A Time For Everything

Is why this post is so late.

Momma got to take Sonshine to school this morning.


And, of course, since it is Monday I have all kinds of other Monday morning tasks to get done. But here I am finally.

I spent Sunday mopping the writing room, kitchen, and hallway floors. Yes, it took me all day because I have to sweep all the dog hair up, then mop the dirt layer off, then mop a second time, and then put a layer (or two) of Mop N Glo on it. We have laminate, so I try to take care of it.

I also spent an hour online chatting with my fellow Robin Hood fen. If you remember back at the end of June, four ladies came to Texas and we had a meetup. I shared pics here and here. Gathering with fellow fans and watching the movie or an episode of the show that binds you is a lot of fun. The commentary can be hilarious. So yesterday, we did that as well. We agreed on an episode and we watched, some via DVD, others via YouTube, and some via Netflix. Altogether we had seven of us watching and commenting.

From my end:

The men have returned for good. DH will be back to work today and Sonshine turns into Marching Band Boy tomorrow morning.

The three/four week break was great. I had fun. I met online fan friends face-to-face. I caught up with other fan friends. I cleaned my house really well. I finished some small projects.

I didn't lose any more weight though I exercised like crazy the first two weeks. I wrote and revised little last week--though I did get a bunch done this weekend. I didn't finish some of my small household projects.

Now it's time to look forward, get back to work, both day job and writing wise, and set & meet some new goals.

A week or so ago I mentioned my intention to be more interactive with my family. I'm terrible about staying in contact and this is my family--*my family*. I get so involved in everything going on in my life right here in North Texas that I forget about them because they're not right here. And it's really sad. Granted, they could contact me too. But someone has to go first right? And that someone is going to be me.

So one of my new goals is to be in contact with various members of my family on a semi-weekly basis. So in every two-week period, I pledge to be in contact with every member of my family. That's about seven people/families: my mother, my grandmother, my step-mother, my two brothers (individually), and my two sisters (also individually). (Time to add a page to my spreadsheet.)

This is so not what I expected to write about today, but sometimes these things just happen. Though I really do know how I got here. :)

Last weekend, as you may recall, I invited four women I'd only known online to my house for the first US BBC Robin Hood fan meetup (hence all the cleaning and projects). The weekend was a blast and now I'm going to share pics. Not of the ladies because I don't have permission to put their lovely faces on the 'Net, but some other things, like:

This is the lovely gift they all chipped in to get me for opening my home to them:



It's just a black lacquer finish box with a tile (I guess) with the Outlaws mark on it. It was a surprise and very thoughtful of them.

These are things I bought/made for them, because no fan meetup is complete without fandom related goodies.



So we have a travel mug with a unique insert--we each liked a different character, so there's a different character image in each one; an inexpensive photo album with a picture of Robin's gang in the front photo insert and inside is a card with the meetup info. Then we can all print of pictures from the weekend to put in there and preserve our memories, there's a small squirrel (an inside joke from the show); a button that says "jigger off" (a show-related expression); and an outlaw tag (made by my own DD).

The ladies were most pleased with their goodies, too.

And this last picture is of my Robin Hood action figure standing next to a bottle of Huntingdon wine--in several versions of the legend, Robin is considered the Earl of Huntingdon, so...


And there you have it!

Have any of you met new friends online and then subsequently met them in person? What was the common event, hobby, or thing that brought you together?

But I was relieved that everyone left as early as they did--not because I wasn't enjoying getting to know them and spending time with them.

But because having company for extended periods is a strain, especially if a) you're not used to being around a lot of people all the time, and b) they are people you don't know and you're trying to present your best self and you're the hostess and you can't disappear to grab a two-hour nap though you desperately need one. :)

The first Robin Hood fan meet up went off without a hitch. And we're all still alive to tell the tale.

We talked and laughed, learned about each others husbands and/or children and jobs. We watched (only) eleven episodes of the show during our time together. And watching a show you love with several like-minded friends is way more fun than watching alone. I think all of us have this problem. Our significant others had/have no interested in the show, nor do we have any in-person friends with whom to share the experience.

It may have been fitting that the first meet up was at my house as this is several blocks away:


I hope we can swing it again next year or the year after and have a couple more US fans be able to join us.

And that's it for today. It was a long weekend and I took Friday off, so I've got to get caught up.

If I'm not here on Wednesday it's because I couldn't get on the Internet to post. If I don't see you, have a wonderful Fourth of July!!

My first fellow Robin Hood fan girl arrived last night, and we went to eat at a local BBQ joint--awesome brisket--and then spent the evening chatting and sharing life stories and talking about writing. (She's pursuing publication also.)

The rest of our peeps should be arriving in another two hours or so and then the real fun will begin.

In keeping this short and getting back to my house guest, we'll get straight to the final installment of...

The Twelve Days of Jen

On Wednesday I said I had only one gift left to share, but I lied. I realized just last night that there was one more gift that I'd forgotten to mention or even get a picture of. That has been rectified and so I share with you the last two gifts.

