Archive for 2008

Sorry, We’re Fresh Out of Serious

Author: Erika

Dec 12

I have to type this fast because the weather outside has taken a turn for the nasty and, as the power has already chosen to go out today, I want to make sure I get this posted before it decides to go again. Honestly, I cannot overstate how icky the weather outside is. The temperature is in the 30′s, it’s windy as heck, and it’s been raining nonstop all day.

According to reputable sources, it’s supposed to snow this weekend. Boo! A lot of people enjoy the snow because it’s white, and pretty, and rare, and winter wonderland-y and all kinds of cheerful stuff but I’m not really a fan. In my opinion, it’s cold (which = unpleasant), and only looks pretty until someone walks/drives over it and then it just looks like a dirty snow cone. And nobody likes a dirty snow cone (if this is secretly a slang term on Urban Dictionary please don’t tell me. I prefer my innocence).

I’m excited for later tonight, though, because Wes and I get to go to a holiday party. Hip hip hooray! I do believe this is the first holiday party we’ve ever attended as a married (or likewise) couple so I’m looking forward to it. What I’m particularly looking forward to is a chance to get out of the house for the evening and mingle with some friends we haven’t seen in a long time.

It seems like lately, with the economic crap-storm we’re living in, that life has gotten a little too serious and I’m looking for a little levity. I enjoy people-watching, and from what I’ve seen the last few months people are looking ever-so-serious and there’s a major dearth of mirth amongst my fellows.

That’s why I’m so looking forward to this holiday party, and that’s why I continue to be so jazzed about the holiday lights we put up on our staircase. Because even though we’re all broke, it doesn’t mean that we can’t take part in the best parts of Christmas.

I reserve the right to eat too many hors d’oeuvres, drink too much wine, and laugh too loud at the white elephant gifts. I claim for myself the privilege of staring at the Christmas lights in wonder because they make me feel like a little kid sometimes. In the name of all things fun, I stand firm in my decision to drink egg nog even though I don’t know what’s in it because life is way too serious to be taken seriously right now.

Ahem. OK, I’m stepping off my soapbox now, but feel free to agree with me if you’d like to. As for me, I’m going to go scour my house looking for a white elephant gift to wrap up and present to a random stranger. It might end up being a half-eaten tin of cookies, I’m just not sure yet. I’ll keep you posted.

If, later this evening, I find you looking dourly at the latest stock market news I won’t judge you, but I would much rather find you dancing around the room to “Jingle Bell Rock” with a Christmas bow atop your head and a great big mug of spiked egg nog in your hand. You see, at least then I’d get to jump in there with you.

I hope your weekend is long, relaxing, and full of as much nonsense and levity as you’d like.

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Filed under: Food, Just plain nonsense

The Erika Files

Author: Erika

Dec 10

I am delighted, I tell you. De. Ligh. Ted. Per the recommendation of a very cool person (a.k.a. Matt of Things Worth Noting) I have introduced myself to Harry Dresden of the Dresden Files series and I am having an absolute blast. The kind of blast where you kick up your heels, flail your arms, and necessitate everyone having to duck down to avoid a beating via clumsiness.

The writer of this series, Jim Butcher, walks a very thin line between ponderous and whimsical and it thrills me down to my very toes. There are some lines in this book that I swear he wrote just for me. I could probably fill line after line of this post with my favorite excerpts but that would deprive you of the pleasure of reading the book on your own.

There’s just something about the way he juxtaposes the light and dark sides of mythical fiction that makes the book downright enjoyable to read. His narrative style is light, yet substantial, and frequently makes me laugh right out loud.

I’m only halfway through the first book but I have no doubt that Harry Dresden and I will continue to be good friends for quite awhile. In fact, I’ve got a two-week break coming up that I think will make this friendship more than plausible…

Speaking of my upcoming two-week break (during which, I’m sure, Wes will be oft tempted to run screaming from the house as I pester him yet again for something to do. I am not good at being inactive, but I am very good at pestering people. This makes for some unpleasant situations for Wes when I find myself with little with which to occupy myself) I’m actually starting to get really excited about having all that time for editing on my hands.

I’ve made it through about 28 pages (of 110) so far and every time I dive back in I’m flooded with new ideas, details, and scenes I can insert. I was afraid I’d be unable to add anything new to the story, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. It would appear that I truly am never at a lack for words.

The trouble is, I’m having way too much fun dressing and re-dressing my main character. She’s like a fictional dress-up doll with a huge budget, and I keep changing her wedding day attire to suit whatever wedding trend I happen to fancy that day.

I had enough trouble planning one wedding, perhaps I was pushing it a bit by trying my hand at a second one. I have this to say for my character, however: she’s got her manicured finger firmly on the pulse of wedding industry fashion.

