Finally a Few Days Off...

Hi Y'all!

Well, it felt really wierd this morning not getting up for class! Zorro was a little bit confused too! Zoe arrived at our house about 8:30 so we all just went back to bed for a little while! I took Zorro and Zoe to the groomer today and they look just precious! If I can get them to stop rubbing on the furniture for a second (they ALWAYS do this when they get back from the groomer. I think they are trying to rub off the doggie perfume!) I will grab a picture. They are both kinda pooped right now!

Today I went out and about to try and get some things together for school. I don't really have to buy alot, not like I did when I taught 1st grade, but I still need notebooks, pencils, paper and folders for the kids to keep journals. Our tax weekend in South Carolina starts tomorrow, and I can't stand being out in the crowds. No thank you! So I thought I would go out today. Well, I can tell you this.. retailers must mark stuff UP for tax free weeked so they can make money! Everything I went to buy today was over a dollar and I usually pay 20 cents for my notebooks and 10 cents for my folders! So I guess with the economy in such bad shape, retailers are trying to hold on to the last minute to make a buck. Oh well. At least I know they mark everything down in a week or two anyway. And the crowds will be alot less!

I have enjoyed my day today though. I really didn't get anything accomplished, other than unloading the dishwasher, and trust me, that's a biggie for me! I hate to do that! It is extremely hot right now, so the doggies won't get a walk until later on.

Also, as promised.. here is another installment of "My Secret Selves." This one is Trixie...

If you don't know what this is about, make sure and read "My 5 Secret Selves" entry to get you up to speed!

Trixie

Trixie moved about her London flat in her hurried manner. Her short bobbed hair landed sleekly against her face, occasionally getting stuck in her long silver earrings. She silently begins tapping her pedicured foot as she waits for the espresso machine to spurt forth is caffeinated concoction.

As she is waiting, Trixie takes the time to examine her hands. She decides that her long fingers are helpless; the skin around her fingernails has been picked and chewed until her cuticles were no longer visible. Absent mindedly her eyes glance over the faint line on her left ring finger that is slowly disappearing day by day. Thoughts start to fill her head, but she quickly slides them back into a compartment of her heart, seals them off and hopes she doesn’t have to deal with them later.

Lost in thought, she is suddenly brought back to the present by her iphone buzzing with expectation. Whatever it was, it was going to have to wait. She needed gulps of caffeine before she could be bothered with the world outside of her flat. The truth was, Trixie was far to wired for too much caffeine, but her hectic work schedule- late nights and constant travel made her morning ritual one of her only vices.

As she began sipping her morning magic, her iphone began more of its baritone buzzing. Simultaneously her computer made the chiming noise indicating that she had a new email. She decided that both of her lifelines must be in cahoots today. As she padded over to her computer desk, she stopped for a moment and observed the dreary London day before her. Big Ben was hardly visible through the mass of fog and rain that was rolling in. She made a silent note to herself that her Jimmy Choos would be staying in her closet today.

I'll post some more writing tomorrow. Stay cool and enjoy what is left of the summer! I can't believe that tomorrow is August 1st!!!

:) JKP

I Got an A on My Report Card.......

Hi Y'all!

Well, my writing class officially ended today! I am really kind of sad about it though. I really enjoyed the class and made some great friends over the past few weeks. Our class isn't entirely over.. we have a meeting in September, a retreat in October at the Cypress Inn and a mini Conference in November. So I will have that to look forward too! One of the things that I am going to miss the most is the wonderful writing time that we had everyday. I just hope I don't loose all of my creativity when school starts. School has a way of just sucking EVERYTHING out of you!

I have really enjoyed writing several fiction pieces over the past few weeks. For our final project (that is where I have been since Sunday, working on the final project!) we had to put together a portfolio or scrapbook with all of our writing that was bound together by a theme. My theme was "Throught the Looking Glass" Snippets of Julia's life. I included some poems, a fiction story about "When Zorro met Zoe...", and of course... my secret selves!!! As promised.. here is another one of my secret selves.. Antonia.

Antonia

Antonia stands at her kitchen sink absent mindedly washing of the basil. As her rough hands move down the leaves, she momentarily loses herself in her thoughts. Italy. Cooking classes. Three whole weeks. Heaven. Antonia didn’t know how she was going to manage it, but she new in her soul that she had to try. She longed for an adventure that was hers.

