My Best Friend Betsy RN MSN once asked me, “How did you get such a great mother-in-law?” Obviously she got a MiL who would be too cruel for a Grimm brothers step-mother.
I replied that the Gods took a look at what they gave me for a mother (a bully), and said, “Oops! We effed up. Let’s give her a good MiL.”
My husband Brian’s extended family have welcomed me so warmly. I can ask my MiL for advice that I never could ask of my mother when she was alive. His aunt made me a special Christmas necklace when we spent the holiday in California in 1998. His Grandmother (who died the day after Christmas in 2015) let me hug her and hold her for support at the wake of Brian’s Grandfather/her husband. My Father-in-Law loves to tease me about a lot of things, including why I refuse to shop at certain stores. I’ve been calling Brian’s parents Mom and Dad since our wedding day.
So when Dad was diagnosed with colon cancer in December 2013, Brian and I were devastated. Mom has been medically fragile for years, having suffered several mini-strokes. Although Dad was at times given six-months to a year to live, he still is with us thanks to the medical treatments he’s receiving. Unfortunately, these treatments will not cure his cancer, just give him more time to live, and no one knows how long that will be for either of them.
Mom’s birthday is tomorrow, and Brian’s SiL is planning a luncheon get-together on Saturday. Our original plan was to start his new Icons RPG that day, but Brian and I both feel that Mom’s birthday is more important. Only the Gods know how many more birthdays they’ll have, so we want to spend as much time with them as we can.
Besides, who wouldn’t love in-laws with quotes like these:
June (Dad’s birthday):
Me: “I have good news.”
MiL: “You’re pregnant!”
Me: “Uh, no.”
MiL: “Well, I still hope…”
I love that woman so much.
Me: “I think more pictures are taken of Quinton (my Great-nephew) than of Prince George.”
Devan (my niece): “Of course, he’s cuter than Prince George.”
Me: “Absolutely.”
On our most recent visit, Brian turned to me to ask if we had any news. Dad looked at me and asked, “Are you pregnant?”
I love that man so much.
No, I’ve given up hope of becoming pregnant, but I love that my in-laws still have hope. You can understand why I call them the “World’s Greatest In-laws.”
Blessed be,
-Lori
“What am I supposed to do at a time like this?” Brian asked me, regarding his father’s cancer worsening.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Monday, February 15, 2016
More Geekdom
I am a Geek on multiple levels, and here’s more proof:
• I saw PEBCAK on a license plate and laughed.
• I got the joke when I saw a toddler named Clark wearing a Superman logo t-shirt.
• When watching an episode of Sleepy Hollow, I made the World’s Greatest Husband (WGH) stop and rewind. Two characters were discussing artifacts in a museum, and one called an item “…a gift from King Phillip II of Spain to Elizabeth I.” “Wait a minute…no effing way!” Phil was Mary I’s husband, and Mary imprisoned her younger half-sister Elizabeth. I doubt Phil was inclined to give Elizabeth a gift.
• Very esoteric: saw a license plate that said TK42One; had to think a moment because somewhere in my brain I knew the reference. I actually was telling a story to the WGH (one he hadn’t heard before; miracle of miracles), and I stopped mid-sentence. When I finally remembered where I heard it, I laughed a lot. Then I had to finish the story and ask the WGH if he caught the reference. When he couldn’t place it, I said, “Would it help if I added ‘Why aren’t you at your post?’?”
Speaking of Star Wars (I will give ample warning for spoilers)
Brian and I went to see Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens (VII) on Christmas Day, and as I said in my WordPress blog, answering the question: “What did you get really, really, really excited about? At the moment, I cannot think of anything. Not even Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens (I am cautiously optimistic about Disney films.) Isn’t that sad?”
I have a love/hate relationship with Disney films. I grew up watching animated features such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, 101 Dalmatians, etc. I loved the live-action films such as Pollyanna, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Darby O’Gill and the Little People (with a singing Sean Connery). The combination of live-action and animation movies were fun too, such as Mary Poppins, Tron, and I saw Bedknobs and Broomsticks at a local drive-in.
When it comes to adaptations of literature, Disney either does phenomenal or terrible; I don’t see much in between. I personally enjoyed Popeye, and the comic-book reading WGH thought The Rocketeer was good, but I’m sure Victor Hugo is spinning in his grave over Disney’s animated musical adaption of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I never will forgive Disney for what they did to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; and even though they started well with my beloved Chronicles of Narnia, adaptations of the second and third books lacked the magic of the first film, and the fourth seems to be in development hell.
