ANWA -- Here I Come!

I'm so excited! The ANWA conference is this weekend, and I'm flying down to be a featured presenter. First of all, how cool is that, but I get to hang out all weekend with one of the nicest people and fun writers on the planet, Kerry Lynn Blair. She has promised a fun-filled romp and I plan to hold her to that.

So, I'm not going to be posting until Monday. Got a lot to do to get ready! I promise a full update when I get back.

Random Thought for Today

Loading the dishwasher is good.

Remembering to turn it on is, like, way awesome.

The Cover is Revealed!

One of the most exciting parts of the book production process is seeing the cover for the first time. Generally, the author has no idea what the publisher is planning, and so the big reveal is a surprise. In my case, however, I got to see the cover as it grew from idea to finished product. I probably pestered BJ to death with my "Hey, try this!" and "Hey, try that!" e-mails, but in the end, I think we came up with something cool.

Wanna see it?



Isn't it pretty?

Life is Beautiful -- And Cheesy

Doritos are a comfort food for me. They remind me of being a little girl and going up into the canyon with my family, roasting hot dogs over a fire, and eating Doritos, along with diet A&W root beer. We didn't do this all the time, but we did it often enough that the smell of Doritos evokes positive memories for me. Unfortunately, they are made from corn. And the cheesy stuff on the outside is made from corn. It's a double whammy, and any time I eat Doritos, I'm sure to come down with a massive headache within an hour.

But, not last night!

After having the N.A.E.T. treatment I mentioned in my previous blog, I was anxious to see just how corn-free I really was. I tried a little of this, a little of that -- no reaction. So it was time to pull out the big guns. That's right -- the Doritos. The migraine trigger that never fails. I ate a nice big helping, my headache cocktail standing by, should it be needed.

I didn't get a headache. Not one. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

I can't even tell you how good it feels to not be scared of hidden corn anymore. (Did you know corn's in almost everything? It's corn syrup, corn starch, food starch, food solids, maltodextrin, dextrose, xanthan gum, and a whole bunch of other stuff I don't even have time to mention, plus it's in deodorant, shampoo, baking soda, baking powder, and the sacks some fast foods come in) I took my son to lunch this afternoon and as I stood looking at the menu board, I realized that I didn't have to wonder how sick I was going to get afterward. I could order what I wanted to, without having to worry. It felt great.

The migraines I got after eating corn were sometimes so debilitating, after eating a slice of cheesecake at a restaurant one night, I literally begged my husband to chop off my head. He wouldn't do it, the stinker. I never did isolate why one kind of corn would only give me a slight headache while another kind would make me beg for death, but I don't have to worry about that anymore. Can I just say, life is definitely beautiful.

So, What's the Big Deal about Bananas, Anyway?

When I posted the other day about my children eating all the bananas and how much that irritated me, I could almost sense you all saying, "They're bananas. Get over it!" There was a bit more to the story than that, but until I had more information, I didn't want to divulge too much. Now that I have the information I need, I shall proceed to divulge. (I bet you didn't know bananas were so mysterious . . . )

On Monday, I went in for a N.A.E.T. allergy treatment. Essentially, the doctor will muscle test to make sure you really are allergic to the thing you think you're allergic to, and then you hold a vial that has been electrically charged with the engery of that substance while the doctor pushes various pressure points on your back. Then for twenty-five hours, you can't consume or even touch the thing you're allergic to, after which time, you can then consume it without the allergic reaction.

I am allergic to corn, so I was treated for corn. On the way home, I stopped at the store to buy myself some food that didn't contain any form of corn (you know how hard that is to find?) So this is where the bananas come in. I also got rice, some chicken, and some broccoli. This was meant to tide me over for twenty-five hours. And then, when my bananas were heartlessly consumed, and I was hungry . . . well, now you get the reason for my angst.

However, my twenty-five hours stretched into fifty. I felt absolutely terrible as my twenty-four hour mark drew near, and I called in to see what I should do. They had me come back down, and retreated me, only this time, treating me for corn and for the fungus that usually accompanies it. I could tell immediately that this treatment wasn't like the other, and when I ate some corn last night, I didn't have the reaction I usually do. My honey's on his way to the store right now to buy me some Doritos (usually a huge allergy trigger for me) so we can see just to what extent this worked.

I'm delighted with the results so far, but I have to say, getting to this point has not been easy. For two days, I've been suffering from the worst headaches known to man, and my nerves have just been trampled. Even though no needle ever touches you, having this allergy treatment is like being inoculated, in that you do have some of the symptoms you would in an allergy attack while your body is clearing it out of your system. I really was very allergic, and so my clearing process wasn't lovely. But hey, if I no longer have to live in fear of accidentally eating hidden corn, I'm all good.

