Never thought politics would make my heart beat so fast

Dan and I just finished watching live video of the house vote on the bailout package. My stomach was literally in knots watching the seconds tick away and the vote tally change. The video was turning our connection to molasses so I quit it before the last vote was cast, but seeing the nay votes so far in the lead made me want to cry tears of joy. I am so proud of the citizens right now--because this was a citizen-led decision, make no mistake. The public outcry was so huge that representatives couldn't help but listen if they valued their seat in Congress. I know when I told my reps how I felt I made a point of saying I considered this a reelection issue and that I'd track how they voted, though Dan pointed out they don't always track who voted how. Which I didn't know, and which I think is bloody stupid. But I hope people see how raising your voice and making your opinion known can actually make a difference.

Dan's watching C-Span online (I can't because they don't support Quicktime--thanks a lot guys!) and they're saying people can change their vote and there's some arm-twisting going on right now to try to get people to flip their decision. That makes me sick. It's bad enough to think that there are reps who don't care what their constituents want (or what all the experts say is the right thing to do) but to then try to force their decision on others and try to get them to forsake their own conscience!? Talk about making my blood boil.

Anyway, it's not going to matter, but I want to say thank you to all the reps who voted the way their constituents wanted. That's their job, and they did it well. Chances are this package is going to be re-packaged and pushed on the people again, so the fight isn't done, but hopefully people will continue to be vigilant. Check out downsizeDC.org to get updates about what's happening so you know when to harass your Congresspeople.

You are responsible.

I'm encouraged by the fact that the majority of the country realizes this bailout is a tremendously bad idea. However, if you haven't told your Congressional representatives yet how you feel, you *need* to make your voice heard. Our government was never supposed to bully its people the way it does, or act without following the will of its people. But somewhere along the line Americans got very lazy. We stopped thinking for ourselves and figured the government would sort things out just fine. We stopped taking them to task when they screwed up and stuck us with the fallout. We stopped speaking out and making our will known. It's time to shake off the apathy, folks, and get on the phone and the fax and the Internet and contact your reps whatever way you can to tell them you absolutely DO NOT support 3 trillion dollars' worth of bad debt being put on YOUR shoulders. The depression that this bailout will (not might, but will) cause is truly catastrophic.

This video does a phenomenal job of explaining what's going on and why the bailout must be stopped. It's ten minutes long, but worth watching--grab yourself a snack or some laundry to fold and put it on to listen to. Then email everyone you know and tell them the same thing: contact your Congressional reps, watch this video, and pass it on.

Nevermore

Yesterday was a red-letter day for Abby. She had her first McDonald's cheeseburger. We were at the mall, it was dinnertime, she likes hamburgers and chicken finger-type foods and anything else is very hit-or-miss, even if she's had it and liked it in the past. I was tired of buying her food she won't eat, and didn't want to deal with the whole eat-two-bites-say-I'm-done-then-complain-for-the-next-hour-about-how-hungry-she-is routine. SO I got the apple dippers to go with it, and a cup of water (which is all she wants to drink anyway) and comforted myself with the fact that she lasted about 20 months longer than a lot of kids her age when it comes to getting her first taste of the quintessential fast food.

Then this morning I ran across this.

WOW do I wish I'd just bitten the bullet and gotten her pb&j from Paradise Cafe instead.

Single Sashimi by Camy Tang

Camy is cool! Have you read her stuff yet? Here's a little bio about her:

Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. She used to be a biologist, but now she is a staff worker for her church youth group and leads a worship team for Sunday service. She also runs the Story Sensei fiction critique service. On her blog, she gives away Christian novels every Monday and Thursday, and she ponders frivolous things like dumb dogs (namely, hers), coffee-geek husbands (no resemblance to her own...), the writing journey, Asiana, and anything else that comes to mind. Visit her website at http://www.camytang.com/ for a huge website contest going on right now, giving away ten boxes of books and 30 copies of her latest release, SINGLE SASHIMI.

I've blogged about Camy's other two books, which I luuuuuved, and today I'm blogging about her third, though I haven't had the chance yet to read it. Can't wait to, though! Single Sashimi just released, and here's what Camy had to say about it--as well as some other things...

What's the basic scoop on "Single Sashimi"?

Here’s the back cover blurb:

Drake Yu. Why would Drake call her after … what, five years? Six?

Venus heard in his voice that resonance that was almost a growl, that titanium-hard determination to get what he wanted. And he usually got what he wanted. The voice said: “I want you to work for me.”