So when Disney acquired Lucasfilm, I was happy that the final trilogy would be made, but I also was worried about the production quality – not the special effects or even the cast, who all are fantastic; but the story, script, and execution were my main concerns.
I had cause to worry.
When I reviewed Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (III; the acronym ROTS was not a good sign), I said, “Lucas has said that he will not make the third and final trilogy in this saga, and I agree he shouldn’t unless he wishes to apologize to his fans. The only apology I would accept is if Lucas would write the final trilogy stories, then leave screenwriting and directing to someone else…” I thought J. J. Abrams, after his successful re-boot of the original Star Trek series in film, was a good choice, as he obviously has the qualifications; however, I’m not sure if Episode VII is what Lucas envisioned.
Okay, here’s where the spoilers start
Please don’t misunderstand. VII is a good film, but when the WGH and I discussed the film on a road trip to the Dells, we both agreed that it had the same plot as IV: A New Hope: a cute little droid has information that a rebel group needs to fight the evil dictatorial government. Along the way, the droid meets a helpful person deserted on a desert planet, who teams up with an unlikely ally; and they share adventures that include incredible flying through the galaxy, meeting with rogues, and an intergalactic bar of dubious clientele. Finally the good rebels must battle a planet-sized weapon (or in this case, a planet turned into a weapon) in order to survive to fight another day.
The casting was fantastic, but with the exception of Ford and Fisher (that woman still turns in one helluva performance!), I felt most of the cast were underused. For example:
Max von Sydow, whom I know for his roles as villains, is only in the movie for a few shining moments before his character is killed. I think the late Christopher Lee had more screen time in ROTS, and Peter Cushing – an actor of similar experience and caliber when he starred in IV – most certainly had a larger role as Grand Moff Tarkin.
Lupita Nyong’o is an Academy Award-winning actress of considerable skill and talent, plus she’s beautiful beyond belief; and Abrams has her voicing a CGI character.
While Andy Serkis is the definitive CGI/motion capture actor since his work with Peter Jackson, his character is confined to an oversized throne and an undersized part and isn’t very convincing as a powerful bad guy.
Of course, the tiniest role goes to my personal favorite: Mark Hamill (who thirty-six years after I fell in love with his tukhus still makes my fantasy list). Unfortunately he is relegated to nothing more than a non-speaking cameo. The character’s name has more screen-time in the opening crawl than Hamill does in the entire film. In fact the scene to walk up the island where Skywalker is hiding takes more screen time (or as the WGH put it, “and she’s walking, and walking, and walking…” á la MST3K).
The newbies cast as protagonists all turned in excellent performances, and I can’t wait to see how their characters develop, but I was less convinced by those portraying the members of the First Order. Adam Driver, playing the grandson of and wannabe badass like Darth Vader, seems too stiff and restrained in his role as main antagonist Kylo Ren (plus his ears and the expression on his mask-less face reminded me of one of my nephews). Domhnall Gleeson (son of the fabulously talented and handsome Brendan Gleeson), Gwendoline Christie, and all the others portraying officers and higher-ups in the First Order all seem too young to have climbed the chain-of-command so high, especially because Ren doesn’t seem to kill off the staff the way Vader did.
The similarities between VII and IV were so much that during the main lightsaber battle, both the WGH and I were wondering if someone was going to lose a hand. Mercifully no one did.
My score for VII is B-/C+. In the words of Wil Wheaton in “The Opening Night Excitation” episode of The Big Bang Theory, “I liked that more than I thought I would.” but remember that my expectations were low before I saw the film. I knew that I was going to miss the old 20th Century Fox logo and fanfare, but I was glad they didn’t replace it with the Disney castle logo and “When you wish upon a star” music because that would not have felt right from the start.
Am I going to see the rest of the sequel trilogy? Of course. The WGH and I will continue our Jewish-like Christmas tradition of having Chinese food for dinner and going to see Episode VIII in 2017. I’ll even go see the ancillary series that Disney has planned in their attempt to cash in on this cow for as much as they can. My love-hate relationship with them continues ad nauseum.
Just don’t get me started on Disney’s sucky novelizations and “Journey to The Force Awakens” crap.
Pog ma thoin!
-Lori
“I’m just afraid I’ll disappoint you.” – WGH, on his 2015 Christmas gifts for me
“Sweetheart, the only one who can disappoint me on Christmas Day is J. J. Abrams.” – Me
• I saw PEBCAK on a license plate and laughed.
