Anybody Want $10???

I need your help. Now. Well, before midnight on Sunday. (Yes, that's a correction - I had originally said Saturday but found out that I was mistaken...anyway, gives you more time!) We had a video contest at the A-Z Challenge blog, to make an advertising video, and we need voters. There are only 12 videos, and they're all under 2 minutes. Most of them a lot shorter than that. They're also tremendously creative, and all quite different. Would you pretty please with sugar on top (or a martini, if you prefer) watch them and vote for your favorite?

I'm not just asking for help, I'm also totally bribing you. (I've found it to be a great parenting tool, too).  If you come back and comment that you've voted, I'll enter you in a drawing for a gift card to a place of your choosing. $10 to spend however you want! That's a good return on your investment of time. I voted this morning and it took me only 20 minutes to watch them and vote. So it's like I'm paying you $30 hour. That's not chump change!

You don't have to be a challenge participant to vote, we just want you to tell us which ad for the challenge was the best. But hell, if you haven't signed up yet, you might still consider doing so. We have over 1,000 participants, and no, you don't have to visit everyone, just a *suggested* five a day.  I tell ya', it's THE blog-hop of the year and I just don't want you to miss out on the fun.

Thanks so much for voting!  I'll pick a winner after voting closes.  You can only vote once, we've got a gadget to make sure of that.  But hey, tell ya' what.  If you join the challenge (or already have) just tell me in a comment on this post, I'll enter you in the drawing for that, too.  It would double your chances...

Those Look Like Comfortable Shoes

I love camping. Always have. I had no idea though, that on this trip I'd accomplish a goal that's been elusive for three years. I WENT HIKING! Yup. Ms. “You need your arthritic hip replaced, probably twice before you die,” and who could also be called Ms. “You're really shouldn't try to do this much compensating for that hip, because you sprained your knee doing so” WENT HIKING.

It started with the shoes.

The Engineer and I are running errands before our “get out of Dodge and away from the kids” camping trip, and we stop at REI because YellowBoy has been wanting “finger toe shoes.” Aka Vibrum 5 Fingers. REI is the only retailer who will let you return them if they turn out to “not agree” with your feet. I'm amazed by that guarantee, by the way. So we're looking, and YellowBoy and I have, at this snapshot in time, the same size feet. We decided to buy a pair in our size, and then we realized that the shoe saleswoman (an extremely knowledgeable employee) had been showing us the women's styles. Perfectly understandable since I am a woman. But I'd thought though that they were unisex like Teva's (at least used to be). Not so. Amazingly though, The Engineer, frugal man that he is, buys his wife the lady shoes. This lady smiles and walks out of the store on cloud 9, wearing what feels like nothing, like I'm barefoot.

Barefoot is a big deal to me. I've had bone spur surgery and plantar facetious in both feet and have been wearing only “comfortable” shoes for years. Then I started yoga (in 2010), and it strengthened my feet so much that now I can go barefoot all day, just like I did in childhood. Hiking in these magic shoes felt heavenly. Yes, I got out of breath, yes, I got tired, but I hiked. Half a mile. But it's a start, and all journeys begin with one step. In great shoes.

Friday Catch-Up

Friday. Time to tie-up some loose ends.

 Like the new look? Life is Good is under construction, by my bro, Jeremy, the Retro-Zombie. He is doing a complete make-over. You may already have missed the “before” if you're new here. He's installed the first layer of my new look: the foundation, if you will. Go visit him, say hi, praise him, all the that stuff, and then come back daily to see the newest changes. You'll be the first, because...

 I'll be off the grid starting tomorrow around lunch time until Sunday night. The Engineer is taking me away for the weekend without kids! My darling Swiss (as in my sister) will have the boys. They're excited to get to hang out with their cousins. They're stair step ages, my Jake, 14, her LizardGirl 13, my Yellowboy, 12, and then her KarateKid, 11. We're all blessed to have them growing up together. I was 16 before I got a cousin! (You can meet GorgeousGirl in this post if you're curious.)

We're going camping. OK, I hear you. Camping? Instead of a B&B? Instead of a nice, clean hotel? Well, yes. I'd rather go camping. It's my favorite thing to do! And camping gives The Engineer, prime example of “engineers don't idle well” something to do! There's only one loop of the campground open year round, so we're leaving early to secure a spot. If you're a Colorado reader, you'll know what I'm referring to when I say we're going to Moraine Park in Rocky Mountain National Park. So back to the spot thing, Yyes, there's a chance we don't get one. Lots of crazy Europeans camp through the winter. We've met many of them on our hikes and in passing as we wander the campground. Not to disparage Americans, but we don't see many of them until May. (Just FYI the Downey camping season runs March through the end of October – if you're looking for camping stories, just put “camping” in my search thingie over there in the sidebar).

 While I'm gone, keep up the good work! Those of you in the A-Z Challenge, check out my countdown calendar. It was in my side-bar, in light blue, but, um, now it's...wherever Jeremy has put it. It's free for the stealing at the main A-Z blog. Those of you not taking part in the challenge...I still love you and I'm still your follower. See you Monday.

P.S  I've joined jenn of quirky pickings  in her fabulous, interactive, blog thingie.   She's over there in my blog roll, so you know she's amazing.  That sidebar represent my "must read"s.  I follow a LOT of blogs because they're great and I want to find them again.  But the blog-roll, those are my special buddies. where was I?  Oh yea, when I get back, I'll explain in detail about Swapportunity. Meanwhile, head on over to her amazing piece of blogland.  You're gonna love her!

