11/25/09 New Moon Critique, Biz Stuff

*Dances in merrily and sits in chair*
Oh my goodness Mr. Blog! First the Fair Chair for Christmas in the Country on Bainbridge Island found a nice couple to take me in next week-end and I got so excited to meet them and go on a big adventure. But then I came home from the movie and Jeff at Allegra said there was a lamination delivery set-back and I might not have ANY games next week! I was ripping my hair out when Steve-O sent me an mail to Google Zazzle and put in,"Speed Kills" and there was my first tee-shirt! He had made me my own real edgy-looking online Zazzle Nixpix store!
He is so awesome. That cheered me considerably and inspired me to hunt down more
sales venues. I jumped out of bed just now and found TWO in Edmonds in May and June.
So I was checking on my homies that are down the hall at the Facebook Place.
It looks just like 3rd Place Books to me
and I rove around the tables visiting with everyone and watching them up on the stage
as they sing, read, display art, tell stories and do stand up comedy.
I'm too shy to get up on the stage yet
but I'm really good at cheering everyone on and clapping and whistling.
So I was sitting with Mimi and telling her about New Moon
and she said I should get up on the stage and tell everyone
but I was too shy so I told her I'd put my viewpoint in a blog.
You might want to lie down Mr. Blog 'cause it it pretty long.
*Watches Mr. Blog lie down on couch, clears throat and starts reading New Moon critique*
11/25/09 New Moon Critique

New Moon was more accurate to the book so I liked it better in that respect. The wolf CGI was awesome. How Kirsten could act out a nuanced nightmare to portray the reenactment of her dance studio torment was surprising to me. Jacob's unrequited love scene made me tear up a bit. Rosalie did a fine job of a five second tease for the upcoming two ... hinting at the angst of being robbed of the one thing she can never have as a vampire, a child. Surprisingly, my fav scene was not in the book but fabricated as Alice's vision of Bella frolicking through a forest with Edward shimmering in her future state. Unusual for a movie to outpace my imagination but it captured the innocence and carefreeness of youth in a way that completely captured my heart. Come to think of it the portrayal of Emily surpassed what I imagined too. The finesse of love that transcends the physical world. The scene accurately shows how hearts can bind internally while not physically touching which is how I've felt about Terry since we got married. RPatz was not as ubiquitous because of the plot line but the next two books are back to the Bella Edward story more. His scene in the classroom captured many of the qualities of Edward that women love: His ability to memorize and orate a difficult text from Shakespeare that has deep meaning to him. His contemporaries look on as he rattles off the text that they can barely read let alone understand well. Every woman in his classroom is riveted by his eloquence and comprehension of life's preciousness and eternal love.
UGH! That is awful Mr. Bog! I am SO going to rewrite that next week. Talk about poor writing! No topic sentence or five sentence paragraphs or five paragraph format. Shame on me.
I'm going to go see it again anyway next week because I want to write about all the Cullens and LaPush characters. I mean the way Ashley Green sits patiently while Jacob pleads with Bella was the stuff great acting is made of. Acting out patience. Her expression says, "I can go against my entire nature as a boisterous, impatient person and submit myself to humility in the face of this stinky dogs unrequited love."
It was hard to concentrate when my hopelessly romantic husband wanted to make out.

11/21/09 Bainbridge Island Here I Come!

*Bounces in happily and lies down* Oh Mr. Blog!
You'll never guess what happened today.
I was given a contact for a possible place to stay on Bainbridge Island for their arts and crafts show called, "Christmas in the Country" and we hit it off on the phone like salt and pepper!
Kathleen is a teacher in Kirkland but lives on Bainbridge and she and her husband
do old fashioned printing press printing on the side of their "real" jobs.
So if my 500 games are ready soon I can get them all packaged and loaded to go
December 4th, 5th and 6th.
Terry suggested I just hop on the Edmonds ferry and drive down the back way.
I was born in Seattle and never knew there was a bridge to Bainbridge Island!
'Course the last time I went there was 1966 to pick strawberries when I was ten.
It was awful. I talked my friend into straying into the restricted field 'cause that's where the really big berries were and the farmer caught us and gave us
the tongue lashing of a lifetime.
So anyway, I am so excited to go on a new adventure I can't stand it!

11/20/09 Hawaii With Bren and Home Again

*Walks in slowly and lies down* Hi Mr Blog, Here is a lei I brought you back from Hawaii. *Hands lei* So it was wonderful to warm up for a few weeks Mr. Blog. Now that I'm an old choker I notice I get chilled easier. Brenda and I had a lovely time. We shopped, went to the bot garden and snorkeled. The usual. She is almost like a sister after being pals since 10th grade in 1973.
She is the most amazing person I ever met in my entire life. Unique. Wonderful.
This time before I went I decided to be more amenable to all the things she wanted to do.
So I went to her classes and AA meetings and even Zimbalatize.
I especially enjoyed going to Uncle Robert's kava bar and meeting him and Puna and Julie and Uncle Harold. It is down at the lava flow area. Speaking of lava flow, we went at night to watch the lava spew into the ocean. What a firey and exciting sight that was!
I could talk for hours about the trip but it would be too boring for you. We got rained out the whole two weeks except the last day but I didn't care because it was 75F! Lovely warmth.
So I got home to the usual bomb disaster of a house
with both kids sick with colds and mailman Terry cranky as the day is long.
Troy didn't make the school basketball team and I am so sad for him.
He tried so hard and I could tell he was sad. Maybe next year.
I am tired today so I'm going to go take a nap before my errands.
I have mountains of Nixpix work but can't start on it until the home is in order.