• I got the joke when I saw a toddler named Clark wearing a Superman logo t-shirt.
• When watching an episode of Sleepy Hollow, I made the World’s Greatest Husband (WGH) stop and rewind. Two characters were discussing artifacts in a museum, and one called an item “…a gift from King Phillip II of Spain to Elizabeth I.” “Wait a minute…no effing way!” Phil was Mary I’s husband, and Mary imprisoned her younger half-sister Elizabeth. I doubt Phil was inclined to give Elizabeth a gift.
• Very esoteric: saw a license plate that said TK42One; had to think a moment because somewhere in my brain I knew the reference. I actually was telling a story to the WGH (one he hadn’t heard before; miracle of miracles), and I stopped mid-sentence. When I finally remembered where I heard it, I laughed a lot. Then I had to finish the story and ask the WGH if he caught the reference. When he couldn’t place it, I said, “Would it help if I added ‘Why aren’t you at your post?’?”
Speaking of Star Wars (I will give ample warning for spoilers)
Brian and I went to see Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens (VII) on Christmas Day, and as I said in my WordPress blog, answering the question: “What did you get really, really, really excited about? At the moment, I cannot think of anything. Not even Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens (I am cautiously optimistic about Disney films.) Isn’t that sad?”
I have a love/hate relationship with Disney films. I grew up watching animated features such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, 101 Dalmatians, etc. I loved the live-action films such as Pollyanna, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Darby O’Gill and the Little People (with a singing Sean Connery). The combination of live-action and animation movies were fun too, such as Mary Poppins, Tron, and I saw Bedknobs and Broomsticks at a local drive-in.
When it comes to adaptations of literature, Disney either does phenomenal or terrible; I don’t see much in between. I personally enjoyed Popeye, and the comic-book reading WGH thought The Rocketeer was good, but I’m sure Victor Hugo is spinning in his grave over Disney’s animated musical adaption of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I never will forgive Disney for what they did to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; and even though they started well with my beloved Chronicles of Narnia, adaptations of the second and third books lacked the magic of the first film, and the fourth seems to be in development hell.
So when Disney acquired Lucasfilm, I was happy that the final trilogy would be made, but I also was worried about the production quality – not the special effects or even the cast, who all are fantastic; but the story, script, and execution were my main concerns.
I had cause to worry.
When I reviewed Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (III; the acronym ROTS was not a good sign), I said, “Lucas has said that he will not make the third and final trilogy in this saga, and I agree he shouldn’t unless he wishes to apologize to his fans. The only apology I would accept is if Lucas would write the final trilogy stories, then leave screenwriting and directing to someone else…” I thought J. J. Abrams, after his successful re-boot of the original Star Trek series in film, was a good choice, as he obviously has the qualifications; however, I’m not sure if Episode VII is what Lucas envisioned.
Okay, here’s where the spoilers start
Please don’t misunderstand. VII is a good film, but when the WGH and I discussed the film on a road trip to the Dells, we both agreed that it had the same plot as IV: A New Hope: a cute little droid has information that a rebel group needs to fight the evil dictatorial government. Along the way, the droid meets a helpful person deserted on a desert planet, who teams up with an unlikely ally; and they share adventures that include incredible flying through the galaxy, meeting with rogues, and an intergalactic bar of dubious clientele. Finally the good rebels must battle a planet-sized weapon (or in this case, a planet turned into a weapon) in order to survive to fight another day.
The casting was fantastic, but with the exception of Ford and Fisher (that woman still turns in one helluva performance!), I felt most of the cast were underused. For example:
Max von Sydow, whom I know for his roles as villains, is only in the movie for a few shining moments before his character is killed. I think the late Christopher Lee had more screen time in ROTS, and Peter Cushing – an actor of similar experience and caliber when he starred in IV – most certainly had a larger role as Grand Moff Tarkin.
Lupita Nyong’o is an Academy Award-winning actress of considerable skill and talent, plus she’s beautiful beyond belief; and Abrams has her voicing a CGI character.
While Andy Serkis is the definitive CGI/motion capture actor since his work with Peter Jackson, his character is confined to an oversized throne and an undersized part and isn’t very convincing as a powerful bad guy.
