Hey Everybody, We are STARS

While surfing over to Pamela's I found out that there is something called:

Technoratii:  Top 100 AOL Journals 

You have to check it out.  See if you are listed.  I am!  WOO HOO

Party time:

 

 

 

I am going to write about, write about, oh, heck, what was it?

Have you ever been doing something and think "I know what I want to write about in my next entry" only to sit down at the computer and go "what was I going to write about?"  That has been happening to me a lot lately.  So for now I will just do an entry on odds and ends.

I am going to visit my Aunt Betty tomorrow.  She lives out of town -- as some of you may know -- and she had surgery this past Monday.  Going into surgery they thought she had a cancerous place on her lung.  After getting in there they found a mass but it wasn't cancer, but it was starting to get an infection.  Because I get my information 2 and 3 hand I don't know how much of the lung they had to take out.  Driving down tomorrow and hopefully she will be out of ICU and doing great.  She is in her mid 70's?  I think.  Yeah, before you ask, she smoked up until sometime withing the past 12 months.

If you ever watched the Andy Griffith show you will know that Mayberry had a town drunk named Otis.  I don't know if there is an Otis in my town (guess the police could tell you), but we (at least the part of town I live in) have several well known homeless people.  These are not the ones you will see on the corner begging for food.  Nope, but I am sure they get plenty of hand outs.  There is this little black lady that is around in the summer and she is always pushing a pink bicycle.  She never rides it, always pushing it.  I don't think she could ride it as she has bags full of stuff hanging off the handlebars.  Years ago someone stole her bike so the local bike store gave her another one just like it.  Recently I heard that her name is E and that she has an apartment here in town, and maybe even has money.  If it is true then I am guessing she has some kind of mental illness.  She is always dressed in black, well every now and then you will she here with a dress pulled over all that black, and she appears to talk to herself at times.

When I was in my early teens there was this man that I really didn't think a lot about, and yeah I probably laughed at him some being the idiot that teenagers can be at times.  He was this really tall, skinny (I mean toothpicks for leggs skinny), and he wore a really short dress and hair that you knew was a wig.  The first cross dresser I think I ever saw. I never really gave him much thought.  But as I grew older I wondered about him.  If he dressed like that much he had to have gotten beaten up a lot.  Might not in New York or California, but here probably.  Knowing what I know now I feel sorry for him.  Not because he was "different" but because of the type of  life he must have had here in this community beind different.

Take care every one.

 

A journal for you to try

There is a great UK journal that a lovely lady writes.  It is called "Confessions of a Pet Shop Lady."  Please check it out.  She has also just started a new journal entitled "The Rhymin' Quine!".  This journal is great.  She writes each entry in rhyme.    Please check out both the journals, I know you will love both, but the newest is really quite outstanding.

Book Signing and James Patterson

This past week I went to my very first book signing.  And it wasn't a local writer!  A big name guy!  

 Who?  James Patterson.  Most people know him from the Alex Cross series that he writes.  But he is out promoting his newest book "Sam's Letters to Jennifer" which is sort of a love story.  I bought the book the day before I saw him and had it almost finished by the signing.

If you have never been to a book signing let me give you a tip.  Go EARLY.  Not 30 minutes early, not even an hour early.  Patterson was to be there at 7:30 pm.  I got there at 6:30 and could hardly find a parking space.  According to the store people started coming in around 4:00.  Not only did they get some of the few chairs set out, but were first in line to get their books signed.

When you came into the store they gave you a piece of paper with the "rules" printed on it.  The papers were of different colors.  The first 100 people got one color, the next 100 got another, and so on.  When the actual signing took place you got in line according to the color paper you had.  I was in with the 101 - 200 group.  Lucky cause there were over 400 people there.

Mr Patterson talked for about 30 minutes.  And let me tell you this guy is so funny.  He introduced himself to someone in the parking lot as writer John Grisham!  And when he started his talk he said "Hello everyone, I am Bill Clinton." 

He wrote the book "Along came a spider" and was surprised by the move that was made from his book.  There was a woman in the movie that wasn't in his book.  Infact he could not figure out who she was supposed to be.  So he asked Morgan Freeman -- the actor who played Alex Cross -- who she was.  Oh, she is Alex's sister.  Mr Patterson said "I didn't know he had a sister".  Funny.

So here is how the time went.  I got there at  6:30, Patterson showed up at 7:30 and talked for about 30 minutes.  So he started signing books at 8:00.  I didn't get mine signed until 9:30!  

