Thursday Thirteen - Things I do (or don't do) when I'm tired or depressed and duh, Mother's Day!

I'm still beat, I presume from my weekend away, and now doing a lot of overtime at work, and cleaning up after our men since we've been home. Why do they never keep the house clean? My dad and my oldest son are just the opposite - clean freaks to the point they drive me crazy the other way. Anyway, here's a Thursday Thirteen list as I'm too tired to do much else. I did finish and return an edit to my editor and I worked a couple hours late at the day job, so I wasn't completely lazy tonight. But I didn't get to the gym like I wanted, and I haven't visited any other blogs and since it's Midnight, it's not going to happen tonight. I'll try to blog hop this weekend.

Thirteen Things about Ashley Ladd 1.... Curl up in bed and watch movies 2.... Eat too much - of bad things 3.... Rub my forehead - unconsciously 4.... Soak in the tub 5.... Make lists 6.... Blog too much 7.... Don't blog enough 8.... Play Scrabulous or word games 9.... Go to sleep way early or sleep in really really late 10... Don't exercise (like tonight - but I finished my edit and I worked late at the day job so I'm not too mad at myself) 11... Toss & turn - in particular because my legs are so restless 12... Cuddle with a cat or two 13... Stare at the computer in a daze Duh! It's almost Mother's Day - so here's another 13 things. These are things I remember about my mom whose been gone for 20 years. I miss her very much. 1... Her warm hugs 2... Her soft voice 3... How she took me everywhere with her 4... How she took care of her parents when they were ill for the last 2 years of their lives 5... How much she loved me 6... How she sent $1. bills to each of my kids and a short letter almost every day after she moved to another state 7... How she loved to watch westerns, especially John Wayne movies 8... She loved to eat potato chips, bread, and meat 9... She lived to sew, crochet, knit. She did alterations, tailoring, and bridal. She made a lot of my clothes. She always fixed every piece of clothing that tore. 10... She made my wedding gown - very beautiful 11... She sang to me before bed many a night - songs from the 30s and 40s like "Mersey Dotes" and "Paper Dolls" 12... She loved musicals and got me addicted to them - also to General Hospital 13... She loved history - probably why she loved westerns. She also had a recurring dream that she was a reincarnated member of the fated Donner Pass Party. She believed this so much and it bothered her so much, that she couldn't drive across the pass when she was going to California for my wedding, so she deserted my step father and took a plane over it and met him on the other side. What do you remember about your mother? Or what do you like best about her?

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End of the World Movies and Stories

Real fast as I like to check in daily, but it's late and I feel guilty when I have an edit due and I'm here instead. I'm not sure what to blog about today. I've been very drained since becoming manager two weeks ago. I was always very busy. My coworkers were constantly asking me questions and for help before the promotion (probably why I was selected to get the promotion) which made me even busier, and yet, I seem to be even crazier than before. I can't hardly take a break (we usually take 15 minutes at 10 and again at 3) anymore. My walking buddies have given up on me. For instance, I began to take a break around 10 this morning and a call came in demanding to speak to the manager. Oy! So I handled it. Then, as soon as I got off the phone with her, I escaped to the ladies room but didn't take a whole break as it was getting late. When I got back to my desk only a couple minutes later, I had a message that that same woman had called back and was perturbed that I had stepped away. I can hardly go to the bathroom anymore! Our department gets this busy in November and December but this is the end of February! I'm sure things will settle down - my nerves included - and I won't be so completely drained. I was worse tonight. Not just drained, but jumpy and overwhelmed. But as one blog I read said, I need to list my blessings so quickly, here they are: my kids, my hubby, my pets, my home, my job, my friends, this great country (US), my dad, my cousin who I will see Saturday!!! I'm so excited - I've not seen her in a year, and many more. Hubby turned on "Independence Day" which is probably my favorite movie. I never tire of it and I watch it almost nightly. It helps me get to sleep. I know that seems strange - the world is on the brink of ending and I'm going to sleep. I love my "end-of-the-world-movies" as my kids call them. This one, "The Stand", "Night of the Comet", "The Mummy", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Left Behind". It's not that I want the world to end. Heavens no! But these movies exemplify the human spirit and we kick ass and triumph against all odds. These particular movies have great characterization, too. And, some of them are quite fun - at least in spots. Maybe I'm strange. Who cares? I keep trying to write these stories. Maybe not as much as I want as my critique partner keeps trying to pull me back from my Stephen King mode as she calls it. Still, I blew up planet earth in one of my stories. And yes, it was a romance. She didn't manage to reign me in on that one. I can't recall if I let her critique that one. Maybe I didn't... That was "Eternal Damnation" published by http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/. It's a futuristic vampire romance. And yet, if you've read many of my stories, you know I also love comedy romance. But if you look at my list above, some of those combine comedy, romance, action/adventure, and horror - The Mummy, Raiders..., and hubby says Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, fits the bill (I like it, but it's not one of my favs) which would fit all these qualifications. One of these days I'll come up with something like this. Oh! Wait! I did do one short story like this. "Curse of Osiris" in the "Enchanted Holidays" book published by Cerridwen Press, but it's under my pseudonym of Elaine Hopper and with my friends Sher Hames-Torres, Kim Cox, Liz Delisi, Chris Grover, and Maureen McMahon. Of course, I'm so tired, I almost forget this. And Sher's the one that keeps trying to keep me from blowing up the world or something equally heinous - she failed this time. Oh well...