The Saturday Six (Fifteen)

1.  I went driving twice earlier this week with my mom, taking routes I hadn’t taken yet. I also was driving a car both times, which was extremely different for me, since all I’ve practiced in is trucks.  I’m happy with the progress though, but wasn’t able to practice much more later in the week due to it raining all week, and no one’s been home much with time to help. Taking what I can get.

And trying hard not to put an S.O.S. online to my friends in the area with vehicles, asking them to help me practice/learn in return for baked goods. Not kidding. I’ve thought about baking for others in return for lessons.

2.  A week ago, I went to my friend Chrissy’s where for the first time in a long time, I just sat on the floor for over two hours, no music, no music, no nothing, just talking.  We’ve both been stressed and just vented. On just about everything, like a great purge. After, we went to the local Tops, bought a four-case of Jamaican-Me-Crazy wine coolers, a pint of Ben and Jerry’s (Karamel Sutra, to split), Kettle Salt and Vinegar chips, and those awesome sour Twizzlers we had that one time we went to the drive-in. We then watched Wanderlust, and capped off the night to music videos and parodies on youtube before sleeping hard. Guess you can say we sorely needed a stay-in girls’ night of some of the simplest of pleasures: friendship, comedy, and junk food. I’m glad for nights like that though, because even if they come about due to stress and sadness, etc, they help heal you a little bit to keep you going.  Kind of like a recharge without going out and being stupid.  And trust me, I’ve been wanting to go out and be stupid. Haha.

3.  Tuesday night, I was over the moon. I’m not one of those girls that generally chase, nor tries and tries to be noticed. It’s generally, here I am simply, you see me then let me know. Well…since my 21^stbirthday almost a year ago, I have been trying here and there to get just a hi from my favorite actor via Twitter. Usually, when an author, writer, or actor hasn’t responded, I’m like, well..okay, they’re busy, I get it. I’ve smiled though when some have responded to me, mostly just a couple of authors (Libba Bray, Alyson Noel) that I’m not friends with or a couple actors (Kris Holden-Ried, Rick Howland, and Robin Strasser) or when some well-known people follow me. It’s nice.

Well, after many once in a blue moon tweets to my favorite actor, he posted a simple Tweet asking how people were or what they were up to.  All I did was respond, stating I was working on one of my novels that’s in progress (it’ll be a long time before you see anything long from them, I’m more picky with my longer works than my short).

He answered me.

Milo Ventimiglia tweeted me.

And, I’m pretty sure my heart stopped, and a large part of me said that if I were to die right now, I would be happy. Then again, even though he’s fourteen years older than me, I always did say after I started watching his work, that I would happily marry him and bare his children in a heartbeat. Funny how we can be when we like someone, right?

But I don’t just like Milo for his looks, or voice, even though just in the physical sense he’s pretty damn sexy (future males in my life, don’t take it to heart, just because I like him doesn’t mean I’ll deny you, like some have oddly thought). I like him for the work he does usually. And honestly, if I could somehow, I would want to work with him. I wouldn’t have to fangirl and be with him, just working with him as colleuges would be nice. I don’t know how exactly, but you never know where the world will take you, or where your passions will take you. I mean, come on, when I was younger, I wanted to be a teacher and a writer that got published.  Now, I just want to be someone that helps others, and a writer who yes, still wants to be published but doesn’t have to have fame for it, but who also wants to have artists sing my lyrics, and would love to get on the other side of the writing world—editing, publishing.  So who knows, maybe I’ll be lucky and get to talk with Milo more in the future, maybe be blessed enough to work with him.

Don’t know.I do know though, that my positivity levels have been ultimately low lately, but that that ONE text from him, made my levels go up a good degree.  And isn’t that all we want from the people that look up to us, or that enjoy what we work hard to create, is to touch them somehow, even if it’s just a smile?

Now, if only the people that we care about in our actual lives and who we like, or love, could realize just how much even a phone call or text message can change things around for us? Haha.

 

Oh, and if you think this was the closest I could display to my excitement, when Libba Bray tweeted me for the first time a year ago:

 Think again when it came to Milo.

Anyways….

 …I’m just going to shut up for a bit about the Milo tweet now, so no one wants to take a frying pan to my head (inside joke between my mama and I this week, don’t ask). Besides, pretty sure there’s a high chance of me swooning and drooling later in the future. I’ll just enjoy this and be quiet.

4.  My friend, writer Jess Russell, deigned to tell me that her son has asked at times if they could visit me again. Not only do I love Jessica, she is like family to me, I love that her son wants to hang out with me as well. He’s got a great mom, and is a good kid. I’m still shocked at how extroverted he is at times, especially with how quickly he made friends when I took them to the park in my town over the summer. Hope to see them sometime before Christmas if possible, missing them both.

5.  Yesterday, I went job hunting, getting and handing in more applications. I walked around in my large raincoat, in the rain (was pouring most of the time) up and down Main Street in my town.  I’m now stuck waiting to hear anything, and will probably try to put out more applications next week.