That was a long time standing let me tell you.  But it was worth it.  I learned more about Patterson and about his books and the ideas for the books.  I highly recommend you getting his latest.  I do recommend that you get it at Wal-mart or a place like that because it is cheaper there than the book stores.


James Patterson also has a AOL journal -- which I really think someone else writes for him -- it's called Share the Love.

Happy July 4th

    Today's entry is short.  Got lots to get done.  But wanted to wish everyone a very happy, fun, and safe July 4th!  Party time!!!  Oh, for fireworks go here:  Lady Liberty Fireworks  And for your viewing pleasure some graphics to look at:

        

 Have a great one!  

Gosh, Darn, & Golly Gee Whiz

You are not going to believe this.  First a little background.  My parents live in the city limits.  You are not supposed to have any type of "farm" animal inside the city limits.  My parents have neighbors (about 3 doors down) that have some chickens.  Yeah, chickens.  Neighbors have complained to the police mainly because of the rooster.  A lives next door to the "chicken" folk, he works 2nd shift and is tired of being woken up by a rooster.

Today.  My parents woke up to find a chicken in their fenced in yard.  Not the rooster but one of the chickens.  Strange sight, kind of cute sight.  The chicken made no effort to leave.  In fact she started hanging out under the bird feeders.  Guess she liked the bird seed that had fallen to the ground.  LOL

After the chicken had been there over half of today I go ask A if he would tell his neighbor to come get his chicken or my mom was calling animal control to come get it.  A told his neighbor.  And said neighbor didn't show.  A had the bright idea of catching the chicken and then taking it to the neighbors.  I have NEVER seen such a funny thing in my life!  That chicken started running like her life depended on it, and there was A right behind it.  After some thought A got an old table cloth and went after the chicken again.  After several attempts he finally got the chicken.

Now, A is walking out of my parents yard with this chicken (and the table cloth partially wrapped around it) and about the time he gets to the street there is this dude walking down the sidewalk just shooting some stares our way.  A just up and says "give you a chicken for a dollar".  LOL  The dude walking just keep going.  Didn't say a word.  LOL

Other news:  My neighbors moved.  It is so strange.  They are a young couple (early to mid 20's) they moved in just over a year ago (like 14 months or so).  She was pregnant when they moved in so their baby is close to a year old.  I came home one day and saw a moving van.  Sure enough they were moving.  I know for a fact they were buying the house.  It is not a rental.  There has been no for sale sign in the yard.  And now there is some kind of sticker on the front door saying that because the house is vacant is hasto be secure and that they (whoever the company is) will report it to the people that are holding the mortage within 3 days.

Did they just skip out on their mortgage?  So weird.  I have never seen anyone do that.  Usually (I thought) you would put the house for sale and let it go into foreclosure if there was a problem.  Strange I tell ya.

Went to a book signing.  Had fun.  But standing in line for hours to get a book signed.......

 

Oh, one more thing.  While doing some research for the anniverary thing, I found what I believe to be the most (let me know if I am wrong) comments left at any one entry (don't include John Scalzi) at a whopping 105.  Oh yeah.  And it wasn't at my journal.  :(    I want to see how many comments I can get at this entry.  Yes, I am begging.  Please leave a comment, even if it is just Hi.  Tell everyone you know to come here and say HI.  Lets see what kind of record we can set, ok?  Please?  Pretty Please? Don't make me grovel.  :)

AOL J-land's first Anniversary is coming.

I have been so slack in all of my journals, and my journal reading.  I am sooo very sorry.  I have been helping (or hendering depending on who you ask) with some of the prep work on the upcoming celebration for AOL J-land's first anniversary.  And let me tell you it is time consuming.  I have been combing through older entries to see what I can find, and hunting down some graphics.  Oh, but enough about me.  Here is a graphic I want you to copy/paste into your journals, but if you do you must email (or leave a comment at her journal) Vivian as she wants to know where the flame is. 

 

Next item up.  For the big celebration Vivian (and others) would like to give away some prizes.  Oh, goody, goody.  However, there is the money issue.  No, I don't want anyone's money!!!  But we are looking for some of the talented folks in J-land to offer up some of their talents.  If you can make graphics (such as something for a email signature, or something for a journal) and would be willing to make one or two to donate to be a prize that would be super.  If you write poems or short stories and would like to write one for the winner of a prize (and do it free of charge), if you are a photographer and have been holding back that great picture and would like to give it up for a prize, if you are crafty and would like to donate a prize I am sure the unoffical offical committee would be willing to accept it.  Please feel free to "advertise" my plea in your journal.  Send any willing donations to Vivian at this email:  VivianSulliNwank@aol.com  Be sure to put in the subject line that your email is about prizes for the celebration.