Guess what. I'm gonna be on Road Trip Nation! Thanks to the Unknown Reader who recommended my blog to her friend Camilla. Unknown Reader, I enjoyed meeting your friend!
Sneak preview of upcoming novel.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Explain to meHow does this person named Six_of_Cups have one of my books for sale, when my book isn't out until May 31?
This reminds me of the last time I had a book out on Amazon, and someone was selling a signed copy that I don't remember signing.
Oh, well. This is capitalism, I guess.
flying; my pants' seat
I have several projects due pretty soon at work, and there are still parts of our project-turning-out process that I don't know how to do. Learning: Too bad it doesn't seem to burn calories.
Also, I'm going to fly to Dallas in a few days, and I don't have my plane tickets yet. And I don't know what I'm going to do when I get there. And I don't know what to wear. And I don't know what I'm allowed to take in my luggage.
And I'm too tired to look it all up. I'll look it all up tomorrow.
high school reunions
I've recently come into contact with two people I haven't seen since we went to Reagan High School together.
One seemed happy. The other didn't.
happy Mothers' Day
We celebrated the birthday of one of my kids, belatedly, instead. I kind of felt bad, for a fleeting instant, that I didn't have anyone to buy a nice gift for.
I mean, I could have bought something for my mom, but she doesn't like anything nice. She only would've been happy with:
a) a carton of cigarettes and some lottery tickets, or
b) a bunch of magazine pictures scribbled with a leaky pen and rolled up in aluminum foil, or
c) like, a black nylon coat from the Goodwill that smells like smoke or something.
Which is fine, except that I didn't feel like shopping for any of that stuff.
(To those of you who are new to this site: My mom has been schizophrenic since I was very young and I'm so calloused and jaded about it that I can make flippant comments about the uncouthness of her illness once a year or so. Apparently.)
If my Aunt Sylvia were still alive, I could have bought her anything sentimental and she would've been happy. I could have bought her, say, a white ceramic bear with a lacy plastic heart glued to his chest with the words "Luv U Mom!" and a fake carnation emerging from the back of his head. And she would've been pleased.
But I would've bought her something nicer than that.
Instead, I helped pick out flowers for my boyfriend's mom. I really enjoy shopping for flowers. I said, "How about candy to go with the flowers? She doesn't like candy? How about shower gel? No?" Afterwards, my boyfriend offered to buy me flowers, too. But I declined. Because I wanted to pick my own flowers, and no one had anything I wanted. Seriously -- the flower selection was rank this year. Prematurely wilted.
I told him I'd buy myself flowers next week, when everything's replenished. Instead, I bought myself a pedicure, on Friday. "This," I told myself, "is my Mothers' Day gift."
I mean, I would've gotten a pedicure either way. But still.
I might be secretly upset about some of this, on some level, and that's why I'm typing so much about it. If so, that's okay.
And it's okay if you don't like Matt Damon, because I like him enough for the both of us.
My kids and I had a Jason Bourne Film Festival yesterday and today. I love the hell out of those movies. Even though I hated the book, The Bourne Identity, when I read it was back in the day.
Everything is better with a little Matt Damon, though. I've always liked him. Also, did you all know that Clive Owen was in the first movie? And Eomer, from Lord of the Rings, was in the second? (That's who my son said it was. I could check IMDb right now to be sure, but I don't feel like it.)
video game news
They're coming out with another World of Warcraft expansion that takes you to Level 80, and my lazy night elf character, Xora, is still only Level 35. Khan.
We opened up a lot of new songs on Rock Band, but my voice is still sore, so I bought some new clothes for my character, Xora Jane. I cut her hair short and dyed it green. My kids said, "What happened to your hair?" Kind of like they said about my real hair, now that it's short and dyed red.
But, you know. These things happen.
We got this game called Assasin's Creed that everybody keeps telling us to get. I had a long conversation with the game store clerks, during which they each explained to me, separately, that it was about the Crusades. ("What do they call that? That religious thing?") So now I'm excited, even though I can't play console games worth a crap because my fingers haven't ever adapted to the boomerang-shaped controllers. The Game Stop guy said I should totally sit on the couch and watch my kids play, though, just to see the story unfold.
I think my kids paid him to tell me that, actually. That's their fantasy -- that I get rich and quit my job and buy them more video games and then sit there, watching them play.
okay
Stream of consciousness writing time over! It's time for bed!