Cross your fingers and wish me luck. I need it.

6.   I heard my mom say last night that you’d think people in our family would know that October 12^th is not a good day for our family. Note: I go “huh?” with a “what the heck ya talking about” look pasted across my face.  Apparently, every marriage that has occurred in our family, on that date, has ended in divorce. Now, I tend not to be a superstitious woman, but what about being the one that marries a couple on that day? You know, get ordained and tie two people together?  Okay…just realized how odd that sounds, but I’m writing this straight out of my head as I process.

I’m serious.

One of my friends wants to get married on that date someday in the future, and I promised to officiate when the time came.

I don’t want to jinx them.

I’m kind of hoping that my cousin that I don’t know, and his fiancée, end up having a long fruitful marriage, and kick this thing in the derrière.

Also…, a person I care about deeply, has that date as a birthday.  I really don’t need more things saying “no.” Partly because I’ll resent it more and find a way to say screw you more often on that subject, but still.

Alas, I think way too often these days, about some random things. And it doesn’t matter. Yet, the thought still pops into my head. And triggers dominoes.  Anyone else?

Please say I’m not alone in this. *faceplant*

~Count your blessings, and whether things are bad or you’re doing well, find something good and hold on!

Much love!

~*~Alyse~*~

PS—I had to refrain from posting any screen stills of Milo from That’s My Boy, and Pathology, considering I don’t know how young people are that are reading this.

The Saturday Six (Fourteen)

1. Saturday, my mom, my sister, my nephew, and I all went to Geneseo for Chinese and a trip to Goodwill.  My mom ended up buying me some “new” books, some by Mercedes Lackey, The Diary of Anne Frank, and a few Boxcar Children books for my collection.  The latter was my favorite series when I was a little kid, and I still hunt for copies to add to it; I wasn’t sure if the books we got were ones I already have, but luckily, when I went to shelve them, I didn’t. Yay! Oh, and she got me some soundtracks on CD as well as a cute cookie jar for my future apartment.
   
   
2. Mom worked with me more on driving on Sunday, and I can’t wait to learn to shift…I feel really bad when I have to ride my brakes, especially since I hear my dad’s voice in my head lecturing me about it. She says I’m doing better at making my turns. The only tenseness I’ve felt when with her is in my left arm, and more confident.
   
   Dad came home on Monday though, and had me driving on our fields, lawn, and through our pasture…needless to say, my whole body locked and I almost became sick because my anxiety became so bad. I really wish there was a driving school for adults in my town, and not half an hour away.
   
   
3. Elk jerky. Yeah, I got to try some of that this week, courtesy of Texas. Better than bear, similar to deer, but more dry. I know, it’s jerky, but trust me, jerky can have a moist taste. We used to make deer jerky when I was a kid, I know what I’m talking about. All in all, it was alright. I wouldn’t go searching for it, but I’d eat it if put in front of me again.
   
   
4. I’ve thought about doing yoga for a while, and this week, I hunted down over a hundred beginners videos on youtube. And I’ve started doing yoga. Very small stuff right now, and going pretty slow. I ended up tweeting with my old personal trainer, Jenn, from my college days, for advice. Aside from the normal stuff most people have told me, she told me to experiment and test with some things, and do low-impact. I have tendonitis in my right wrist, so some things I can’t do compared to a year ago, such as downward dog, push-ups, and a plank that isn’t on the elbows. I want to badly, but considering I have to take breaks just from the computer to ice and massage now and then, as well as just stop using that hand, I guess I’m SOL on some positions.
   
   I did make a small playlist for my first circuit to branch from, which is going well so far. Some parts were harder than others, but…I’m actually a tad optimistic about it. And I realized that some parts of my body are considered more flexible already than others. Like bending my knees toward the floor…I guess some need pillows until they become better at that part, while mine had no need. Yay! And my lower back, is very weak. Something I never would have thought. Yikes! Seriously, I went to do one move where your weight is on your forearms flat on the floor, while you’re laying on your back, legs straight, and lift your butt up off the floor, and hold for three breaths. Needless to say, this is where I had to experiment, and pretty much turned myself into an open box or something, but bringing my feet in, and had to lift my butt up that way. Gaining strength in that area is going to be harder than I imagined. Boo.
   
   I feel for anyone who hasn’t worked out in a while, or trying to learn new things like this. It’s hard, which is great. And it did make me feel better a bit. But man—a pain in the, would it be lower back in this instance? Haha.
   
   
5. I’ve started asking some of my published author friends to beta-read for me. To be honest, even though I had professors who were published read my work in college, I think I’m more nervous now. I love them, but when you spend so much time with pieces of work, looking at it over again, etc, over a course of time, you no longer know entirely what to expect.
   