Wiping her hands on her apron, Antonia worked quickly to chop the basil she was using in tonight’s pesto dish. Antonia prided herself on using fresh herbs and vegetables in her cooking whenever possible. Her grandmother often told her how fresh ingredients often improved any dish. How she missed her Nonna these days. She learned to cook from her, the lessons in Italian starting when Antonia was so small she had to stand on a stack of cookbooks to see her grandmother in action. Antonia was a lot like her Nonna. She had the same small hands and dark piercing eyes. She had long, dark, coarse curly hair. To manage it she often wore it in a single braid down her back. Antonia had one distinguishing feature that set her apart from her ancestors. She had a long grey widow’s peak that parted her hair straight down the middle. The widow’s peak appeared almost over night when she was 10. Incidentally, that was the same year that her cooking skills seemed to take on their magical quality. Antonia could vaguely remember the whispers about a family curse and her widow’s peak circulating when she was a child. She had already decided to check out this piece of family history when she got to Italy. Surely someone in the old village would know about it.

Antonia began to focus on her meal. Tonight she was cooking for 15. She loved the sound of family and friends around her dinner table. She loved the lively conversation and then the inevitable lull that fell into place when bellies became sated with her intoxicating food.

Last night we had a farewell party for our class at the beach. We had a wonderful supper and then a fantastic ceremony in which we all celebrated the authors we had become. We took a long walk on the beach, and I tell you, last night was the best sleep I have had in a LONG time. It's funny what a little ocean air will do for you!

Tomorrow Zoe and Zorro are going to the doggie spa... I wish I could go to the human spa!!

:) JKP

Movie Review Sunday!

Hey Y'all!

Well, something odd happened around here this weekend. Oh, no.. no more bears. I actually went to see two movies. Folks, that is something that hasn't happened in a while! Of course, I knew that on July 25th I was going to be in a movie theatre watching The X-Files.. I mean any true die hard fan was. Let's just say... and I won't spoil it for you... but the movie lacked certain X-Files plot elements that I like to have. There are no aliens in this movie (unlike the first one) and to me, that really is what makes the X-Files, the X-Files. This was more like one of their monster episodes. Yes it is gory, and quite gross... but I'll take aliens any day. I think if I wasn't so overjoyed to actually see Mulder and Scully on screen again, I might not have really liked the movie. But, because they were back and working a case it was fine. But, I do have to say.. they have had forever to make this movie and this is the best they could come up with? Do stay until the last credit has rolled, there is a surprise.

The other movie I went to see this weekend (we had very cloudy skies this weekend, I finally got some sun today) was Mama Mia. This is a great Saturday afternoon film. It is light, fluffy and you will find yourself tapping your toes to all of the ABBA tunes too. I never knew Colin Firth could sing, though... so go see this if you want to be in a good mood afterwards. Also, if you are sitting in the movie and you think Sophie looks familiar.. she does. She was in Mean Girls. I had a hard time focusing on her character after I remembered she was the not so bright Karen in Mean Girls. It was hard to take her seriously from that point on! But you will enjoy the movie!

Alrighty.. I am still working on my big writing project that is due Tuesday. I've gotten a little more written. Zorro does not like me sitting here on the sofa working. I think he has secret plans for the laptop later. Oh, no... we may have our own "X-File" around here tomorrow!
:) JKP

I've Been Writing...Run for Your Lives!

Hey Y'all!

Well, today I have been working on my project for my writing class that is due next week. I thought that I was going to work on my "secret selves" vignettes... however, another idea popped in my head! During our first week of class, we studied Memoir and different ways of writing memoir. On of the ways we explored was creating an "Where I'm From" poem. This is based on Georgia Ella Lyon's own poem. This is a technique often used in writing classes. Well, below is my attempt. I have re-written this several times, and each time I tried to focus it on me and my childhood, it kept coming back to my family. So this is a tribute to my grandaddy and his brother's and sisters... because that is what came out today!

Where I'm From..

I’m from olive trees buried deep in Lebanon
Its branches reaching across entire oceans

I’m from a family full of folklore and tall tales
Cheered by characters that still live on today

I’m from Alice’s stuffed squash and kibbeh
Baklava that is chewy and sweet

I’m from the long lens of Abe’s camera
Its telescopic glass catching snippets of time

I’m from hair dye, pink curlers and beauty advice
All dispensed with Evelyn’s flair

I’m from George, the honorable judge of the law
family historian
Who guards memories in a thousand scrapbooks

I’m from Joseph, who the second war took too soon
The warrior pilot who fought through hostile skies

I’m from two sisters and three brothers
Vessels of our family tree
Deep roots that spread wide
I’m from Thomy


JKP
Summer 2008

So there you go! I also took some time and went to see the X-Files movie today. I will give my review tomorrow. As usual... Zorro wants to go on a bear hunt!

:) JKP

5 Secret Selves of Julia....

Hey Y'all!

Ok, probably from that title, you think maybe I am experiencing some psychotic break with reality. I promise you, I am really not. "We promise you she's really not!" say the voices in my head!