Not this time… If it was a choice between Drake and McDonald’s—she’d choose french fries. She’d never work for him again. It would take an act of God.

Venus Chau is determined to start her own game development company and launch the next Super Mario-sized phenomenon. However, she needs an investor to back her idea. When Drake Yu, an old nemesis, approaches Venus with a contracting opportunity at his sister’s startup, the offer to become Chief Operating Officer tempts Venus to think the unthinkable.

Venus would rather throw away her PS3 than work for Drake again … except Grandma bribes Venus to do this favor for Drake’s wealthy family with a coveted introduction to the most respected investor in the game industry. It’s also a short job—only a few months—so Venus won’t have to stand Drake’s presence for very long.

But one wild youth group, a two-faced assistant, and Grandma’s determined match-making threaten to make them both fail—or go insane. With the encouragement of her three cousins, Lex, Trish, and Jennifer, Venus discovers that even a wounded heart can undergo a beautiful transformation …

This is the third book in this series, right? Will there be a fourth? If not, what do you have planned as your next release?

Yes, Single Sashimi is the third book in this series. Zondervan didn’t contract me for the fourth book, BUT I will be writing it anyway and offering it around the end of the year as a free ebook download to members of my YahooGroup newsletter. It’s tentatively titled “Weddings and Wasabi.”

To join my YahooGroup is free and easy! Visit this webpage: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Camys_Loft/join

(If anyone has problems joining my YahooGroup, they can email and I can help them out.)

As for my next “official” release, I’m writing a romantic suspense tentatively scheduled for August 2009 that will be released by Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired Suspense line. It’s titled Deadly Intent, and it’s set in a day spa in Sonoma, California.

What was the most difficult or challenging part of writing "Single Sashimi"?

The research for Single Sashimi was harder than my other books because it was a completely new field for me. I had to rely heavily on friends who hooked me up with other friends who work in the field of video game development. The two women I dedicated the book to were invaluable help in creating Venus’s career around her and also accurately depicting the world of start ups in the Silicon Valley.

What are you reading for fun right now?

Miss Fortune by Sara Mills. It’s like a Christian Maltese Falcon with a female protagonist.

What do you hope readers will take away from "Single Sashimi" (besides a craving for sushi, that is)?

I hope, first and foremost, that they have an entertaining, satisfying read. Second, I hope they come away with a renewed sense of how God is always in control.


Thanks for having me here, Alison!

Pepper is the new ketchup

We've always known Abby likes her food with some taste, you know? She loves salsa, for example. I didn't even try salsa until I was 21.

But really, this is ridiculous.

It started at Claim Jumper's the other day. Dan took her there for dinner because I needed a break. They started putting pepper on her...grapes. Yes. Grapes. And she loved it.

Fast forward to today. We're eating dinner at my parents' place. I come back from putting Penny Jane down for a nap and find Abby sprinkling pepper on her...cucumber. Ooookay. Then Mom tells me she ate six cherry tomatoes--which she has previously loathed--all dusted with pepper. For dessert, she had applesauce, and, well...

Looks like I'm it

My book club buddy and doula, Sheridan, tagged me for this survey. I haven't done one of these things in a while, so I figured why not? :)

1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules to your blog
3. Write 6 random things about yourself
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them
5. Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted.

1. I have 1.5 chapters done on my fourth book.
2. I just ate an apple with peanut butter for my mid-morning snack.
3. Today I'm wearing my glasses instead of my contact lenses.
4. Five objects that are within reach here on the dining room table are: my FlipVideo, the baby monitor, PJ's appointment card for her 9 month well-baby check, the remote to Abby's GeoTrax train, and my peanut butter-smeared plate.
5. There are currently eleven tabs open on my Firebox browser window.
6. I am a world-class procrastinator, evidenced by the fact that I just chose to spend 10 minutes on this blog instead of doing any of the hundred or so other things I really *ought* to be doing.

The five people (I don't follow directions well, what can I say) I am tagging are: My sister-in-law Kelli, my friend Marcela, my friend Meg, my brother Kyle, and my husband.

It curls!

I was going to get it styled like I did when I first moved out here, but when Brooke started going at it we realized that it really curls when it's short. So, voila, the new me!

So long long hair!

I've finally reached the end of my rope with my hair. Tomorrow at 2:30 it's getting HACKED and I'll send it in to Locks of Love. I'm going back to my super-short cut that I got when I first moved out here. I CAN'T WAIT. It's been way too long since I did something with my hair.

So tune in tomorrow night for the results! Here's the BEFORE:

So this is what we've come to

We used to have a first amendment, if I remember correctly. And the freedom to assemble peacefully. Apparently not anymore.