My Name-Tag Says "Author"

Yesterday, in my guest post at the A-Z Blog,  I asked, "When do I get to call myself a writer?"  Nicole of Madlab Post said:

You now have work that is in a book for sale while you also maintain an online "publication," if you will, so I'd say you're a writer. The question is, do you?  Be proud and claim it!  


I claim it, and I'll tell you why.  It was an evening that will be etched onto my heart forever. Indulge me please as I share a bit about the occasion. (Don't worry, my brevity card is installed ;-) 

I'm a sucker for the little things. Example: when I went to new teacher orientation for my first job straight out of college, I picked up my name-tag, and right there, under my name, were THE words I'd been waiting for and working towards my whole life: teacher. I saved it. Last night, Best and I were waiting in the very long line to get into the reception, and a woman comes walking from the front to the back, “Are there any authors in this line? We need to get you in right away so you can start signing autographs.” WOW. I got a red “author” ribbon on my pre-made name-tag!  Others used a sharpie on a sticky name tag.

My first look at my story in print was right after the registration table where I picked up my books. (I bought some for my parents and in-laws). I found a sofa and found my story. 

Right away people started coming over, “Would you mind autographing this for me?” Mind? I'm DYING TO. Not that I said that. I played it cool. On the outside. Inside? Jumping up and down for joy, happiness in every pore. Pure bliss.

Authors got recognized on stage! Standing applause! (Yes, there were tables and chairs, so it wasn't like they HAD to stand ;-) The various organizations that minister to the homeless population each had a booth set-up. The piece I wrote was about the director of The Center for People With Disabilities.  The book included not just portraits and stories of the homeless, but of those whose jobs “intersect” with that population.  At that booth they had the book open to MY story. 

I'm done bragging now. After all, this wasn't about the volunteers, or the authors, or anyone who helped make it happen. This was and is and will continue to be about the invisible people we have given a face and a voice to.

If you missed my guest post at the A-Z blog, you can head on over there for more links and info should you choose to support this cause. Thanks.

P.S I highly recommend you visit  Nicole of Madlab whom I quoted above.  She's been an amazing resource for the co-hosts and has guest-posted several times with very valuable, creative, easy to follow advice for the challenge participants.  Of course a big thanks to all of YOU for supporting me and helping me celebrate my first by-line!

Until They Have Faces: My first by-line!

Today you'll find me guest posting at the A-Z Challenge blog! You've seen the picture of this book over there in my sidebar for many months, and the day is finally here! Today my first by-line is being released. I've included a lot of details about the project in my post at the A-Z, so please, click your way over there and gimme some love!

Thanks.  

The Life-Saving Advantages of a Jot Book

Ok, let's try this again. Brevity. See?

I made my card just like DL said in his post at the main A-Z Challenge Blog. I didn't know how to make it work, though. I had it beside me when I wrote the chapstick post. That post wasn't brief at all. So I called tech support and they told me it had to be properly installed. So I did. See?

All I needed was the ladybug clip! Lucky I had one on hand because the brevity program is sold separately, no clips included. Now that it's up and running fine, I will move on to my brief post.

Recovering from this lung illness has taught me a few lessons. No, patience isn't one of them. Apparently God's not done with me on that issue. However, I've found that having a jot-book really relieves some of the stress that comes from having only one of four cylinders firing correctly due to some nasty meds, and that one isn't the memory cylinder.

I treated myself to a 2-pack of these. 

One lives in the basket I carry with me from room to room

the other in my purse. If a thought enters my mind, I write it down. Have you seen The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? If not, then do. I'll wait.  See!  Didn't you love that great scene where they're on a planet where having an idea gets you smacked in the face by these shovel-looking creatures? I feel like that. The thoughts come, I'm startled by the clarity, so I have to write it down.

I leave you (at less than 300 words!) with this last thought. OOPS! It left the building without me...

All About Tina: A Guest Post at the A-Z Blog

I'm excited to tell you that today I'm guest posting at the main A-Z Challenge blog! It's an “All About Tina” post. Each of us co-hosts is taking a day to introduce ourselves by all answering the same set of questions. I really think you'll find my post entertaining, if for nothing else than the ice-cliff story. Which included me with no pants on for part of the story. In winter. In case the whole ice thing didn't hint enough at the setting.

I realize you're probably tired of all the talk about this April event, but the main reason for me doing so is actually to offer an opportunity to you. I was in a major slump last year, and joining the challenge re-focused and re-directed me back on my correct path. I'd gotten all caught up in hanging around with some very talented writers, and it literally paralyzed me. I was afraid of posting something inferior, so I didn't post much at all. Of course, we were having quite traumatic events in our extended family as well, and that put Life is Good not even on the back-burner, but completely off the stove.

Having a purpose for posting, and new visitors daily, provided much needed healing for my self-esteem and my writing muscles, which had gotten pretty slack. I remembered my purpose in blogging: writing practice. Practice isn't perfect, and neither are my posts. They're just a work-out. Some days you kick-ass in the gym, others you climb off the stairmaster before finishing the program and hit the showers. If you're in the mood for a work-out, consider joining us. It's your opportunity. Make the most of it.