11/6/09 Recycling More Than Papers

*Saunters in with "Superfreak" playing in her head and does a spin and shake and bake
before lying down*
Well get this Mr. Blog! I recycled my whole frickin' life yesterday!
I pulled out all my scout, PTA and teacher job seeking-papers and then I
hucked them in the recycle bin! Three times!
*Hears "Rocky" theme in head* Three times! *Jumps up and does "Rocky" dance*
Ten years of volunteer work papers and job hunting papers all GONE GONE GONE!
I feel free as a bird and thirsty for adventure!
And get this! I thought I had enough miles for a free ticket to visit Bren in Hawaii
but the stupid airline raised the mile level so I didn't.
Bren told me to tell Terry to charge a ticket cause she thinks she is dying of lung cancer.
She and Terry are both hypochondriacs and always think they are dying.
So I told Terry and he said, "You always go in November
and I have just enough credit on my emergency charge card for you to go
so go." I nearly fainted from shock because I didn't think in a million years
he'd ever go for the old "Best Friend is Dying of Lung Cancer"
three years in a row!!!
I only have two small games left so I'm going to my first arts and crafts fair tomorrow
at St. Brendan's church in Bothell anyway.
I'm taking the new large-print game to display it
and I'm passing out business cards and candy and meeting some new people.
I love to meet new people.
It's like picking up a new magazine only better!
The stories I've heard are always stranger than anything someone could make up.
Seriously!
I fly out Sunday and I'll miss you Mr. Blog.
Be good and I'll catch ya on the flip side.

11/5/09 Game On

*Struts in like she owns the joint and sits in a chair*
So we did it Mr. Blog! Connie and Steve and I met at Allegra Printers in Bothell yesterday
and I signed off on the limited edition of 500 Pass the Test, Rules of the Road,
Washington State, games.
We have already started on the USA game that replaces it in March.
I was so nervous before I left I thought I would puke! Bren called and reminded me to breathe
which was good since I hold my breath when I get nervous and it makes me dizzy.
I am so excited to sell I can't stand it!
It will kill me to wait until November 20th to get the games delivered.
My new mantra for my business is, "Spread Cheer."

11/4/09 Zumiez Alderwood Mall

*Skips in and lies down happily*
Hello Mr. Blog! How are you today? *Listens to a story about his Bassett hound*
That is so cute you named him NoMo after Stan Boreson's dog! You should bring him in!
So anyway, yesterday I picked up Connie and we dropped off our huge game display at Zumiez.
I had designed it around a box so the bottom was completely full of business cards, contest forms and candy! When I was subbing, I got very positive results from the teens bribing them with candy. No five paragraph essay, no Jolly Rancher.
So I think my candy strategy is a good one. The top of the display was a demo game glued vertically with some mini-racers attached and it looked really attractive.
The two ladies at Zumiez were very receptive and Allison said they were just in the
middle of refreshing their outside vendor information area.
If there is ONE place to advertise in Washington State it is at the Alderwood Mall Zumiez.
I bought so much stuff there for Troy and Teddy the last two Christmases and they
have all the latest cool graphic designs on clothes and hats and shoes.
We had lunch at Macaroni's fancy pants restaurant because the beautiful and generous
Stephanie McCarthy had given me a gift card for finding her babysitters.
Ohhh, it was nice. All brick and wood decor with a Chilhuly swag lamp in the entryway!
I had the eggplant parmesan and Connie had something that looked yummy.
We went over our business plan and realized without the next batch of games to sell
we were at a bit of a standstill. Hard to sell with no product.
Connie was kind enough to see the matinee of "Whip It" with me because
we are both Drew Barrymore and rollerderby fans.
The skating scenes were fantastic and now I'm going to go see one soon.
So I did a zillion errands after that and called Jeff at Allegra to get a release date
of our large-print, family fun edition and he said November 20th.
There is no sub work and I'll sell my last three small-print games Saturday
so I called Bren and she said to come out for a visit to Hawaii.
I have a comp ticket so I decided to go.

11/2/09 The Washington State DECA Conference

*Walks in and lies down* Well Mr. Blog, I knew going out of town right before the conference was dicey. Connie met me at Starbucks Monday night and was really put out when all I had
was six scenes for our skit outlined. I don't blame her because I was a terrible businesswoman to go out of town like that. We hammered out a plan and I asked her what was wrong and she
told me she had fallen down a flight of stairs the day before! My God Mr. Blog. She is tough
as frickin' nails. Wish I was half that tough.
So she picked me up Tuesday and we went to Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue and got our groove on. Only six teachers came for our presentation and they looked tired and grouchy since it was the last class of the conference. I was a little stiff but Connie pulled out all the stops and got loads of laughs. By the end of our ten minute skit of the birth of Nixpix they were all grinning.
One nice blond lady teacher said then and there that she was having her two classes market our game. We passed out goody bags with business card magnets and nipixjingle contest forms and candy and at the end I took more downstairs and passed them all out. 1,000 business cards and 1,000 contest forms. I think we did well.

11/2/09 My New Mission

*Walks in and sits on chair*
Hi Mr. Blog. I did a lot of reflecting about what all of Lloyd's friends and relatives said at his funeral. The the day after I got home from Utah the neighbor girl got locked out.
So if Lloyd's attitude lives in me and I can help a little girl, that means something.
This probably sounds crazier than usual.
But my new mission is to make every single person I meet feel better either about
themselves or their lives or both.
And that's not all.
When mummy got sick in 2002 I got depressed. Then she and Lyle died.
I swear to God I never thought I'd get my true cheer back.
Then last Christmas, out of the blue, my cheer came back.
It was like a black blanket was lifted off me and I felt like my old self for the first time in 2002.
So now I am calling or writing every single friend and relative to see what I can do for them.
It is my mission to make as many people happy before I kick the bucket as possible.