Our government has more in common with Nazi Germany these days than it does with our own Constitution. God save us all.

Wonder Pets, we love you...

One of Abby's favorite shows is The Wonder Pets. For those of you not hip to the toddler TV trends, The Wonder Pets are three preschool classroom pets--a duckling named Ming Ming, a turtle named Tuck, and a guinea pig named Linny--who rescue baby animals from various quandaries after the preschoolers have gone home for the day. There's lots of singing--it's sort of opera-ish, where they sing instead of talking (though not always) and the theme of the show is always teamwork--they always work together to save the baby animal, and always employ some outside-the-box solution which they used previously to put together the Fly Boat. It's a cute show, overall, despite the disturbing hints of gender identity issues Linny (supposedly a girl, but not quite) displays.

Anyway, I've been noticing lately how much Abby has picked up from this show. Anyone claiming kids aren't influenced by what they watch should just observe her for a week and see just how much--good and bad--she soaks up from this show. Some samples:

1. She's BIG into teamwork, which overall is a good thing, though not when you're trying to sweep or change the baby's diaper. She'll say, "I need some teamwork over here!" when she wants help, and while you're working together she'll make you sing the teamwork song from the show.

2. One of the episodes involved helping a baby rooster who didn't know how to crow loud enough to wake the farm. After they give him some suggestions, he says, "Okay! I'll cock-a-doodle do it!" This is now Abby's favorite thing to say.

3. Lately she's talked about "being in trouble." I was confused for the longest time about what she meant since we never refer to her as being in trouble and, as far as I could remember, none of the shows she watches have characters who get in trouble, either. But just the other day I remembered one of the lines to the theme song is "There's an animal in trouble somewhere!" I realized she always says it when she's stuck or unable to get something to work right--like today, when trying to get her shoe on. "Mama, I got my foot in this one, but I in trouble with this other shoe because it keeps closing!"

4. In one of the shows, Ming Ming and Tuck get in a fight and Ming Ming sings, "I'm not going to talk to you anymore!" Well, now every once in a while Abby sings the same thing, complete with dismissive head-toss. Oops.

5. The Wonder Pets always reward themselves with celery after a successful rescue. Now she eats celery. Woohoo!

6. Dozens and dozens of "Hey! Like on Wonder Pets!" that occur throughout the day--animals we see (like the cranes at the Wild Animal Park), instruments (there was a mouse in a saxophone once, then we saw a sax on Riverdance), etc. I'm stunned sometimes by the details she remembers. Just one more reminder to watch our p's and q's around her. She's soaking it ALL in.

Catching up

My apologies for all the spotty blogging lately; there's been a ton on both my mind and my plate and I just haven't had the energy to sit and write anything. But now that we're back from our vacation in La Jolla (which, in all honesty, wasn't all that relaxing) I feel ready to at least post some updates.

First off--make sure you received my newsletter from August 17th. If you know you signed up but don't think you got it, check your spam and it should be there. If you aren't sure if you signed up, go ahead and do it again--the system is smart and won't list you twice, so if you're already signed up you're not going to start getting multiple copies of the newsletter. And if you haven't signed up, then you can do it right now--just put your email address in the little box up there in the right-hand column and click the wee button. When your submission goes through I'll send you a copy of the August newsletter, and if you want you can read the the June issue in the archives.

Second off--I have officially begun working on book #4, and since I'm sick and tired of calling it Book #4, I hereby dub it with the working title of "Guilt." Though, to be completely accurate, I actually haven't started working on the book itself--I've just started the marketing for it. That's a kick--filling out a marketing packet for Zondervan for a book that doesn't exist yet except in my snowflake notes. Which ROCK, by the way: of the 5 things Zondervan (hereby called Z) requested in the marketing packet, 3 of them were steps in the snowflake and are thus already completed. A little cut-n-paste and I'm done. Woohoo! Unfortunately, one of the other things it asks for is 15-20 pages of completed manuscript that is representative of the whole of the book, and since I haven't started writing yet I am not only short 15-20 pages, I am clueless as to what section of the book would actually *be* a good representative of the whole. The marketing stuff is due in to Z on Oct. 1 so I've got some time to sort it out. And who knows--given how comprehensive the snowflake is, I may have half the book done by then! Wouldn't that be a trip?!

Third off--If you're ever in San Diego, you've GOT to go to the Wild Animal Park. We went the other day and had so much fun! Though I did learn some things:

1. The Wild Animal Park is nowhere near the Zoo, which is, of course, in San Diego. It is in Escondito, which is inland quite a bit. Therefore...