Of course, the tiniest role goes to my personal favorite: Mark Hamill (who thirty-six years after I fell in love with his tukhus still makes my fantasy list). Unfortunately he is relegated to nothing more than a non-speaking cameo. The character’s name has more screen-time in the opening crawl than Hamill does in the entire film. In fact the scene to walk up the island where Skywalker is hiding takes more screen time (or as the WGH put it, “and she’s walking, and walking, and walking…” á la MST3K).
The newbies cast as protagonists all turned in excellent performances, and I can’t wait to see how their characters develop, but I was less convinced by those portraying the members of the First Order. Adam Driver, playing the grandson of and wannabe badass like Darth Vader, seems too stiff and restrained in his role as main antagonist Kylo Ren (plus his ears and the expression on his mask-less face reminded me of one of my nephews). Domhnall Gleeson (son of the fabulously talented and handsome Brendan Gleeson), Gwendoline Christie, and all the others portraying officers and higher-ups in the First Order all seem too young to have climbed the chain-of-command so high, especially because Ren doesn’t seem to kill off the staff the way Vader did.
The similarities between VII and IV were so much that during the main lightsaber battle, both the WGH and I were wondering if someone was going to lose a hand. Mercifully no one did.
My score for VII is B-/C+. In the words of Wil Wheaton in “The Opening Night Excitation” episode of The Big Bang Theory, “I liked that more than I thought I would.” but remember that my expectations were low before I saw the film. I knew that I was going to miss the old 20th Century Fox logo and fanfare, but I was glad they didn’t replace it with the Disney castle logo and “When you wish upon a star” music because that would not have felt right from the start.
Am I going to see the rest of the sequel trilogy? Of course. The WGH and I will continue our Jewish-like Christmas tradition of having Chinese food for dinner and going to see Episode VIII in 2017. I’ll even go see the ancillary series that Disney has planned in their attempt to cash in on this cow for as much as they can. My love-hate relationship with them continues ad nauseum.
Just don’t get me started on Disney’s sucky novelizations and “Journey to The Force Awakens” crap.
Pog ma thoin!
-Lori
“I’m just afraid I’ll disappoint you.” – WGH, on his 2015 Christmas gifts for me
“Sweetheart, the only one who can disappoint me on Christmas Day is J. J. Abrams.” – Me
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
RPGs
My now-husband Brian introduced me to roleplaying games (like Dungeons & Dragons – get your mind out of the gutter) before we were married. Over the years, we played a lot of different games: Champions, HeroQuest, Icons, Savage Worlds, etc. Usually he was the gamemaster (GM); however, after I indexed Monte Cook’s Ptolus for D&D 3.5, I wanted to run the campaign as dungeon mistress (DM).
On Independence Day 2010, our gaming group of the usual suspects gathered to create characters, and we played from there. Brian had a difficult time adjusting to being at the foot of the table as a character, rather than as GM. I had difficulty with the mechanics of the game, and I was quite the pushover as a DM: I tended to give the player characters (PCs) too much information or fudged dice rolls in their favor.
Copious preparation helped me improve, and Brian gave me wonderful feedback and learned to enjoy just playing in a game throughout the years. I want to say that in late 2014/early 2015, I told my players that we had about a year left because we had one adventure remaining to complete our campaign. When fall and football games delayed or cancelled D&D events, Brian despaired of ever finishing because he’s been itching to run a game again.
Well, on Saturday, February 6, 2016, we finally finished the last part of the last adventure – saving a dwarven queen who although her original kingdom is gone, would assist another clan of dwarves in restoring their home world. Brian’s character was instrumental in that endeavor, and Brian ended with a good feeling about the game.
Then we started to work on our characters for his new Icons campaign. I will play a magical who gets her power from gods. Even though the character on whom she is based is Latin American, I changed that to make her Senegalese.
The final rounds of quotes from gaming:
DM: “Mature” adult dragon
PCs: “OOOOOHHH!”
DM: “I wish my players were as mature as this dragon.”
Age = 47 “Prime of Life” – JP
Cherry pie appropriate for the player who is a virgin.
“I promised the dice god some weed.” – BAS, who usually has dice of the damned, when he made a good roll.
Paper protectors: “Sheet condoms”
Neuschwanstein: “Original White Castle”
Signet of Shallamoth: “Universal Subway Token” or the Tijuana Taxi of Praemal
“Snort that magic dust!”
Cleaning the dusty chair (throne).