Firstly, the one I'd forgotten: new dishes: twelve place settings for a mere $100 and no useless saucers.



Remember back in April or so, I posted about my Revereware kettle that was on its last legs:


I did tell my family that I absolutely was getting a new one as one of my birthday/Mother's Day gifts. They were all so excited to see my reaction when I opened it, but it was rather anti-climactic, I thought, since I knew I was getting it.


Regardless of the lack of surprise (the set of HP books was a real surprise), I was thrilled to get it. :)


I've shared all my cool gifts and now I'm off to have fun with my friends. Have a great weekend and see you on Monday.

This weekend was a busy one. What with my JAG meet and continued revisions and the ongoing preparations for my Robin Hood meetup...

The JAG meet was fun as it always is, seeing gals I only see this one time a year. I taste-tested a new hor duerve that I'm going try at home one of these days. My friend called them jalapeno poppers, though I think that name can also refer to other similar dishes and others might call this one something else. Any who, you get fresh jalapenos and de-seed and de-vein and cut them in half, smear a dollop of cream cheese in the pepper half and then wrap in bacon. Grill or bake or broil! Yummy!!

JAG is usually playing via DVD throughout the weekend and, at any given time, you can find a handful of us enjoying it.



Who remembers the writing room? Yeah? Well, it's also called the dog room, but I spent some time and money making it more writing room than dog room. I still have a couple things left to do, but this is what I accomplished this weekend:


I've been trying to get this plate rack up for months, but I just could not get the anchors I bought to install all the way. I think I was hitting a stud. Instead I did a few calculations and determined the center of the wall, measured outward the correct amount to *drill* holes for a different type of anchor and WA LA! Yes, I used a power drill and had so much fun. So my rack is up and it just needs the plates. (I'll share those in a week or two.)


I also used the drill to deepen the holes so that I could put the other shelves back up. I had to go buy new shelves--narrower ones and I moved our whole collection of DVDs into the writing room. I still have some other shelves to put up, but they're the wider ones and will go on the bottom half of the wall for books and other knick knacks and things.



This didn't require drilling, just a hammer and a nail, and yes it is hanging lop-sided on purpose.

The following thisngs have been up for a while now, I just haven't shared them:


Sonshine's Lemony Snicket books are in my writing room ans he's not of an age to truly appreciate hard bound books. Also, he's a little old for Lemony Snicket these days. This hangs to the left of the above sign. And to the right of it hangs my bird clock which actually chirps at the top of each hour.


Lots of pictures today, and we're almost done!

The Twelve Days of Jen

More books, a pair of them, detailing the legacy of the Indians of the Americas. It's interesting, though dry. I've had a tough time plowing through them. Mom, I think you'd enjoy them, too, and will probably send them along at some point.


Hope you had a nice weekend. Was it productive or lazy??

Also, this was post number 500 !! Can you believe it??

A lot of angst mostly. Work related, of course. But that's not fun writing or reading so...

New TV obsession: Stargate: Atlantis. Hubby started watching this show several weeks ago; my watching was hit or miss. And then all of a sudden it was more hit than miss and Major John Sheppard played by Joe Flanigan started to grow on me. So I have started watching from the beginning.

Ongoing TV obsession: The BBC's Robin Hood and Jonas Armstrong. This fandom is my escape and fun. I play there with fellow fen and have made some nice online connections.


What keeps me busy: aside from work, I keep busy with my trumpet playing, band marching son. Going to his events and finding great enjoyment in listening to the band play. There are several talented kids and it's such a joy to listen to them play. Plus I help out the band director when I can, which seems very little. She's on her own this year and having to carry the program almost exclusively on her own shoulders, bless her heart. I wish I could do more, but since I do have to work, I just can't.

When I'm not being a band groupie or wife or mother, I write. For fun and not so much profit, at least not monetary. But writing is my creative outlet (which has taken many forms over the years) and it has brought many wonderful relationships my way. Some are now over, but many continue and no longer depend on the thing that brought us together in the first place.

What're your creative outlets?

The new year is here. Life as I prefer it has returned. Hubby and son are home from the wilds of Central Texas. Christmas/New Years fireworks sales were pretty decent all things considered, so the girls can attend college for another semester, at any rate. And Monday morning back at work...

Saturday and Sunday were quiet as the boys hadn't returned yet. I had a movie marathon Saturday, watching Star Trek, Sweet Home Alabama, Lady Jane, and Dirty Dancing. I simultaneously surfed the 'Net and got some writing in--I'm the queen of multi-tasking. Sunday was spent in a Robin Hood marathon--I was able to watch the first nine episodes of season one. And I got to watch it on the big screen, which was quite a treat. Hoodie goodness up close and personal!

As for resolutions...none really. At least nothing I haven't been striving toward anyway: eating better, getting more exercise, getting more done in a day...

Hope your new year is full of health, happiness, and prosperity!