2. ...when planning a trip to the Wild Animal Park, do NOT check the weather in San Diego and get all excited at the thought of a nice day in the mid-70's and decide to wear jeans. Because when you get to Escondito it will be 93 degrees and you will feel like a giant sweating pig by hour #3.

3. Bring strollers for ALL children. Do not assume that the forward-facing carry you read about online will work with your sling and that your baby will want to be in it all day, thus freeing up the stroller for your toddler. And when you're on the Safari Walk for 45 minutes and are going up the third hill, your toddler is going to want to ride, or else be carried, and then you're really stuck.

4. Prepare to be pleasantly surprised by the prices. No, it's not cheap, but it's not highway robbery the way some places are. And their kids' meal is awesome! (Though the bees will want to sample everything, too, which makes for a sort of dicey eating experience.)

Giant sweating pig-ness aside, it was a fantastic day and we can't wait to go again. It's only about an hour from us here in RSM, and since we have annual Zoo passes we get free admission and parking, so there's no reason for us not to go back a bunch, especially before the crowds start picking up. We went on the day the public schools all started classes, so the place was really empty, and the parking attendant said it's usually pretty empty through October. We're going to just keep an eye on the Escondito weather and head down there on cool days.

The only two things Abby said she wanted to see while we were there were, "a cat and a giant chicken." All the big cats were in hiding because of the heat, but we did see some meerkats, which she seemed happy with:



And while there were no giant chickens to be found, there were flamingos aplenty:



We also saw gorillas during feeding time--the trainer was atop their rocky enclosure and dropped whole bell peppers, corn on the cobs, and carrots to them, prompting Abby to say, "I want to be a monkey so you can throw food at me!" And there were tons of elephants, including one giving himself a bath, which Abby really enjoyed watching. Next time we go we're going to take the safari bus tour--can't wait for that!

Checkpoint 2

I'm so psyched. I just emailed my editor with my manuscript two days early! I didn't think I'd get it done before mid-September, but I miscalculated the number of chapters I had (if by miscalculated you meant 'mistook the 3 in "Chapter 23" to be an 8') so I didn't need as much time as I thought I would. But coming down to the condo definitely sped up the process. It's not like I don't have to make meals, or do laundry (diaper laundry, anyway), or take care of the kids, but for some reason I find more time here to work.

So the next step is to start working on the marketing pack for book #4--and actually start writing book #4. FINALLY.

Did you get it?

So it's been a week, and through the mighty powers of newsletter tracking, I can tell that some of you still haven't read your August issue of "Life in the Balance" yet. It's totally cool with me if you just haven't had the chance, or if you changed your mind and deleted it on sight, but I wanted to mention it in case it went to your spam without you knowing it. And if you haven't signed up for it yet and want to see what you're getting into when you register for it, then click here to read the latest issue.

Mental illness and the church

A fellow writer and blogger, Julie Fidler, is currently working on a book about mental illness and the Christian church and needs a little help:

I'm writing a book about mental illness & the Church - what the Church has done right, what they've done wrong, what mental illness is, what it isn't, and how they need to improve in reaching out to the sick.

I'm looking to interview people with mental illness (depression and/or everything else!) who have stories to tell about their experiences with church and other Christians, both good and bad.

If you fit that description and would be willing to talk with her, you can contact her at julie.fidler@live.com. She also posted about this on her blog. She's pretty open about this on her blog, so I think it's okay for me to tell you that Julie herself has bi-polar, so you won't be talking to someone who is only working from a theory standpoint--she's been there, done that. Knowing that might make it easier for folks to contact her; you know she will relate to you in a way most of us never can. Good luck, Julie!

five years

Today is Dan's and my fifth wedding anniversary. We agreed no presents, but he got me one anyway, the goof--a silver linked-heart necklace that Penny has not once tried to grab while nursing, long may it last. Like it?


We're in Ventura for the weekend, and right now we're watching the Angels (yay!) versus the Yankees (boo!) but my friend's husband is pitching for the Yankees (yay!) so its kinda hard not to cheer for him. He's doing really well, too (yay for him, boo for the Angels). Since we've gotten rid of cable we've never had the chance to see him pitch, so it's been a treat to see him on TV.

Thought I had wedding photos on this computer, but I guess not. I'll post one when we get back from Ventura...

Deep thought of the week

Mothers are proof that evolution did not bring us to where we are today. If it had, then by now we would have four arms, eyes in the back of our heads, and the ability to function on three hours of sleep.