“I have a creator; his name is Monte.” – DM
“Epic Fantasy is not about average characters.” – BKC
“Technically, I may not have time to run a game until after I retire.” – WS
“Book of Inverted Darkness: doesn’t that mean light?” – source multiple
“Waterboarding Pay-per-view Channel.” – JP
Trans-urethra ultrasound requirement for the Wanker – LAC
“Windows 8 brought Civilization to an end.” – BAS
Temple of Teun, down the street from the Temple of iTunes.
Barrel of Holy Water
“I move with the grace one would associate with the vegetable kingdom.” – JP
“Don’t blame me; blame Monte.” – Me/DM
“Could someone chisel out a brick [of the slightly-scorched, death-by-chocolate birthday cake] for the GM?” – Me/DM, who actually scorched the cake
“Fighters should have an instant training facility called ‘Whack-n-Hut!’” – JP
“Life’s given the Ettins a wedgie.” – BAS
“Crouching Tiger (Gnome); Hidden Ranger (invisible).” – BKC
Pagantology – JP
“The floor you’re not stepping on is not there.” – DM
“Posted on facepalm” (Facebook) – JP
“Sphincter Sanctimonious” – JP
“Cow Con” (Odyssey Con) – JP
“Ptolus is free of cancer.” – LM
“Bag of holding for poop.” – BAS
When the Bard was caught in a reverse gravity spell “Dancing on the ceiling”
“My colleagues made buzzword bingo cards for me, and “fuck” is the free word in the center.” – JP
“Sharpie & Highlighter Interior Decorators” – BKC
“I pop as soon as I attack.” (losing invisibility) – JP
BBQ instead of JQ, which is the character’s name. “Taste my tangy sauce.” – LM
“I want government that is small enough to drown in a bathtub full of Flint water.” – JP
“I could fix this with a tiny amount of Platinum – like two tons.” – JP
Pog ma thoin!
-Lori
"I know I've been spending too much time with Photoshop when I look out the window and I'm impressed by the sharpness and clarity." - Monte Cook
On Independence Day 2010, our gaming group of the usual suspects gathered to create characters, and we played from there. Brian had a difficult time adjusting to being at the foot of the table as a character, rather than as GM. I had difficulty with the mechanics of the game, and I was quite the pushover as a DM: I tended to give the player characters (PCs) too much information or fudged dice rolls in their favor.
Copious preparation helped me improve, and Brian gave me wonderful feedback and learned to enjoy just playing in a game throughout the years. I want to say that in late 2014/early 2015, I told my players that we had about a year left because we had one adventure remaining to complete our campaign. When fall and football games delayed or cancelled D&D events, Brian despaired of ever finishing because he’s been itching to run a game again.
Well, on Saturday, February 6, 2016, we finally finished the last part of the last adventure – saving a dwarven queen who although her original kingdom is gone, would assist another clan of dwarves in restoring their home world. Brian’s character was instrumental in that endeavor, and Brian ended with a good feeling about the game.
Then we started to work on our characters for his new Icons campaign. I will play a magical who gets her power from gods. Even though the character on whom she is based is Latin American, I changed that to make her Senegalese.
The final rounds of quotes from gaming:
DM: “Mature” adult dragon
PCs: “OOOOOHHH!”
DM: “I wish my players were as mature as this dragon.”
Age = 47 “Prime of Life” – JP
Cherry pie appropriate for the player who is a virgin.
“I promised the dice god some weed.” – BAS, who usually has dice of the damned, when he made a good roll.
Paper protectors: “Sheet condoms”
Neuschwanstein: “Original White Castle”
Signet of Shallamoth: “Universal Subway Token” or the Tijuana Taxi of Praemal
“Snort that magic dust!”
Cleaning the dusty chair (throne).
“I have a creator; his name is Monte.” – DM
“Epic Fantasy is not about average characters.” – BKC
“Technically, I may not have time to run a game until after I retire.” – WS
“Book of Inverted Darkness: doesn’t that mean light?” – source multiple
“Waterboarding Pay-per-view Channel.” – JP
Trans-urethra ultrasound requirement for the Wanker – LAC
“Windows 8 brought Civilization to an end.” – BAS
Temple of Teun, down the street from the Temple of iTunes.