Not only to American airwaves, but from the the Holy Land, where we left him at the end of Series 2 (that's how the Brits refer to their TV seasons).

Our poor hero has returned broken and grieving after burying his one true love, Marian, in the Holy Land. All he has to remember her by is her wedding ring and the final act of love: their wedding vows. They pledged their love as Marian lay dying in the sand.



Robin has returned to England after several months traveling back from the Holy Land, and he's hell bent on revenge for the death of his wife. He no longer believes he can carry on as England's hope against tyranny.

Over all, I enjoyed the episode. The end where he made up with the gang after his bitter angry words to them was a bit too easy and pat. We needed a bit of lingering hard feelings at least another episode, but alas I'm not the show's writer...

You all remember my not-so-secret crush on Robin Hood, right??? Isn't he yummy?

Well, good news for anyone who has been waiting and waiting and waiting, like me, for the third season of Robin Hood. It premiers Saturday, September 12th...if you have BBC America. Which I don't. But I do have iTunes. And hopefully they won't wait too long to start adding eps.

If you've never seen this show, you should check it out--it's so much fun, although season three isn't shaping up due to the killing off of Marian at the end of season two, so I'll reserve judgment for now. But season one and two are great--aside from the aforementioned death of Lady Marian...

Just a little blog stuffer to brighten my day...

 

I've been AWOL for over a week. I even logged in the other day intending to post, but was so completely unmotivated and uninterested in the process that I closed the browser and moved on. I spent the day playing with Robin Hood instead. To jog your memory...







Ah, he's a handsome young man, and I find myself captivated by him--the way he looks, the way he talks, the things he stands for. We all need heroes, now more than ever, when so few people are worthy of that status. Okay, I realize the character of Robin Hood itself is from a bygone age, but the things he stands for still speak to us today. And we all need a little escape now and then...

My newest TV show obsession is the BBC's contemporary spoofish series Robin Hood. Jonas Armstrong plays the nobleman-turned-outlaw. The show is funny and is billed as a family show. Indeed, we never saw Robin Hood kiss the fair Lady Marian until the final episode of the first season. And even then, it was chaste.

So what's your favorite show these days?

Well, I've had a lot of things rattling around in my brain these past few days. Some of it deep and personal, like trying to decide what my future holds. Some of it fluff, like trying to decide what to actually blog about next. So...

1) I sent my newly licensed drive off on her own last night for her longest drive by herself (22 miles one way). She wanted to go to church, I didn't want to take her. Not because I didn't want to go to church, but because there was nothing going on for anyone but junior and senior highers and I'd have had to kill time since it's too long of a trip to drop off, come home, pick up, come home. And I wanted to be at home.

My first instinct was to say "NO, you can't go that far by yourself." Of course, she's 18, not an immature 16-year-old. After a pow wow with hubby, we agreed she could drive herself and her younger brother to church - as long as she took the back roads. Despite her age, she has no experience driving the freeways during rush hour. So they made it there and back just fine.

I've never been a clingy parent. Especially with that child. She's always been independent. And, until now, she's only gone into controlled and safe new situations (kindergarten, middle school, high school, etc.). But now I have to release her out onto the wild highways and byways of DFW? What - are you crazy??? Okay, I did it. And it was nice for both of us. It may take a few more uneventful trips for me to relax, though...

2) I've got a new TV show obsession: Robin Hood. It's a British series produced by BBC. It is available through Netflix and my favorite iTunes. Yes, I'm buying them one by one. It's a retelling of the old favorite but with a contemporary feel. Jonas Armstrong as Robin Hood, is a cutie, and Lucy Griffiths plays a fiesty Marian. As I was doing a bit of surfing on the Net for info about this show, I came across some spoilers and they don't bode well for RH or M. So don't spend the money just yet, check it out via Netflix first. Or stay tuned. I'll be willing to let you know what happens, if you're interested.

3) Am I writer, or am I not? I enjoy writing. I feel have the skills to write. I understand the formulas, the rules, the do's and dont's. I have a difficult time coming up with conflict, although that can be overcome. But life is busy, and there are things that vie for my time, and all must be prioritized. That means that writing usually falls by the wayside as I run out of day before I run out of things to accomplish. I have concluded that this is not the season for (much) writing. I will keep my finger in the pie as it were. Continue to learn the craft, jot down my story ideas, write when time allows, but serious writing will have to wait until it is the right time.

4) Our office move is almost upon us. The excitement of the thought of office space has been overcome by the thought of moving the office. We have four business days left until we move. We will close down the office for a day and half to pack and move. A new normal will be upon me, rethinking the regimentation of the day, what time do I need to get up, get the kids to school, then get to the office? My dogs will be home alone now, without a dog door. Does this mean I have to come home for lunch to let them out? Maybe for a week or two, until they're used to being home alone. I know this must seem dumb, but we've always worked from home since we've had them. It'll be an adjustment for all involved. There's tons more whirling through my brain, but I won't bore you with any more.

I guess that's enough rambling for now. Hope you have a great day...