Hee, Hee.... Ok, no, but really. Y'all know that I am taking a writing course this summer and I have posted some writing on this here blog already. This week in class we dove really deep into fiction writing and character development. Character development is hard for a lot of folks, but apparently for me, it makes me want to write, like all of the time! One of the activities that we did in class this week, to help us prepare for a walk down character lane, was to come up with 5 personalities that are pieces of our true personalities. They are actually called "secret selves" and contain hidden bits of your true self. Well, y'all, I am not going to lie. My characters are about to kill me to get written. One of them wouldn't let me sleep last night until she was pristine in my writer's notebook. Yes.. she's the OCD one! So I thought I would share a little glimpse of my "secret selves" here. I have a big ol' project due next week and my hope is this weekend that I can get vignettes written about all of these characters to put in my project. I already have 3 done. When they are polished, I will post them here for you to read. So far, they are writing themselves! I just hope the other two let me get some sleep tonight!
Alrighty.. so here we go!

Julia's 5 Secret Selves

Antonia- she is a wonderful Italian cook and loves to make big meals. She loves pasta, wine and good times with friends. She longs to go to Italy for an extended stay and take a cooking class.

Penelope- she loves to do yoga and she loves to shop at Anthropologie. She only eats organic fruits and vegetables. She is a vegetarian and leads a "green" lifestyle. She, of course, is on a waiting list for a Prius.

Trixie- she is a Mini-Cooper driving, expat who lives in London. She has to have all of her techie gadets with her at all times. She loves to meet friends at the local pub and grab a pint. She absolutely loves living in London.

Skye- she is an animal lover to the extreme. She supports animal rights and has several animals of her own. She is a foster Mom for several stray animals.

Angora- she is OCD obsessed. Everything has its place and nothing is out of order in her house or her life. She must always have a plan. Nothing can ever deviate from "the plan." Everthing must be spotless at all times and there is no room for mistakes. Angora is also the owner of an organizing business.

So those are my girls. A little bit of me is in each one, but I'm not going to tell you what! Of course, if you know me... well, it's not that hard. Anyway, enjoy and I'll try and post their updates as I finish them this weekend. Zorro really wants another walk.. so I'm out the door.

:) JKP

Dude, We've Got BEARS!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Y'all,

Well I am feeling much better and today I actually ate solid food! Yippeee!!! I am telling you that was the stomach virus to end all stomach viruses!!!

Y'ALL......

We have had some wildlife excitement around the house! Yesterday, I came home from class, and I still wasn't feeling great. I pulled my car into the garage and went in the house. I opened the front door to walk out and check the mail. Zorro loves to help me check the mail, but yesterday when we got outside he started acting WIERD. Well, more than Zorro "wierd." He started sniffing the cement on the driveway and scratching his paws on the ground. That is when I spied these rather large boogers!!!

Just in case you are not from Horry County... folks, those are BEAR TRACKS! ON MY DRIVEWAY!!! HOLY CRAP!!!!! At first I thought maybe it was a rather large dog, but no. On closer inspection.. I saw the claws.

Horry County does have a rather large black bear population and with all of the construction lately, the bears have been driven into subdivisions. I didn't notice anything that was in disarray, and my herbie curbie (trash cart) was left untouched. My house backs up to woods, so I think he or she, or hopefully Winnie the Pooh was just taking a short cut. I had all of the neighbors over last night and we were in full inspection mode.

Zorro says he will stand guard from now on.

So that is the excitement in these parts. I hope I don't see anymore of those tracks! I am off to make some apple dip for a dinner party I am attending tonight. Have a good one! And if you know of any tricks to keep bears away.... LET ME KNOW!!!

:) JKP

I Think I Will Rejoin the Human Race Now....

Hey Y'all!

Well... I'm back from my summer vacation stomach bug. It is the stomach bug that wouldn't die! I just read my last post and realized I put in there that I came down with it Thursday, but it actually hit me Wednesday night. Sure enough, I finished my blog post, took a bath and the throw ups started. By Friday night I thought I was better, but NO!!!! I got hit with round 2 Friday night. I spent most of yesterday on the sofa with Zorro licking my head. Oh, and shall I mention that Zorro decided to lay on my head, but he had a case of gas? Maybe it was sympathy gas. Oh well. That started a whole new wave of nausea!

Today I woke up and felt much better. I showered and got dressed, so that was a big bonus. After being in the house for 3 days, I decided I needed to get out for a while and went and visited with a friend. I am still really tired, but no longer feel the yucky way I was.

The other event that we had this weekend was a visit from a tropical friend, Cristobal. OK, I must admit that I slept through much of the drama, but there really wasn't any. I went to sleep at noon yesterday, woke up at 5 and he was a tropical storm. We had a few "quick" showers, but that was all he wrote. So we were very lucky!

Alright, I have to get things in order for class tomorrow. I think I am going to put off making my lunch until the morning.... I just want to make sure my tummy is good to go for solid food!

I'm off to get ready for Army Wives!

:) JKP