Welcome to 2014

I used to get reminders from BlogHer when I didn't post anything for a two week span. It helped, those reminders, sort of like a homework assignment, or a work deadline.
 Left to my own devices, I was probably spending way too much time skimming pages on Pinterest for decor ideas, or sending away for land brochures and bookmarking fashion pages for shit I don't need or can't afford.
 Or maybe I was doing this.

 There were those chunks of days I dedicated to writing, and even bigger day chunks spent editing, submitting, revising ... so, that's something, because it's all about the AMOUNT of creative work you produce over your lifetime that will lead to greatest success ... according to a recent NPR episode that I chose to listen to rather than study my Spanish lesson.
 At least I wasn't doing this.

 So, that's something.

I have managed to corrupt, I mean entertain, a whole new group of players by starting a monthly Girls Night Out. I love these ladies. We laugh. A lot.
 There's also Book Club and Bunco, Poker for the boys and of course, a regular schedule of yoga and weight training, because some days I need to go out in the world and eavesdrop to get the perfect combination of imagination, dreamland and reality into a scene.
On that note, things are progressing with the pitching of the book/s. All good news and all very exciting. I've got the right people around me and the cards are finally in place.
 And I've got a bunch more flash fiction in the stack, now that I've decided once and for all to write without the self-editing/inhibiting questions of what would that person think or how would that group of people feel... 

 I encourage you to go out there and attack life this year. Find your passion. Seek what fuels you. Enjoy life, don't merely go through the motions. Dump negativity and surround yourself with people and things- if that's your kick- that make you feel good.

I'll be back in a few. Stay out of trouble. Dance. A lot. And eat healthy.

Maybe get a Roomba.

Three Drafts later... and I'm not talking beer.

I do this whole start one thing, walk out of the room and start something else thing all the time. That's normal right?
 At some point during my day I will return to each location and complete the tasks... usually in reverse order, fold the laundry that I had dumped from the dryer into the basket. take the trash bag all the way to the outside can, instead of the halfway point in the garage, hang up my morning workout jacket and maybe even venture to the kids rooms to finish what they started before the school bus arrived.

I always get a feeling of pride when the tasks are done, and if I am mid multi- task.. I feel a bit panicky, like standing in a cluttered room makes it hard for me to breathe.

When I opened my blog post draft page and saw not one, but three started drafts.. 2 with similar titles, I had to wonder A. what was so important that I never finished them and B. what the heck had I planned on saying anyway.
 So, in typical, I like to clean up and clear up my debris Linda Sands style, I give you belated:


Bunco Christmas Party


It was wine tasting followed by a trolley ride through the cold to a Christmas light display synchronized to music, followed by dinner and drinks ... followed by a DD ride to another house for more drinks, followed by an impromptu trip to a bar, followed by mush dancing and singing, followed by stealing a stranger's phone, followed by somehow making it home and somehow waking up non drunk and non hungover.
 the evidence:

bunko celebrates football and florida

SAM_0181
Originally uploaded by Another Good Thing

I have been a bad bad blogger. So , here I will play catch up.

January was Bunko at my place- with an dual homage to the beaches of Florida, where we wanted to be and the upcoming Super Bowl.
No one took me up on the bikini and jersey idea, but we had fun anyway.

There was a Christmas party in which short comedians bombed and the bunko broads were called kinda old

Sometimes, you start out an evening with certain expectations.
You think, It's Friday night. The house is clean. You have the night out with gal pals.