   
6. Last night, my youngest nephew, got a hold of some leftover bubble wrap from one of the packages we got this week. Needless to say, after supper, he stood in the kitchen, jumping and marching on it, wanting us to join. We preferred to watch his excitement, and besides, we know our feet would have popped most of it and taken away his fun rather quickly. He was definitely over-wound, but I like that fact that he can still enjoy life like that. Have fun with small simple things, and not the countless toys he is spoiled with, and not in the need of all of the electronics so many kids seem to have at much earlier ages than in the past.
   
   Sum of this scene: enjoy the bubble wrap in your life over the things that cost more. Simple pleasures y’all, those make the world go ‘round. And even though that has me aching to curl up with someone close to my heart, and god forbid it, watch an awful horror movie or raunchy comedy that aren’t my taste, I still mean what I say. Simple. Pleasures. Enjoy them. Cherish them.
   
   

~Count your blessings, and whether things are bad or you’re doing well, find something good and hold on!

Much love!

~*~Alyse~*~

The Saturday Six (Nine)

1. Last week, I spent some time with my best friend, Christine, and her boyfriend. We spent a good portion of the day at Darien Lake, which was surreal for me in some ways since I haven’t been on any rides since I was in high school. And of course, she talked me into sitting in the very front seat of each of the roller coasters we managed to get on.  And John won me a mini stuffed pink elephant (I wasn’t going to waste money on games).
   
   
2. Tuesday, I spent some time with Chrissy, where we drove through some of the towns surrounding our own, and then walked a few laps around our village park.  By eight, due to the fact that I’m not used to air conditioning (which we now have at my house) and that we did a lot of talking, my voice was raspy.  I won’t be surprised if I get laryngitis at some point this summer…hoping that me saying this will prevent it.
   
   
3. I got to watch a Jack Skelton Mickey Mouse tattoo get done in person.  I love watching tattoos come to life.  Part of me would like to try my hand at a tattoo gun, but anyone trusting me with one would be wrong, because that ink you can’t erase, and I’ve never had a steady hand, even when I did draw often.  I can just imagine the horror of me trying to do one single line!
   
   
4. Chrissy must truly love me, as well as trust me.  Wednesday night, when we got to my house, after my dad got our ’92 working again, that now that it is off the road, I’m using as a field truck…she got in the passenger seat and we went for a drive around my middle field.  That’s the first I’ve driven more than down to the burn pit from the house, since January.  Pitch black, and with only the normal headlights on, so I unfortunately didn’t go to the top field to practice at all since I could not see the sledding hill to drive up.  Due to the day, the people I had been with, and having Chrissy with me, I was mellow, which is an oddity.  The fact that someone I care about had told me not to kill her whilst driving earlier that day, note, I love ya, but thanks for the confidence.  Haha.  She helped me learn better on doing turns than what my dad has done.  It wasn’t driving on roads at all, which I really need to do (please, give me back roads), but it was progress. Afterwards, we slept in my parents’ camper.
   
   
5. Yesterday, I was dragged all over with my dad, but damn did he treat me to a fantastic lunch!  We stopped at the Varysburg Hotel, and had lunch at the bar there.  The owner/bartender was a nice person, and held good conversation (this is a must in my book).  Her pricing was decent, and Hell, her quesadillas were the best that I’ve ever tasted.  Giant, loaded with cheese, tomatoes (first I’ve ever had tomatoes in mine), and chunks of chicken instead of shredded.  I hadn’t eaten all day, but there was so much, that I had to force myself to finish the last bites of just the second slice.  The leftovers are awaiting me in the fridge for at some point.
   
   After lunch, we stopped at one of my dad’s buddy’s house that he has connections with due to the VFW.  As soon as I got out, their granddaughter came running up to me and barely left my side until her grandma finally got her down for a nap.  Even though I told her my name, she was adorable, going around calling me “Lady.” 
   
   
6. I had a surprise yesterday, when I was talking to my friend Melinda, who told me she had been recently talking to the philosophy professor we both had had at one time.  While she was talking to me, I immediately received a friend request from him, and spent a good portion of the night talking with him, in regards to life and Nietzche.  I honestly enjoyed our conversation, and hope to talk with him more in the future; I am pretty sure we could have some interesting things to discuss, and I know I can probably learn and discover more from him (now).

It’s funny, aside from when I wasn’t home, most of this past week is a blur.  I’ve no idea why.  I remember doing things here at the house, such as transcribing recipes and finally packing up my porcelain dolls, but the rest, it’s just not there. And yes, I did more when I was outside of the house than I am telling, but you all know by now, I don’t kiss life and tell every detail, what kind of writer or good human being would I be trying to be then?  Haha.  Well, I have yet to get ready for the day, and must do some heavy cleaning in the camper I mentioned today as well as I have a sayonara party to attend.  Hope you all are doing well, and if not…well, I’m sure you’ll find something even if it’s minute.

~Count your blessings, and whether things are bad or you’re doing well, find something good and hold on!

Much love!

~*~Alyse~*~