Toddler Spirituality, Part 2

Yesterday I took the girls to the RSM lake to meet up with some friends. While we were there we ran into a woman I was in a small group with back before Abby was born. After she left, Abby said, "Who that?"

"That was Miss Lori. Mommy knew her before you were born."

"Oh. I was with Jesus before I was born."

*boggle* "Um...really?"

"Yeah. Penny Jane was, too."

"PJ lived with Jesus too?"

"Yeah."

"Before she was born?"

"Yeah. He's gone now."

"Jesus is gone? Like, he's up in heaven?"

"Yeah."

We've never said anything to her about her living with Jesus before being born. I have no idea where she came up with the idea. Unless...

Toddler Spirituality

Abby's really into Jesus these days. One of her bedtime books is a collection of Bible stories about him written in very simply language. For the last week or so it's been the only book she wants to read at night (we typically read two), and she'll pick to a random title in the table of contents and we'll start there and read three of the stories. And then the other day she told Dan, "Jesus is coming over today. He's going to give me a hug."

I'm teaching her the Lord's Prayer. We were praying it at naptime, and then praying our usual prayer at bedtime, but now she asks for the "Our Father prayer" anytime we pray. I say a line and she repeats it, but she's getting a few of them a little wrong. It's so cute. For example, every time I say "thy" she says "my" (for some reason I memorized it in King James language). She also says, "deliver us from eagles." And every time I say, "Lead us not into temptation" she'll say, "Like Larry Boy!" (Thank you Veggie Tales.) And I started pronouncing "Amen" as "Ahmen" when we did the Lord's Prayer, and now if I say it with the long A sound like I used to, she'll say, "No, it's AH-men!"

Abby has heard me sing Penny Jane's lullabies enough that she's learning the songs (plus she's heard all the songs on her Praise Baby DVDs for the last year or so), so now she sings them whenever the mood strikes her. One of the songs' lyrics is "Hallelujah, hallelujah, God is love." Abby pronounces it, "Haba-you-yuh," and when she sings along with me while I'm trying to put PJ down it's always a struggle not to start laughing, I just love how it sounds.

Pens, highlighters, and notecards at the ready...

Guess what this is?



That is my third novel, Reinventing Rachel, all 192 single-spaced pages of it. It is due in two months. Tomorrow I'm going to begin my edits. Woohoo! I love being this far ahead of the game. All I need to do before I start is three-hole punch it, buy some highlighters, and pick up the editing flashcards (a.k.a. the checklists at the end of each chapter of Self-Editing for Fiction Writers) I had laminated today at Staples.

Now, if you've been paying attention, you know that I wasn't supposed to start editing until next week. Well, I decided to tweak my schedule a little. I finished the snowflake method for the fourth book a couple nights ago, but I decided not to start writing because I have a feeling I'm going to get really into it, and I didn't want to set myself up for frustration by starting something I wasn't going to be able to finish. I'd rather set the snowflake aside, edit ReRa, and then come back and reread the snowflake and insert the information I've gathered from the research I still need to do and then start writing. I also decided to take on a sewing project because I'm just not busy enough.

Wish me luck!

Checkpoint 1

Today was the first checkpoint on my six-month schedule. I am happy (and surprised, frankly) to announce that I indeed finished mapping out the scenes for Book 4! (I really have to figure out a title for this book.) I didn't think I'd make it since I'd missed a big part of the process and had to set the scene stuff aside to go do it, but I actually finished it Thursday night. However, when I made that schedule I did so assuming I was going to skip the last step in the snowflake process, but I've decided to really stick to it and do it all the way. So I doubt I'll get the first 10% done by August 2 like I'd planned. But, then again, this whole experience has been one happy surprise after another so far, so who knows, maybe it'll work out.

Dan's brother-in-law is here with his family for the weekend. They're Las Vegas folks (North Las Vegas, to be specific) but they're Disneyland fanatics, so they're in town to purchase season tickets. I'm going to get pictures while they're here of their son Simon (who's 5) with Abby, because they look so much like siblings; same with their 6-month-old Gavin and Penny Jane. It's bizarre, really, how much they look alike. There is zero resemblance between me and my cousins, so it really cracks me up.

All the kids are in bed, Dan and Andrew are holed up in Dan's office playing XBox games, and Amber is, I think, tucking herself into the Aerobed, so I'm going to take advantage of the solitude and get going on the last step of the snowflake process. I can't say enough about this concept--if you're a novelist you absolutely MUST check it out. It's ten bucks and worth every penny.