You get more dressed up than you do for car pool, a little less than for dinner with the boss, and definitely not the outfit you'd pick for church on Sunday. You have a Designated Driver who may know where she's going this time and a wad of cash in your pocket.
Part of you is thinking: "WOO-HOO! SHots and dancing and wildness that may result in an ill-placed tattoo before the sun rises."
And part of you is so freaking tired you begin to wish the ride to the comedy club in the old church was longer, that the girl seated next to you had worn one of those puffy coats that feel like pillows, that you could just close your eyes for a minute and feel twenty again.
Or thirty, for God's sake.
But then you take another sip of your Red Bull and Vodka and begin to rally--because, after all, this is Bunko Broad Christmas, and you have a reputation to upkeep.
Remember the last time you were in this town?
Remember how all the broads got thrown out of the classiest restaurant? How terribly naughty you felt. How sorry and guilty and embarrassed...
Nah.
It wasn't YOUR fault, after all, and besides, the night ended on a high note, didn't it? At least that's what everyone told you- and that's what you're relying on, because brown outs are not just what happens in a three year old's underpants.

Besides. It's Christmas, and you're all armed with gifts that you found around the house, gifts that cost nothing,unless your Aunt Rose reads this blog, then you are totally going to be busted for re-gifting. I brought this..

The bag ripped upon exiting the DD's car, and Mr. Event Planner at the venue helped tape it up. Duct tape rules!I think it adds a certain appeal to the steal-able item, right? Okay, it was dark in there, but they did take our gifts and put them on the stage under the Christmas tree. A tree that one of the Comedians said RUINED his chances at taping his show, because he would never be able to lie about when he'd preformed... uh huh.

There were 3 acts, and with a room this small, you'd better be on. I'm just sayin'.
And they were not.
Let me explain. The room was the choir loft/altar of an old Presbyterian church. There was a large bar downstairs. Yep. Welcome to BUFORD.
Which one guy actually made a funny about. "...Sounds like the name of the retarded kid in school.. look everyone, it's Buford.. " hahaha ok
This same guy had another good joke about the Wii.
He said, "we're so broke we don't even call it the Wii. We call it the "they" because they all have it and we don't."

And that's about all I remember. They all had pot smoking jokes- crickets.
and cocaine jokes... louder crickets.
They slammed wives and girlfriends, people with disabilities and the problems with dating.. DUDES? Look around. You're in a room of mostly women and older married couples. Hello? How about a little improv? One guy did score best with the lines he admitted "weren't even part of his act" ripping on the short comic whose last name was Malice.. which he thought was a better last name for a super hero or a serial killer.. "how about Brian Benevolent? That might be a letter name for a comic..."
says the guy with the Italian name- who was able to deliver only one single Italian joke the whole set.
*sigh*
I swear our material on these guys was better than the jokes they kept pushing. But, then again. What do we want for $10?

Of course, it would not be a Bunko Broad night if we didn't play a joke or two ourselves... like giving this kit

to Dawn, complete with gloves, apron and wet wipes.

And I had to try to fake the good old "OMG, I'm so trashed, I got tattooed," trick with this

and this temporary tatwhich didn't fool anyone, especially when they know that a real arm tattoo looks more like this:or this:


and hurts a crapload more.


So, what was in my bag, you ask?
well PICKLES.and A PEZ. ( an extra from my extensive collection).


We did almost get booted from this place when I used a flash to take a picture mid-show, but we bought more cocktails, so they let us stay, and then after the gift exchange? We HAD to leave, because the guy in this picture's friend called us OLD. And who wants to hear that?


So we went to a jazz bar that recently transformed itself into rock and roll
and watched the ass from the front row table at the comedy show make more of an ass of himself with his trashed wife and the wife's chubby little orange panty wearing pal.
Gwen wanted to go home remove her eyeballs and dunk them in a soapy hot wash.

I wanted to dance. SO, Angie and Debbie and I tried, but apparently old people do not know about this new kind of line dance-hustle-disco-rock thing ?! or about the crowded crowded loud bar thing. ugh.
So we did what old people do. We went home, passing the tattoo parlor, the piercing pagoda and the Starbucks with an equal amount of remorse.
Until next time, Buford. Until next time.

Music with a Purpose. Served up Two Ways.