Goodnight. 10:22 PM #
Comments:
I loved the first Bourne movie, and so when I saw the Bourne Identity book at Goodwill for a quarter, I was all excited. Weak! So weak. It bored me terribly. There was, like, 97% less ass-kicking. And there's the part where Bourne says to whatsherface "Thank you for my life," and she says, "Thank you for mine" and then they lie around Paris being soppy for three hundred pages before he goes "Oh, right! I'm a secret agent with amnesia, I have things to do."# posted by
Ellie : 9:09 AM
Amazon.com just sent me an email saying they had shipped the book to me, but I'm doing the free shipping, so it won't get here for a few days. Maybe they've released it early?
# posted by
: 10:37 AM
Did you write six.of.cups an email asking how they got an advance copy? How funny in a sad way.
I liked the Bourne movies.
I wish I had a WofW character but I am miserably sucky at games. *sigh* I am the couch sitter.
How was the trip?
Happy belated Mothers Day! I think we get ourselves our own best presents, like pedicures. Anything after that is just bonus loot. I like the stuff from my kid best. Like what he writes in his cards.
Like when I was sick last week and he went 4 miles in bad weather on his skateboard UPHILL to get me OTC medicine cuz I couldnt move from my bed without hurling. THAT was my Mothers Day right there. I bet you have those moments all the time too, just not right on he exact day.
HUGS!
# posted by
Pixielyn : 10:23 AM
Gwen, this is off topic, but have you been swarmed by ants? I read about it in the paper this morning that Houston is plagued by Raspberry ants. The sheer volume of them must be unnerving.
- maggie
# posted by
: 8:11 AM
I got the book! It's beautiful! I tried reading it aloud in Spanish, even though I don't speak Spanish and was probably pronouncing everything in a French accent.
Two things: One, it made me hungry. Second, I can't decide if I want to keep it (though I don't have children and it seems a shame to hoard it), make a donation to my mother's first grade class (although I can't stand the thought of grubby fingers mussing my brand new book -- hey! do you think that may be a symptom of not having kids?), or (and I'm leaning toward this one) give it to my older sister! Or I don't know, give it to my younger sister. She might appreciate it better anyway.
In all though, you should be very proud. It's a wonderful book, and I enjoyed it very much.
Also, Matt Damon. Yum.
Also also, achieving proficiency as a drummer in Rock Band is one of the great accomplishments of my life. Just thought I'd share.
# posted by
: 9:00 AM
The plot of Assassin's Creed is indeed awesome, but my favorite parts are still when Altair jumps off something high and does the awesome swan dive, and when other characters with hot accents say his name. I'm like Whoopi Goldberg's hyena in The Lion King, whenever someone says 'Mufasa.' "A greater trial is ahead of you, Altair." "Ooo! Do it again!"
There are few greater joys than giving your Rock Band avatar a makeover. The lovely Beatrix, my hard/expert drum diva, currently looks as though she vacationed beyond Thunderdome. She has also been eighties-tastic, and had an emo phase. Good times.
TJ Maxx is awesome, and if you get clothes there are well as luggage, I think that probably lends to the fear of losing baggage. I shop there also, and at thrift stores, as you know, so I am also terrified of an airline losing my stuff. I worked for that! I sifted through racks and racks of flourescent polyester knits and overly bedazzled jeans to find that one really cool skirt. I would be heartbroken if they were lost to the Unclaimed Luggage Center. I can't go get it! I have an ex that lives down there and if I run into him I'll kill him and go to jail, and never get to wear cute shoes AGAIN.
# posted by
Ali : 2:40 PM
My apologies to Six_of_Cups. Apparently, the book was indeed released early. :)
Ellie: Word. I think that may have been the series that started my secret obsession with cataloguing spy novel cheesiness.
Pixielyn: :)
I got a pretty good card. My youngest drew cartoons of everyone in our family. Wonder where he learned to do that...
Maggie: No, thank gosh. But people to the south of me have, they say.
Anna: Thank you! And, if you're asking, I have to advise you to buy several more copies for everyone you've listed, plus anyone else you can think of. :)
You should make an avatar from your drummer...
Ali: You know what? You just summed up the fear very succinctly. You're not just losing clothes... you're losing all the time invested in them.
# posted by
Gwen : 10:53 PM
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