grieving for all of my friends in Norway. I wish I had adequate words to soothe, but I don't. Please accept big tearful hugs and a listening ear instead.


In other news, we're back from our trip to Massachusetts and my laptop is in the shop. I won't be able to access my email for another week or two, so if you need me, send me a message through lj.

I haven't been around very much lately - it's been busy around here. The news in brief:

1. We did buy a new fridge before the other one conked out. After almost a month of use, it's still clean! :)

2. My oven needs cleaning again. *sigh*

3. My car broke down while I was taking a group of kids home from their class trip. We were two hours away, on a lonely road with spotty cell phone reception at seven o'clock at night. *shudders to remember* We put pond water in the radiator and I drove to a spot that had better reception. Josh's dad drove out with a car trailer and rescued us. We got home around midnight. The boys thought it was a big adventure.

The car is okay. It was just a radiator hose that worked itself loose, but it made me paranoid about driving that car great distances. I have to go to a wedding in Massachusetts next week, and I was planning to drive to save $$$$ - but we ended up buying plane tickets. Bill can't go, so it would have been just Eddie and I.

4. We're having the house painted right now - it's the last major update we had planned for this house when we bought it last summer. The color is called "Lemon Ice Cream." :)

5. Between the new fridge, car repair, plane tickets, house painting and general cost of *everything*, I feel like the money is flying out of our wallets! Yikes. Mills and Boon had better get back to me soon!

6. This is an excellent article about the fan fiction phenomenon.

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2081784-1,00.html

7. Deathly Hallows - the last movie. I watched clips from the red carpet. What an experience Harry Potter has been! Watching those actors grow up really brings it home. The movie is coming to our little theater next weekend, but we'll be en route to the wedding. We'll see it when we get back. It will be something to look forward to after the fun of the wedding.

8. Hope you are all well. LJ's been quiet.

*Eddie went to school in head-to-toe Bruins wear today. :)

Vancouver has never been loved in the Maritimes, but there was some goodwill for them going into the series. That good will is gone after the riots last night. What a disgrace.

*What is Pottermore?
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*School is out June 24th. I hope the warm weather finally kicks in. We've had to turn the furnace on this week, it's been so cold.

*We're not doing much this summer. (And I'm glad) Eddie and I are driving to Massachusetts for a wedding in July. (Bill can't get the time off) Eddie is going to Newfoundland to see his friends at the end of June. Then he's going to take sailing lessons for six weeks this summer. We have friends visiting in August, so I'm looking forward to some lazy days of sunshine and the beach with them.

*I still haven't heard back from Mills&Boon. I followed up with the editors two weeks ago and got the standard - "we'll get back to you" letter. Six months isn't an outrageous wait for them, so I really can't complain. I've been working on another story for them in the meantime.

*Oh, the irony. The fridge I just cleaned during Fridge Fest is now showing signs of compressor fatigue/ failure. *sigh* We're going fridge shopping this weekend. It just goes to show what happens when you clean. *nods*

We watched this in my meditation class yesterday. I haven't seen this speaker before, but I think she has some *great* insight into worthiness and shame and perfectionism.




If you don't want to watch for 20 minutes, Brene Brown also has a blog called Ordinary Courage. In between the promos for her book and speaking engagements, she has some great entries. Here's one about Oprah and overeating and being what she calls "a take-the-edge-off-aholic.”

http://www.ordinarycourage.com/my-blog/2009/1/6/weighing-in-on-oprah.html

An excerpt:
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If you're in the mood for a good cry . . .