May 6, 2012
It’s not really Sunday for me. But it is for you. I’m writing this now because I’m still (will be still) on Retreat.
I’m watching FLASHPOINT episodes on my DVR. It’s so bittersweet. I can directly relate so much of my life before-and-after FLASHPOINT. Before, I wanted to write. I watched TV. I didn’t really talk to strangers online. After, I am a writer. I am committed to my writing. And I’ve made so many friends through FPTO. People I’ve never actually met, but who are nicer to me than some real people I know/knew.
I deleted some friends from my life last week: facebook, twitter, email, and in general. It was an awkward moment when I saw one in public and she asked why. It’s not that I am antisocial again. It’s that I carefully choose who I associate with.
I started actually writing material again. Short stories. So in a month, or hopefully even less, I can start submitting to magazines and contests and see where that takes me.
I’m looking forward to Women’s Retreat. Which, by the time you read this, is where I’ll be.
Next Wednesday, my blog’s “What’s the Word? Wednesday” theme will be all about Mom’s. I’m excited for that, and I really hope to get a great number of links to read Mom Stories from everyone.
Well, now I have to finish cleaning the house and packing for retreat and then I’m off to watch Dot in her high school play. She graduates in four weeks so it’s a whirlwind around here coordinating parties and Grad Nite and events and finals and dentists and visits and everything else… but it’s a good whirlwind.
I love my Daughter. She’s always amazing me. She’s so awesome. Sometimes I take a step back and see her as more of a person than just my daughter, and I’m taken by surprise. If she wasn’t my daughter, I’d want her to be. I really would.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
May 2, 2012 |
Last night I posted The Long Goodbye: Flashpoint to End After Season Five. I spent the majority of the evening online via Facebook and twitter. I spent the majority of the day coming to terms with the news.
To those who say, “It’s just a television show,” I say this: You’ve obviously never really watched it. Not really. Because if you had, if you had joined us on Facebook or twitter, you would know.
It’s not just a show. It’s not just an online community. It’s a family.
It’s a part of my family. And I’m a part of them.
FLASHPOINT has been so much to me. I’ve never missed an episode. Never. Through the FLASHPOINT Team One Facebook community, I’ve found more of myself than I knew I had. I’ve made friends who have encouraged me to break out of my shell and get over my fear of the unknown.
If you search “Flashpoint” on my blog, there’s a plethora of posts ranging from casual mentions to in-depth articles.
The FPTO community has supported me as I pursue my dreams of writing, commenting on my blog and sharing my posts when it caught their attentions.
I’ll not forget Angelo’s comments last summer when I said I had to write. A few well-meaning commentators suggested I look for a “real” job. Angelo wrote,
“You don’t write because you want recognition. You don’t write because it seems like fun. You don’t write because you want to.
You write because you have to.
If that’s what Molly Jo feels then that’s what Molly Jo should do. In fact, based on her comments, I doubt she could prevent herself.“
Little did he know I’d save this comment and it would (and still does!) continue to inspire me during moments of self-doubt.
I have an autographed poster that now means more than ever. An SRU ornament from Kate. An abundance of saved comments and emails and tweets from so many.
FLASHPOINT is more than a show that takes my breath away. It’s been the promise of success. As a fan, a word from a producer or writer is amazing. As a writer, it’s currency.
Best. Email. Evvver.
Mary, affectionately known as Sarge, has always been my Go-To Gal for, well, just about anything. She really knows how to Keep The Peace when it’s needed (which, thankfully, isn’t that often!).
I want to be a writer. And FLASHPOINT has been with me through my attempts and trials. The show has inspired me. The community has supported me. I know they’re separate issues, but somehow, it doesn’t seem like it. It seems like, as long as there’s FLASHPOINT in the world, everything’s okay.
How many of us at FPTO have had actual dreams of Team One rescuing us from bank robbers or traffic accidents? How many of us have secret code words with each other because of ridiculously silly conversations? How will Kate and I ever think of TOAST the same way again? [Yes, that’s a code word, no I won’t share the meaning, but no, it’s nothing bad. Just inspirational. And yummy.]
I really thought if I tried hard enough, if I proved myself with my writing, I could draft a Spec Script for FLASHPOINT producers to look at, maybe even end up writing an episode or two for them.
I’ve talked about moving to Toronto and I’ve been serious about it! If you don’t know me too well, you don’t know how big a deal that is: I don’t like change! To think of moving to another country just to be a writer for a TV show… well, if they’d had me, I would have. No questions asked.
I get that the community will still be there. I’ll still buy jewelry from Kate’s online store. I’ll still tweet with Angelo, Kelley, and everyone else. I’ll follow the producers and writers however I can online. I’ll watch whatever shows the actors do next.