Barrel of Holy Water
“I move with the grace one would associate with the vegetable kingdom.” – JP
“Don’t blame me; blame Monte.” – Me/DM
“Could someone chisel out a brick [of the slightly-scorched, death-by-chocolate birthday cake] for the GM?” – Me/DM, who actually scorched the cake
“Fighters should have an instant training facility called ‘Whack-n-Hut!’” – JP
“Life’s given the Ettins a wedgie.” – BAS
“Crouching Tiger (Gnome); Hidden Ranger (invisible).” – BKC
Pagantology – JP
“The floor you’re not stepping on is not there.” – DM
“Posted on facepalm” (Facebook) – JP
“Sphincter Sanctimonious” – JP
“Cow Con” (Odyssey Con) – JP
“Ptolus is free of cancer.” – LM
“Bag of holding for poop.” – BAS
When the Bard was caught in a reverse gravity spell “Dancing on the ceiling”
“My colleagues made buzzword bingo cards for me, and “fuck” is the free word in the center.” – JP
“Sharpie & Highlighter Interior Decorators” – BKC
“I pop as soon as I attack.” (losing invisibility) – JP
BBQ instead of JQ, which is the character’s name. “Taste my tangy sauce.” – LM
“I want government that is small enough to drown in a bathtub full of Flint water.” – JP
“I could fix this with a tiny amount of Platinum – like two tons.” – JP
Pog ma thoin!
-Lori
"I know I've been spending too much time with Photoshop when I look out the window and I'm impressed by the sharpness and clarity." - Monte Cook
Monday, February 8, 2016
What can I do today to achieve my goals?
Past Achievements and Fumbles
Before I Earn my Red Hat
However, before Jack Black and I hit the big 5-0, I want to come close to achieving that list of three in case someone does finally plan a high school reunion (it won’t be me):
“Creative spirits are truly ageless.” – SARK
In 1997, I didn’t like where I was in terms of goals and life achievements, so I returned to college part-time to finish my BA (which I finally completed in 2000), and I started keeping a journal to track my dreams and goals. Every August I have the annual review when I re-read the journals of the past year because August is my birth month and the month in which I started keeping a journal. Every five years I re-read all the journals since the beginning. Obviously this quinquennial won’t occur again until next year (2017).
2012 was a banner year for me because it was the 25 year anniversary since I graduated high school, and fifteen years since I started keeping a journal. Of course, the latter is far more important to me than the former. I said my goodbyes to my hideous high school classmates at graduation and haven’t been back since. The funny thing was no one stepped up to plan our 25th reunion, so I’m not the only one who feels that way about my high school. The weekend of my 20th high school reunion, I wrote down the list of three conditions that must be met if I were to consider attending a high school reunion:
- I weigh 150#, or at least less than 185#.
- Delazan Enterprises is so successful that I can quit my day job.
- I have at least one bestselling novel published.
Present Reality
None of these conditions were achieved by 2012, and as I mentioned in the prior paragraph, it didn’t matter due to no reunion. However, as I wrote in my previous blog entry, I still have these same goals, even if they need to be updated for reality’s sake. I was hoping to have this List of Three Priorities completed by my Silver Anniversary, which occurs in this summer:
- Hirapis
- DE, crafts especially
- Weight loss (permanent) – Eating for Life plan (Not a temporary “diet”)
Before our Mithril Party (July 9, 2016)
- Have shared guardianship of Prince Mekhi figured out
- Lose enough weight that I can wear my Tatooine Sunset dress at the party
- The current draft of Hirapis completed and under review by my friend in publishing
- Obviously all the planning and prep work for the party should be done
- At least the main floor of the house organized
The next hallmark in my life will be my fiftieth birthday on August 28, 2019. Brian, the World’s Greatest Husband, gets a pass on my birthday (and most holidays, except the Mithril this summer) until I turn fifty because I don’t feel the need for something special every year. That would be exhausting. Unless there’s a Packer preseason game (unlikely on a Wednesday), I want a big party with fondue, flambé, apples, and the local chapter of the Red Hat Society. I’ve met them already, and they’re a hoot!
- Weight: I’d like the first number on the scale to be a 1, even if the other two numbers are 99. Or, if the first number is a two, much closer to 200 than 300. At the very least, I don’t want the first number to be a 3.
- I do not know whether or not my Hirapis series will be bestselling (while it would be nice to have the success of Jo Rowling, I’ll settle for the success of Meg Cabot), I do know that the books won’t be selling at all if I don’t get them written and published. Therefore, I change this goal to be a published author.
- Delazan Enterprises: with the advent of sites that sell homemade crafts, I don’t have to worry about lugging and selling my wares at craft fairs. No, what I need to do is finally make something to sell. I have a lot of craft supplies at home, and before I buy any more supplies, I need to finish the crafts on my to do list first.
-Lori
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