I believe in the magical quality of music. Of the healing power of positive words. So when I found out about N.E.D. I had to share it.
This group is not just full of talented musicians and songwriters, but they are a rock band with a purpose.
N.E.D. was named for "No Evidence of Disease" -- a phrase that every gynecologic oncologist hopes to tell a patient after undergoing cancer treatment.

This band's made up of six gynecologic cancer surgeons with a mission to enhance knowledge about the disease, bring hope through rhythm for women undergoing treatment, and raise awareness & money for the fight against women's reproductive cancers.

Their CD is slated for release on September 8th to coincide with Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month and they include informational booklets about gynecologic cancers entitled, “What Every Woman Should Know.” Net proceeds from the sale of the CD will be donated to the N.E.D. Cancer Foundation in association with the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation (GCF) to educate the public about gynecologic cancers and support promising research.

Here's one of my favorite songs: False Pretenses
Listen to more here. and fan them on their FaceBook page.

I'm wishing them all the best in this endeavor.


Some of my bunko mates and I brought on our own healing night of music last night.....

when we braved the stairs outside the Japanese restaurant where we had a great dinner- to enter the Korean karaoke house. It was set up so different than how Americans do it, and since I've never been to Korea.... it was all new to me.

The last bunko- karaoke night was years ago and got us booted from a local coffeehouse, and the last time I was with some of these gals we saw a fight break out...

So maybe little Momma singstore owner knew we were trouble and that was why she rushed us into the big room with no delay.

We were led to the largest karaoke room. Everyone who comes in gets their own room and system. We had a nice long couch and table and two large monitors. The speaker system was awesome and the flashing laser light show pretty cool, although we had some trouble with the controls on the complicated remotes... getting some Korean lyrics and a very very slow tempo on a few songs but nothing we couldn't work around.
After a few hours of fun, we were ready to head back home, crawl into bed and set the alarm to get the kids on the bus in the morning, most of our worries left behind in a dimly lit, well padded and very private fifty dollar room.

It only looks like a fine wine.

You have probably heard of MonaVie by now.

Kathie Lee talked about it here.
Even if she got the name of the berry wrong, she still promoted its benefits. So, when someone offered me a free bottle to try, I figured what the heck, right?

I took my bottle of PULSE and ACTIVE to a recent Bunko party. It looked like wine, so of course my friends were game.



( words in BLUE are direct from the MonaVie website)

We liked the taste and texture of PULSE, the juice for heart and cardio benefits

• Boasts heart healthy levels of plant sterols to help maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
• Features resveratrol, which supports your cardiovascular system by helping protect healthy blood vessels.
• Delivers powerful antioxidant polyphenols to promote a healthy cardiovascular system.

better than the bottle of ACTIVE, the juice for joint health,

• Individuals who regularly consume MonaVie Active have reported an increase in vitality, better health, an overall sense of well being, and an improvement in joint health.
• Initial research suggests that drinking four ounces of MonaVie Active on a daily basis can enhance your body's antioxidant activity.
• Gives your body the resources it needs to help fight free radicals that target joints.
• Helps you maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.

which seemed more tart and "seedy". ( There were a few comments that if you added some vodka to the juice the tartness might not be such an issue.)

After taking a surprise flying departure off a SeaDoo this weekend, I am hoping the shots of MonaVie Active get me back on the horse- so to speak, in quick order.

One of the women who's a teacher at an elementary school said that her co-worker was taking the PULSE juice to lower her cholesterol and help with heart issues. he had wonderful things to say about the product . The only thing was she felt odd breaking out what looked like a bottle of wine in front of her students and slamming back a shot every morning.
( ok. Slamming was my word, but still...)

So maybe, marketing gurus at MonaVie? You may want alternate packaging options. Like something smaller, less alcohol looking and less breakable. I'm just sayin'.

Dan is the guy to talk to if you want to try or buy. Here's his twitter info.

Sometimes Bunko is just Bunco.

Some of our husbands like to call it "Drunko."
I've played in three different states, with at least five different basic rules. But one thing remains the same: there is nothing SERIOUS about this dice game.