But it won’t be the same. We won’t all be together again like this, not ever.
And that makes me sad. And it makes me cry.
So you know what? If that makes me silly in your eyes, I don’t care. Because it’s late. Because I’m tired. And because I’ve been dealing with this family break-up for quite a few hours now.
And FPTO’s usually the Team that makes it all better. For all of us. But now Mom and Dad are retiring and moving elsewhere. And us kids gotta grow up and fend for ourselves.
That’s just a little scary.
But we can do it. Because even from a distance… we’re still family.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
[FPTO photo courtesy of Angelo at FPTO on Facebook.]
For other posts on FLASHPOINT, read
Hello/Goodbye: How Flashpoint Keeps Hitting the Mark [August 5, 2011]
Do You Know FPTO? [November 6, 2011]
The Long Goodbye: Flashpoint to End After Season Five [May 1, 2012]
Apr 28, 2012 |
It’s been about two months since I’ve posted any Lessons Learned. You would think in that amount of time I would have amassed a whole lotta learnin’. You would think.
I don’t think I learned a lot, so much as I kept re-learning the same things in different ways.
Although some things are new.
Ready? Here’s what’s been in my brain lately:
1. Black-headed grosbeaks look very similar to Baltimore Orioles.
2. Grosbeaks, among other birds, like to eat dry cereal like Cheerios and Rice Krispies.
3. Writing is something I do best when I do it for myself.
4. Having said that, it’s awful nice when other people appreciate my writing.
5. When I was away in college 20 years ago, my mom sent me a stickee pad with Old Maxine on them. They said, “You didn’t know how you’d get through yesterday, either, but here you are.” That’s been my unconscious motto for a while now.
6. Music is awesome. It’s one of the greatest languages ever written.
7. Family Game Night is the craziest, funnest night of the month!
8. Sweet Broom plants are gorgeous! And attract bees. Bonus!
9. Some people will always be friends. No matter the time, distance, and drama that happens in your individual lives. Some people can be in your life every day and never be a true friend.
10. Cats don’t like thunderstorms. Cats like people who keep them safe from thunderstorms.
11. Hardcover books are better than digital books.
12. But digital books have their perks.
13. Flashpoint is still the best show on TV, and best community on Facebook.
14. CBS was really stupid when they didn’t renew Flashpoint last summer. ION was really smart to pick it up as their first first-run series, meaning they no longer air only reruns.
15. It’s a rule of nature that as my daughter gets older, so do I. Yet while she’s ready to graduate high school, I’m not ready to let her go out into the world. It’s a very scary place out there. And I’m her mommy. I just want to keep her safe and happy. And in my arms.
16. I love cooking. And I’m not too bad at baking. Wilton has the greatest cake molds for such things!
17. If I wasn’t a writer, I’d be a party planner. But I’m a writer. And I like that better.
18. Starbucks is great. Friends who get how important Starbucks is, are priceless.
19. Sometimes the world isn’t fair. And it stinks.
20. Sometimes God isn’t fair. And I’m so very thankful.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Feb 19, 2012
This is sort of another stream-of-consciousness posting, but not really.
There’s been so much going on this weekend that I can’t just settle my thoughts onto only one theme, so you get them all. Lucky readers!
First, I want to remind each of you that there’s still time to enter the Cookbook Giveaway. The cookbook is still in pre-production, but don’t let that fool ya. Barring any more complications, it should be available within the next few weeks. So stay tuned!
I spent Friday and Saturday at home alone for the most part. Dot was on a field trip of sorts. We cleaned the house the day before she left, but of course with five cats there’s dusty little pawprints everywhere and it’s driving me crazy. They’re indoor cats, but because I have dirt lots for the front and back yards, and the winds have been blowing, there are dusty little pawprints. Everywhere. And it’s. driving. me. crazy.
Old Blue has been coming back on a regular schedule. This is the only photo I have so far. I took it from my cell phone yesterday morning. He arrives for breakfast in the morning between 6:30 and 7 a.m. Sometimes he comes for brunch around 10:30. But he always returns for dinner between 3:30 and 4 pm. It surprises me that I keep getting surprised at my excitement. I think to myself that I should be almost complacent by now: it’s obvious this beautiful Cooper’s Hawk loves my yard. So I shouldn’t be surprised to see him glide into the tree. But each time, it takes my breath away. And then I annoy him by trying to “sneak” outside with my camera. I guess that interferes with his feeding. So tomorrow I’m going to just stay inside and let him linger around the feeders.