So, anyway, that's the story of the bananas. But I didn't see the need to go into the whole allergy thing if it didn't work. Waste of time and storage space on my blog, and all that, you know.

Random Thought for Today

You would think that it would be embarrassing to be caught lip-syncing to grocery store music.

Strangely, it's not.

A Tree Full of Monkeys

Hey, you know those bananas I just bought this morning on my way home, yeah, those ones, the ones I told my children were for me, and that I would share but they needed to leave some for me?

They're gone now. I didn't get any.

I live in a tree full of monkeys.

Need a Laugh Today?

My sister sent these over as an e-mail. I couldn't resist.

Save the whales! Collect the whole set.

A day without sunshine is like . . . night.

On the other hand . . . you have different fingers.

42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.

He who laughs last thinks slowest.

Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

I drive way too fast to worry about cholesterol.

I intend to live forever--so far so good.

Borrow money from a pessimist - they don't expect it back.

Support bacteria - they're the only culture some people have.

When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane and facing the wrong direction.

For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism.

The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.

A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

Change is inevitable . . . except from vending machines.

Get a new car for your spouse - it'll be a great trade!

How many of you believe in telekinesis? Raise my hand...

If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving isn't for you.

500th Post

I have now hit 500 posts. But if you think I'm going to list 500 things about myself, you are so mistaken.

Kicking Off American Idol Season #7

It's Valentine's Day, the day of love, so let's talk about something I love. I love American Idol. I watch it every year, from the auditions to the finale. I look forward to it all week, I'm cranky if I don't get to watch it, and I like to blog about it. Like now.

Last night, the top twenty-four were revealed. Some of the choices were great, and others, I didn't agree with. At this stage of the competition, it's hard to start comparing the contestants -- for production reasons, we didn't get to see all of them sing. After next week, the comparison will really begin. But based on what I've seen so far, I've got some favorites.

This is Michael Johns. There's something about his voice that just gets me right in the gut, in a good way. I'm predicting he's going to be in the top ten, and if he's not, there's no justice in this world. He's smooth, he's mellow, he's powerful, and he's professional. This guy is going places.

This is Carly Smithson. Wow, she's so good. She's got a lot of power to her voice, but it's perfectly controlled. She's absolutely amazing. Again, top ten, right here.

This cutey is David Archuleta, at the ripe old age of seventeen. I'm not just rooting for him because he's Mormon, but because he's got a great voice. It's mellow and controlled, and has a pure quality to it.

There you have it -- my top three favorites this far in the competition, in that order. After next week, I'll have a better idea about the talents of all twenty-four, but they'd have to do a lot to bump these three off my list.

I really liked Josiah, the blond kid who lived in his car. He made it to the top fifty, but had artistic differences with the band, chose to sing without them, and then slaughtered the song. I could have cried while he was singing, it was so bad, and I was so disappointed for him. I wish him the best of luck and hope we hear more from him in the future.

In forthcoming weeks, look for my Idol commentary on my sidebar. That's right -- I'm not going to post whole blogs about the show, unless something happens that's really awesome, or really ticks me off. But my sidebar will be updated with Idol opinions regularly.

If you would like to learn more about the contestants and to see where I got these great pictures, click here.

Winter Reading Challenge Wrap-Up

First off, my thanks to Karlene for hosting this challenge. It's always fun for me to focus my reading and hopefully point people to even more great book choices. I'm like a kid in a candy store when it comes to books -- so many things to choose from, but not knowing which ones really taste good.

I found my list changing quite a bit, due to the Whitney Awards. I'm on the Academy this year and get to cast my vote for those books I feel merit this type of recognition. I went into my reading list and switched out several titles for others on the Whitney list, the upshot being that many books I've been meaning to get to for a while have gone by the wayside, yet again. I will get to them, I promise!

You know, it's interesting to me as I've read reviews by others who are reading the Whitney finalists. We all have such differing opinions, I'm hard put to even guess who will win. I know who I'm voting for, but it was hard for me to choose, too. Some categories, there was a clear winner (in my opinion) and in other categories, there were so many incredible contenders, it could go either way. It just makes me glad that we have so many titles available to us in the world -- we all have such different reading tastes, and there's something for everyone.

My list of reviews for this challenge will remain on my sidebar for about a month. Go click to your heart's content and see what I thought of my reading selections this time around.

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