It's all fun and games and drinks and chocolate. It's socializing and home decor ideas and husband bashing and kid bragging and shoe swapping. It binds friendships with stories and private jokes and sometimes, it pays for the gas to get there and the beers on the way home.

In our group there are themes and costumes... and always, always laughter. We've had some Bunko Nazis, some party crashers, some fall down imbibers and some sad sacks... we've made memories as people have moved on, as babies are born, as children grow up, as jobs change and cars crash, we are there to hear the story and clink glasses. We hold each other up in good times and bad, something the men will never understand.

This month, we had a six gal carpool for our "out of the neighborhood" Bunko, and six more ladies at the other end. Much fun, with lots of food, mojitos and a bourbon slush worthy of the Derby.
In this day, when money is tight and party planning can be a bother, it's nice to have that one night a month to count on, a night when you can let your hair down and be with women who get you- who understand the pressures and problems and questions you face every day- whether it's at work or at home, dealing with bosses, or diapers, or deadlines. We are our own best support system, and one that I hope we can grow and expand, because who doesn't need a good round of bunko to help them put life in perspective?
In bunko, even when you lose. you win.

For the ladies who couldn't make it this month... we missed you and will see you in March. And for the newbies that had fun in February, we hope you will join us again. I'm sure by then we will all have a new story to share as the dice go around.

Happy belated birthday to Karen. Who did the smart thing this year... and stayed home. Whew.

When Did Christmas Cheer Become Mandatory?

I can do all the things that need to be done for this holiday with my eyes closed.. and without being particularly cheerful.

Baking for child's school bake sale. Done. Even though I used VERY expired baking soda in the cookie dough.Purchased,wrapped and mailed all out of town gifts including one unique gift certificate substitute:without complaining about the cost or time spent or traffic. Done.

Attended relatively tame p-ornament exchange party and a quiet bunko Christmas party where I managed to not piss anyone off or get thrown out of anyplace. Pretty much a first, and no, that's nothing to be cheerful about. *yawn*

Seeing as I had to select and then help my husband buy my Christmas gifts... I am not expecting any surprises this year... and after a ho-hum tree and house decorating weekend, I can't help but feel a little like... Is this it?

The only thing that is saving me from hanging up my stocking for good is my church.
Every year they open my heart to giving in a new and special way. I only hope that I find a way to do that for someone else this season.
And that's nothing to yawn about.

Moms take Bunko One Step Further

Our monthly Bunko meet up is more than a dice game, with this kind of booze, some of the husbands call it DRUNKO.
It's more than winning a few bucks and telling a few embarrassing stories to women who understand you. It has become an excuse for a Mom's night out for dinner or shopping- a weekend away, a trip across a draining lake...Liz and her husband are kind enough to invite us to spend the night and most of the next day with them on a lovely houseboat ( enough beds to sleep 10-- or more if you're creative).This is our third year and we now have a list of "things we do".
Liz brings these fruit creations.
Debbie sleeps on the top deck.
The snorers sleep in the smallest lower cabin.
We have a song playlist.
This year I brought a small karaoke machine.
Liz gives door prizes. (This year we scored some of her homemade creations and came up with ways she can sell her adorable cosmetic bags and jewelry online.)
And we gave her a private joke- signed cookbook.We play poker with M&M''s.. eating our winnings and stealing more whenever we can...
and we swim to a nearby island. (
It's more of a dog paddle/float with life preservers under our butts and plastic cups of wine in our teeth...and yet...)We have a wonderful time and always hate for it to end.
This year, we stole the Vegas saying- WHAT HAPPENS AT BUNKO STAYS AT BUNKO, but really, what kind of trouble can 9 women possibly get into on a houseboat beached on a deserted island of deer?