I finished my first official freelance writing assignment today, and it felt GREAT. What I loved most about doing it, was verifying my information online through several sources. I love knowing that I do a good job, when I do a job. It’s very affirming of the fact that New Inklings Press is what I’m supposed to be doing. And I love it. Even more than I thought I would. I don’t know why I resisted for so long, but I’m so thankful God kept pushing me in this direction.
And this freelance assignment came later on a day when I had turned down another one. I chose to trust God to provide as I clung to my Good Name instead. I can’t bring myself to earn a paycheck from people who don’t care. Where my by-line is insignificant. Where the work is sloppy and unprofessional or worse. I also recently turned down an interview with a disreputable company only to be blessed that same day with the funds I need to get through the rest of this month and take care of the final start-up expenses for the company! God works in mysterious ways…
I tried to catch up on my fellow bloggers’ sites by reading lots of posts and leaving comments. I don’t like to let it stockpile on me like that. Sometimes I can go a week without reading other blogs, and that means a week’s worth of reading and commenting on each one. It’s a little time consuming, but also inspiring.
Two worth mentioning are Ann’s Doodles and Jots. Ann is extremely creative with her drawings, photography, and words. I really look forward to her postings.
Another is Ariel’s From My Heart 2 Urs. Here’s another woman trying to navigate Christianity, singleness, and a writing career. She’s always so encouraging and uplifting. I’m glad I call her Friend!
So while Dot was gone, you can see I got a lot done. It was also a happily productive weekend because I’ve had this stupid virus for over a week now and it’s turned from a dry cough into a congestive cough. The fact that I got anything done, and made it through both days without a daytime nap, makes me feel like I accomplished a lot.
My Lizzie Cat loves it though because I reek of Vapo-Rub when I go to bed at night and that’s her favorite scent ever. Anything with a menthol fragrance, and she’s on it! Needless to say, the cat cuddles this past week have been more than usual and I’m totally okay with that!
Dot’s trip turned out fun. Her school drama club went to a college’s Shakespeare Festival. They learned how to project their voices with less straining, how to fight with swords (thankfully not real ones!), and they even had performances to do.
When she came home, she started telling me about it, and I realized I kept glancing at my laptop. I figured she deserved better so I closed it and gave her my complete attention. That’s not easy for me to do, as I’m such a multi-tasker and always online or working on a writing project or both. So for me to turn off the computer and the TV and give her my complete attention… it was different.
And I’m really glad I did. Because I learned that she needs to be listened to. Even if she’s telling me things I already know. Even if I’ve heard her stories before. Even if what she’s saying doesn’t always interest me. She deserves my full attention. And I almost missed that.
So while she learned Shakespearean techniques, I learned not to multi-task. I call that a Win-Win Weekend.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Feb 7, 2012
We all have those moments in life that seem so benign at the time, but leave a very lasting impression. This is the story of such a moment.
Remember Berry Sunshine’s Cat Antics from a while ago? Here’s one from many years ago.
We were living in our small apartment and I had hosted dinner for a few friends. Because the dinner table only seated four and there were five of us altogether, I allowed my daughter to eat at her snack table while watching television.
The meal was great: meatloaf and scalloped potatoes. I served up my daughter’s plate then called her back into the kitchen to pray with the rest of us. She resisted; she didn’t want to leave her table. But I insisted. When she went back to table a minute later, I heard her cry out: her meatloaf was missing!
Berry had decided she wanted to be part of the dinner party, and absconded with the entire meatloaf slice from Dot’s plate! I comforted her (her being Dot, not Berry), told her not to worry, we had plenty. And we carried on just fine.
Two days later my slipper had wedged itself under the sofa so I bent down to retrieve it… only to find half the meatloaf. Can you say “ewww!”??
It was a few years later in the same apartment when we decided to have a Mommy-Daughter Movie Night. I don’t remember what we served for dinner, but I do know that my daughter wanted to eat by TV light.
She got her drink. Then she brought in her napkin. Then she brought in her snack plate. We were both ready. But then the cats started to cry for attention. And food. On one side was Berry. On the other side was Fluffy. Wherever Dot turned, there was a dark whiskered face. And since the lights were out, she couldn’t quite see if they were trying to eat her plate, or her toes.
Finally in frustration, she stood up and hollered, “I just want to eat my stinkin’ food!”
The cats scurried. We started the movie.
And everyone lived happily ever after…
yeah, right.
To this day, when we’re really hungry, or when there are tons of distraction from any task at hand, you’ll hear us shouting that line.
Dot tells this story much better than me. I’m pretty sure I got a lot of it wrong. But she’s trying to get some sleep right now so I can’t verify facts. And I just want to write my stinkin’ story.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
