In-N-Out

I was recently reading Dan Wells' blog (the author of 'I Am Not a Serial Killer') and we got into a discussion about the ever-famous California creation...In-N-Out burger. He claims that Jack in the Box is a much better choice and I say he's crazy. Now, I realize that In-N-Out is a fairly simple example of what a burger could be, but I also say it is THE example of what it should be. Toasted bun, a perfectly cooked beef patty that has never been frozen, crisp lettuce, grilled onions melded with american cheese, ripe tomatoes and lots of that special sauce. What's not to love? The problem is that people come from all around expecting some miraculous religious experience when tasting an In-N-Out burger when in reality it is just a burger. I say, strip away the hype. Don't listen to what anyone else says on the matter. It will never live up to it. Go into the experience with your eyes open. Use this system universally for experiencing life and you will never be dissappointed.

Dead Bird

No, this isn't like a 'Dead in the Water' political piece, or a 'Lame Duck' whatever. This is about the baby quail my kids brought home yesterday. This is how the story goes:

"Mom! Mom! Mom! Guess what?"

"I don't know. What?"

"We found a bird and I think it's a baby chicken. Can we keep it? Please? Please? Please?"

This is where you get to see how cool I am because I said....

"Why, of course you can keep it! What kind of mother would I be if I didn't let you keep every creature that crosses your path?"

I called a friend who brought over food and a heat lamp left over from their days of quail/chicken rearing. Then I put my kids in bed, put a movie on for me and Scott and then went to bed.

Time: middle of the night.

sniff.

"Katie? What's wrong?"

"The birdie died."

Which is how I spent the rest of the night with my daughter asleep next to me. Very sad. This is the conclusion for the kids, but not the parents. I love how in movies, the parents always oblige their children with the burial of the pet they loved and adored. Is this what I'm supposed to do? Am I supposed to draw out the process with a lengthy funeral filled with tears and sorrow? Over a wild baby quail that should've been left alone in the first place? I just don't know.

Done!

Yep. I finished "Sidewinder" today. It was bound to happen, what with it being so action packed. I'd say it's a combination of The Matrix and Transformers exploding all over the place. No, really. There were explosions ALL OVER THE PLACE! So if you're bored this summer, pick up "Sidewin--" oh wait! It's not published yet. Shucks! You all will just have to wait till Graham sells it to a totally awesome publishing house who will then print it up with totally awesome cover art for the totally awesome store shelf. So sad for you. ;)

Now that I'm done with The Count of Monte Cristo, I get to fill the void with a fairly AWESOME manuscript that Graham sent me. It's fast paced, has lots of action and reads like an action movie. And I'm only to chapter 10. Holy cow, Graham, I'd love to see the inside of your brain!

The Count of Monte Cristo

That's right, I am blogging one more time about this subject because I'm finally DONE! I finished it yesterday at 5:40p.m. while coming home from San Francisco. Don't worry, I didn't cause any accidents because my husband was driving. Since it's a classic, I'm not going to go into details that I'm pretty everyone out there already knows. I will say that there were plenty of tears during the last hundred pages. If I ever write a novel as compelling and complete as The Count, it will be a miracle. But as the Count says, "Wait and hope." We shall see.

ARCs

I'm stating for the record that ARC's are a form of cruel and unusual punishment. On the surface it seems like a good thing to be able read a novel that is unavailable at the book store for a few more months, but in reality it's torture knowing that I have to wait THAT MUCH LONGER for the next book to be published. I don't like it.

I'm home

I know, I know. I should be happy about being home. It's just so easy to miss my friends the moment I leave them! My one consolation is that I get to resume hanging with Dot every chance I get. Seriously, Dot, you have to move with me where ever I go or I might be permanently depressed! I am also consoled because, through no fault of my own, I forgot to pack the Digestives for Donna and I am greedily munching them as I type this. :)

I should also count my blessings that I'm home because I can finally get my notes in order and start writing in earnest. And the cherry on top is that I have a few precious moments to read so I'll be able to get through The Count of Monte Cristo AND Sidewinder (a manuscript that Graham is letting me read) in a matter of a few days. Hooray! I'll let you know what I think as soon as I'm done, Graham.

Has it seriously been almost a week since I posted last? Well here's my update:

My family celebrated my mom's birthday last night with good food and good times. There was a particularly fantastic avacado salad that my sister made that I will for sure be getting the recipe for. And we had German chocolate cake that was delightful as well, so......I'm always happy after good food!

Anyway, we're having our long-planned author dinner tonight. I get to meet Tristi Pinkston, who is coming up from the Provo area to hang with us tonight. Fun! Graham is also joining us so I know it will be full of hilarity. ;)

And with that, I must go be helpful.

Sunday

The mark of a good vacation is when you get to the end and your children sleep soundly for a solid 12-14 hours. Now, I'm not entirely certain that we've reached that point, but my boys are asleep and it remains to be seen if they will sleep the rest of the night. Note that I'm writing this at 5:18p.m. so there is a huge chance that I will be dealing with cranky children at midnight. Oh well. If that happens I'll just have to break out the root beer floats. What the other kids don't know won't hurt them. :)

Two Things

First-

I haven't had any seasonal allergies this season until yesterday. Grrrrrr! Curse these Utahn's and their habitual planting of beautiful flowers!

Second-

I started training Donna's dog, Princess, to not run away today. It's a rude awakening, but a much more agreeable reality for her (in the long run). Nothing like a few well timed shocks to rewire that brain of hers. I know there are people who disagree with this type of training for animals, but I say it works.

Dinner

My writing group had dinner at the Paradise Cafe last night. (Is it a cafe or a bakery? I don't know). Linda couldn't make it because of having a brand new baby with an ear infection...and Pony Express Days logistics. Sorry we missed you, Linda! However, the lovely Graham Bradley joined us. We were supposed to buy him dinner since we invited him, but afterwards we looked over the receipts and I'm pretty sure no one paid. Sorry, Paradise Cafe! Anyway, I got to see Kirk and DJ, both of whom I haven't been able to hang out with yet since I've been here and I have to say I just love hanging with these guys. It's quite entertaining, plus it helps keep me focused on writing and what kind of story I want my book to be. In fact, I had a crazy dream last night that I'm pretty sure is supposed to be in my book somewhere. I grabbed my pen as soon as my eyes opened and started writing furiously. I hope I didn't miss anything. That kind of stuff only happens for me when I've been involved with these guys.

I'm going to miss you all when I go home next week!

It's been a few days since I last posted, so I should probably do some updating.

I just spent yesterday and the better part of today reading a really rad book! I'm not allowed to say what it is yet, but I will say that it was really rad! Thankfully, I'm at my best friend Donna's house so my kids have been playing all day with their friends while I sat my butt down on the couch to read with very few interruptions. Hooray for best friends and vacations!