Weekend wrap up: Non Sports Edition

You have a plan which includes meeting the girls for lunch on Friday. You figure an hour of jabber, an hour to eat and you're back home checking email, finishing the bills or reading a novel for your pre-kid free time... but, since there was beer and wine and half a salad, followed by more wine and shoe shopping, the time thing kind of slipped away.
And that's fine because now you're primed for a night of Bunko with more fun ladies. So, you run home, do the family thing, set everyone up for the night and think long and hard about making it a short one. You skip dinner yourself, because heck yeah you'll eat at the bunko game. But you drink instead, maybe have a handful of this or that and then you remember you got up at 4AM and it's 11PM and you are tired. So tired you actually yawn without covering your mouth.
But then you remember this:

so you go with a carload of girls to a place that serves it- in tall glasses- all night long.

You drink and dance and meet lovely new girls- one who can sing like a real pro and just found out she's pregnant. You must drink to her success. You almost forget you are wearing a shirt that announces you love your husband- with his name. You talk to nice people wearing Ed Hardy shirts. You love Ed Hardy, too. But not their butthead friend whose excuse for his behavior is that- "Hey, I'm from NY. leave me alone." Of course, being from NY yourself you understand why he's such an asshole. and when the girl he's fighting with tells you, it's not that he doesn't like himself, or Georgia, it's that he doesn't like you. You laugh in her overly made up face and ask her where she got the spandex pants and plastic shoes. Then, even though the music is great and the people at your table are fine conversationalists evn great with percussion instruments:
there is somebody who thinks this is the best bike in the world which leads him to somehow believe he can come over to your table, take out a chair and join you. That's right. Can you say, "Uh-uh?"
You order nacho and more cocktails.
After convincing the nice guitar playing Polish dude to sing an abbreviated version of the twenty minute long Bye Bye Miss American Pie, Mr. Motorcycle hat has become enough of a problem that you have to have a husband come down and make his presence known. Which of course leads to a "letstakeitoutside" moment, which brings the cops. Glory be. You have done it again.
You being the plural you of course. Because in a few hours when you wake up little old you will be holding your head wishing you had remembered to drink water, wishing you had remembered to take your milk thistle and primrose and alpha lipoic acid or at least had eaten something all day long. You figure by noon you''ll stop sweating vodka and then can take your daughter to the mall where you and another hungover parent can commiserate as the kids try on outfit after outfit after outfit, because your remedy is starting to work and you can smell Chick Fil-A in the air.

Which Sex and the City girl are you?

You know you're all thinking it, even some of the guys in the audience won't admit it, we all find a bit of ourselves in those four characters.
Some ladies used the movie as an excuse for a girls night out.
Kind of like what I did last night with my three regular pals and a new fun extra.

The foreplay? A little hummus and pita bread and whole lot of Pinot Grigio. The consensus of the movie? Well, we weren't there for the plot, and we actually clapped and hooted for a few scenes, so I'd say entertainment value was there... not sure how much the Pinot helped.

I think I need to buy a black studded belt though
and definitely have moved the Manolos up on the wish list. all in all a fun night, though much too short, and the perfect cap to a weekend that started early with my remodelers no-showing me on Friday leading to a shopping spree followed by bunko with a yummy ginger drink that no matter how much I drank I didn't feel it... the final dance recital of the year and a night of sushi and a fun day in the sun with a novel on Sunday.
Off to another author event tonight and happy to report the shower and toilet room is almost 100% complete. Almost. The front room? Not so much.
Photos soon.

How was your week?