I fully intend to have my novel edited and ready for consumption by the end of this year (the deadline is necessary. Without this deadline, my novel will waste away at the bottom of my hard drive for the next million years until an invading alien civilization unearths it, reads it, and then wonders why no one ever bothered to edit it).

Maybe I’ll even start a new novel. Does anyone have any suggestions for my next story? Should I just run with the whole alien-invasion scenario? Can I incorporate birdcage veils in that story somehow? What kind of stuff would you like to read about?

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Filed under: Reviews, Writing

Really Cheap Entertainment

Author: Erika

Dec 9

I may have mentioned on here a few times that I’m a fan of puppets. It’s a truly strange preoccupation, one that has repeatedly brought about embarrassment for me in front of strangers who don’t understand why I lose my mind whenever puppets are around.

Thanks to the Internet, though, I know I’m not alone. Beck has used puppets, and he seems to be doing OK so I suppose it’s safe to assume that my puppet predilection is not something that will hinder my professional success.

I promise that all this serves a point (though you have to admit that you wouldn’t be surprised if I wrote two whole paragraphs pontificating about my love for puppets just because I felt like it, would you?). There are times when something comes across my computer screen that is so amazing, so life-changing, that I absolutely have to drop everything else and post it here so that I’m not the only one who’s aware of its existence. Today, I am pleased as punch to present to you: Twilight: The Puppet Saga.

This silly little three-minute video had me laughing so hard I thought I was going to need a resuscitator. What fun!

I haven’t seen the movie, but as far as the events in the book go it seems to be pretty spot-on. I especially like the puppet fight scene at the end, the effects with the boards is fairly impressive.

This is really all I have to say today. I think a puppet rendition of a popular movie pretty well speaks for itself, wouldn’t you say?

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Filed under: Just plain nonsense

Our Lights Delight!

Author: Erika

Dec 8

Just in case you were wondering where our staircase is…
I have helpfully outlined it for you in HOLIDAY CHEER!

Perhaps you are confused as to why I am so unshakably excited about the presence of holiday lights in my home. Allow me to elaborate: This is the first time Wes and I have decorated our house to celebrate the holiday season.

I know, it’s shameful, really. Nearly three years of marriage and nary a single Christmas decoration, we must be Scrooges, right? Wrong! We’re frugal, which means we have simply been waiting for someone to get tired of their Christmas decorations so we could helpfully volunteer to give them a new home.

One of the ladies at work is converting to LED Christmas lights and so is clearing her house and garage of her old-fashioned ones. Wes and I gladly took three strings of lights off her hands and this is what we’ve chosen to do with them.

It’s frightfully cheery, no? I’m not exactly a whiz at decorating things (this is why I have such a great mother-in-law and sister-in-law) but I’m pretty sure this looks nice. Wes certainly seemed to think so and, as he’s the only one who lives here and reads this blog, I’d say that’s good enough.

We haven’t let Doc in yet to inspect our handiwork, though. I’m assuming his initial reaction will be to try to eat them and, when he learns that this is not allowed, he’ll react by steadfastly ignoring them until he thinks we aren’t watching, and then he’ll attempt to play with them.

We still haven’t worked up the nerve to get a Christmas tree yet. We’re not huge on gift-giving, so it seems a bit silly to get a nicely dressed-up tree in order to put absolutely nothing under it. When we have kids we’ll definitely rock the indoor foliage but for now we’re content with our lights.

With a staircase this pretty, wouldn’t you be?

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Filed under: Uncategorized

The Wee Little Violinists Can Go Home Now

Author: Erika

Dec 5

4PM on a Friday afternoon is a dangerous time on any week of the year, but on this week in particular it’s a veritable witching hour. I feel drained like a hollow tomato and I’m greatly looking forward to having my (delicious, spectacularly amazing) husband cook dinner, mix a martini, and bake chocolate chip cookies for me.

Today should have been really crappy, full of doubt and worry, but miraculously it hasn’t been. It actually turned into a good day, which is as surprising for me as it is for you. The reason why is that my remaining job, as the Content Queen for Bottle Your Brand, has offered me full-time employment wth them starting whenever I’m ready.

So let me get this straight: I get to work full time with some of my favorite people in the world, doing some of my favorite things in the world (blogging and getting people to pay up), and they’re giving us health insurance and enabling us to pay our bills? Can you guess how quickly I accepted?

I’m completely relieved, yet still in shock because things have changed so drastically in such a short period of time. I fully realize how amazingly blessed Wes and I are that something that should have completely rocked our world has been alleviated entirely.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still going to drink a big, fat, ice-cold martini tonight (because all that stress and panic doesn’t just evaporate, you know) but instead of drinking it because I’m freaking out, I’ll be using it to toast my brand-new full-time job. Squee!

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Filed under: Work
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