Widgets, Ziggy, The Walking Dead & Coffee #caffeinateme #writestuff

Good morning friends and readers!

*raises coffee in salute* *sips* *blinks sleepily* There you are. Had a difficult time sleeping last night, which of course, translates to a difficult time waking up this morning. But I am moving… sort of. Drinking coffee is part of a writer's work, right? 

It's another gorgeous, sunny day here, but looks like it might be a bit warmer than yesterday. That's okay, as long as it's not in the nineties I can deal. Got to watch the sunrise, which always makes me feel like I'm getting off to the right start.

The right start. LOL. Sorry, that just reminded me of my childhood. When I was a kid, my mom insisted we eat breakfast every day, but with nine children, well… She wasn't able to stand at the stove and take orders. So most days we got our choice of Cornflakes or Cheerios. And let me tell you, *mumble* years ago, Cheerios came in one flavor- oat. No fruit, chocolate, peanut butter or even honey nut. So our "right start to the day" was choking down a tasteless bowl of soggy circles. *shudder* Anyway…

Why didn't the mummy have any friends?

(Because he was wrapped up in himself!)

I told you yesterday, I've been struggling with my new story? The struggle goes on. But I did have an idea inspired by of all things, the advertising on my Facebook page. I was updating the other day and in the sidebar was an ad for Brooks Brothers suits at 40% off. I had to laugh. First, yes, I was shopping for suits. My SO has to attend a wedding out of state in October and it's been a while since he's bought a new suit. I won't say he's grown… but uh … that suit seems to have gotten smaller since it was stuck in the very back of the closet. Maybe some tailor from Narnia sneaks over occasionally and practices his skills by taking in clothes. Anyway… I had to wonder, do people who wear Brooks Brothers Suits really need to bargain shop? I'll be working that into the story, along with the mummy jokes and trivia. Fun times. We'll see how it goes today, huh? Also, on that front, I MAY have written sex in the first chapter. You don't mind that, do you?

This morning, I'm jamming with the king of rock … uh not Elvis, David Bowie. David Bowie is a god among musicians, but what I love about him is his ability to create characters. (Ziggy Stardust )

Back to the Walking Dead. Zombie Apocalypse day six, season three: I'm still addicted. And still bewildered.

1.      Winter passed quickly, and they all survived. The men grew fab facial hair, but Carol's hair stayed really short. Okay. But I saw that prison behind them at the end of Season 2. They didn't find it until months later? And four of their group were native to that area- but none of them thought, oh yeah there's a big prison near here?

2.      Michonne is one badass character. That's not bewildering me. I just wanted to put it out there. I'm betting she's a red shirt though. (Star Trek rules: All new characters die. Especially ones you like.)

3.      Herschel wants to plant the prison yard with tomatoes, cucumbers and soybeans. Excellent idea. Then I wondered, as they left the farm with the barn in flames, he was shooting zombies through the head one after another, bang, bang, bang like Clint Eastwood on steroids. When did he grab seeds for the garden?

4.      EVERYONE CAN SHOOT. Have you ever tried to shoot a target? I can't believe however good a teacher Shane was, he was able to teach every single person to shoot a moving target dead in the head.

5.      Is Rick still calling out to Morgan every morning on that ancient walkie talkie?

At least they've finally learned to conserve ammunition. Hopefully the prison kitchen yields giant cans of spam and tuna fish. I know I just added a few to my grocery list. For the coming winter of course, not the zombie apocalypse. Well, whichever comes first.

In other news, I stumbled across a great looking recipe this morning on Pinterest to enhance my

"beans and rice" repertoire. We eat a lot of beans and rice… inexpensive and tasty foods are ideal. This one is red beans, white rice, cooked with coconut milk, ginger, red curry paste, and then spritzed with lime juice and scattered with cilantro leaves. Sounds delicious and I added coconut milk to my grocery list just so we can try it. And in the same trip to Pinterest, I discovered that my garden dreams are not over for the season! I've decided to do some fall planting based on this article.

Pinterest is my friend today J And I'm doubly excited about it, because I've discovered that you can make widgets… got to love that word… for your boards! *blushes* I've been playing with it. The widgets inspire me to clean up my boards and share them a little more. Have you tried them?

Then there's this, which wasn't on Pinterest, but I found it yesterday on Amy Lane's Facebook page.

Never Read a Romance Novel? Grow Up

This is an excellent article defining some reasons why people find romance stories attractive. It's amazing that the top selling genre is still regarded with such disdain by some people. I write romance, and I read romance, not because I like sex… because I've seen sex scenes in many a gritty detective story or angst ridden drama… but because I like the assurance that there is someone out there to help you shoulder the burdens of existence.

*refills coffee mug* Okay, thanks for hanging out with me guys. I'm off to drag Izzy and Owen into danger, and maybe to Brooks Brothers to buy a cheap suit. If you think of any cool mummy jokes or have anything else you'd like to share (recipes, songs, etc.), I'd love to hear them here or on my Facebook page. Have a great day!