Wow. Is it Tuesday already?
I was around- mostly, but busy. Did you ever have a week full of ATTEMPTS? You know, the week where you look at your calendar and see all the things planned, and all the to do lists and at the end of the week, instead of them getting smaller- or even disappearing- they have grown?
I had one of those weeks.. where I
*hired an accountant to do ONE MORE thing I hate to do. Whew.
*finally got a call back from the bathroom remodeler I'd been chasing down.
He sounds great. I'll let you know.
*went to a reception for a writing award in one of my fav local towns and got to hang with writers and relive my youth partying later here with a bunch of writing students.
*learned I stink at pool, but decided I still like trying
*found out I like running on hidden trails in the woods
*went to the North Georgia Mountains- a Bunko Broad sleepover. Tame for most, especially me, operating on 4 hours of sleep, drunk by the time the second load of ladies arrived, all talked out and ready for bed at midnight, but toughing it out until 1 AM to laugh at the drunkest broad ... it was one of those moments where you are laughing so hard you can't catch your breath and tears roll down your cheeks... classic. And no, I won't tell you what she was trying to do.
*was glad for the extended stay at the luxury mountain cabin which yielded more manuscript pages and two new story ideas via a nice bake in the sauna
*managed to avoid all bacteria-viral infected peoples, have new theory about illness and hot showers
*found TUT and practiced the art of positive thinking
*retained title of CLUE MASTER, beheld the dethroning of the Queen of CandyLand
*drove to the new BIKRAM yoga studio and arriving 5 minutes too late to join the class, I introduced myself to the French chef at the pastry shop
*finished another month of SCRATCH - winner and judge page up on the 1st.
*bought, wore, returned and exchanged my first sandals of the summer.
*picked up the wine club bottles for Italian month.
*finished rewrites on the latest version of the novel.
*met with my writing pal and worked on agent pitches and flatbread lunch selections.
*offered heartfelt thanks to God for every good thing
* learned it's okay to enjoy being alone and decided to find a wilderness retreat
*tried not to dwell on how few school days are left and the fact I will be kid-undated
*took up meditation- again

Mr. Follett makes the sexy time.

My book reading pace slowed when my friend Karen lent me this book.
It is a long one, and while interesting, I could have cut at least 50 pages out of the front section, at least another 50- 100 in the middle, and geez, what's with the ADVERBS, Ken?
But dang, do I want William to DIE. At the hand of a woman. oh yeah.
And my my, Mr. Follett, you do write the LOVE scenes. I'll never bath in a creek the same again. ( I know why Oprah liked this.)
Trying to finish it today so I can start on the stack of 10 that I have lined up for now through Spring Break. I wish I could read in a car, as I'd have a good 12 hours of reading time coming up. Unfortunately for me, it makes me carsick, as much as audiobooks make the other car riders sick- real or imagined...
More party time tonight with bunko and bands, a beery belated bdaybrouhaha.
Say that three times fast.

Yes, I admit it. I watch American Idol.

You may have read my tirade here. But that's nothing compared to how much this bugs me. Look at this picture and see some of the AI finalists- that's right, 16 finalists revealed... When reality becomes too posed, too scripted, with commercial sign offs and faux PC voiceovers.. I don't know. I feel like I'm the one being used. At least this year there are not hours and hours of bloopers... Lord knows we don't need another William Hung.

Please please bring back ROCKSTAR. At least there I knew what was real and what was bullshit.
meanwhile I wait for LOST, and mourn the loss of great TV because of the writer's strike, though I TOTALLY get the reason for it. And THIS GUY should be listened to. see the SAME OLD STORY YOU TUBE VIDEO.
Tonight is a Tuscan themed BUNKO. I think al I need is wine and a bicycle.

Okay, I'll do the meme holiday list thingy.

Let's call this list: Holiday Things I Hope to Do More Often.

1. Go to noisy bars and exchange naughty gifts then tell stories about why our waitress is crying in the bathroom and not bringing us more beers.2. Go hear more live music, especially when the guys in the interesting and talented band know your name and the owner of the bar is Johnny Depp cool- buying your table drinks and sending over free food from his home country:
( just next time go earlier with a bigger appetite and a little more energy, and maybe a personal smoke blowing fan.)

3. Have more families over for football parties and wine tasting and CatchPhrase, the music edition, even if your husband the birthday boy washes dishes for a hour and you have to vacuum three times the next day.
4. Make husband this happy more often.