Speaking of Positive Attitudes...

Last night, Amy got voted out of Survivor. She was a class act all the way. I really hated to see her go.

Not much else happened. Sadly, the 'tosterone was kept under wraps. Dudd was quiet and Jamie actually showed a bit of smarts when he revealed his strategy to keep Dudd around in the final two with him. Of course, Jamie isn't getting into the final two. That would be a miracle. He's sure to screw up between now and then. His paranoia with the other team was fun to watch, though. I guess a little chocolate and a dip in the ole swimming hole was too much for him.

Bobby Jon is emerging as the Stepford Survivor. Who wrote those lines for him? "Today it's all about Fellowship." Fellowship? These people want to slit your throat, BJ! Not commune with you! Jeez! Did you learn nothing in Palau???

I still say this is Brandon and Gary's game, with Danni and Rafe as strong possibilities to the final four. Next week is the merge, so we'll see who comes out strong.

Keeping a Positive Attitude

I love people who have a positive outlook on life. They're the sort of people I like being around. The people I want to emulate.

You know the other kind. The ones that suck the oxygen right out of the room. The "oh, poor me, nothing ever goes my way" sort of people? You lose five years of your life just by standing next to them.

As this American Title II Contest begins in just a few weeks, I know keeping a positive attitude is the key to success. Win or lose, I believe that one day I will be published. This contest is merely a stepping stone in my career.

My 12 year old daughter, an aspring Broadway actress :) summed it up best. "When I shoot for the moon, I get there!" You go girl! Now rub some of that off on me!

I didn't know I was so smart, man!

Dudd, do you have to give me more amnunition, dude?

NEWS FLASH.

All of America saw the puzzle before you did. And Rafe would have seen it, too, if he was looking at it from your angle. He had all the pieces in place, something you couldn't have done in a million years..oh, but wait, first you have to actually get the bag OPEN, Judd.

The ball rolling challenge was great. All that lovely male 'tosterone flying in the air. Jamie and Bobby Jon got into a shouting match. LOL! As Bobby J puts it "we were like 2 bulls in heat". They're both dumb as dirt, but man, cleaned up, these 2 with their lovely southern accents and gorgeous looks could probably charm the panties off most of female America. I liked the fact that Jamie didn't seem overly concerned about the whole thing. "We're southern, we're crazy." Bobby J took it a bit more seriously. He'll be in trouble down the road if he doesn't contain his temper. It didn't hurt him with his tribe, though. Gary called Bobby J "the heart of the tribe" or maybe he was the "spirit of the tribe". Not sure. Might have to look at my dvr again.

Stephenie continues to disappoint more as the season progresses. She and Cindy (both of which have more muscles than Rafe and Brian x 4) couldn't overpower Olive Oil and a wounded Amy. It was pathetic. Just shut up, Stephenie (and please stop with the "Oh MY God!'s) You'd think the chick has never seen Survivor before, let alone already had her shot as a player. Every twist and turn manages to shock Stephenie into prayer. When the tribe needed you, Steph, you couldn't deliver. It was Dudd and Jamie that saved the day. And doesn't Dudd know it.

Amy is the hero of the hour. Her tribe didn't win, but she was one bad ass chick that never quit. I love that kind of positive spirit! Stephenie used to have it, but lost it somewhere between Palau and Guatamala. At tribal council when Jeff asked Amy about her ankle, you could see the "oh no" in her eyes. She did a great job of playing it down.

I'm sorry to see Brian go. He's a smart kid. But someone had to be kicked off. Brian lost the ball challenge for them and Amy stepped up to the plate. And in the end, Brian and his fem/boy genes was probably going to prove too diabolical. Smart move on Yaxha's part.

As for Margaret, that was a long time in coming. Dudd's hostility at tribal council was a hoot, though. I don't think Jeff knew what to make of it.

It looks like the tribes are going to merge next week. This is excellent news for Cindy and Rafe who look ready to bolt. Gary, Bobby J, Brandon and Danni are now in control of the game. If they can get Cindy and Rafe over to their side, it will be a piece of cake. Dudd and Jamie are walking targets. They are too physically strong to leave them around, and Steph will be gone by default by aligning herself with them. Those 3 are history.

The way I see it now, this game is either Gary's or Brandon's to lose if they screw up.

What Peanuts Character are you?

You are Woodstock!


Which Peanuts Character are You?
brought to you by Quizilla




Woodstock? I'm not even a Peanuts person? But a Peanuts animal?? Oh, well. I adore Peanuts. Charles Schultz was a genius. I made my husband take this quiz and he was Linus:)

My friend Mel is not the only quiz ho around. I got this off another American Title II finalist's, blog, Suzanna Owens.

The War Bride

I found this lovely picture on a site about Ciudad Rodrigo (the city in Western Spain where my historical, The War Bride, takes place) It's also very appropriate because the battle of Ciudad Rodrigo (in which my heroine got into a lot of trouble) took place in the dead of winter and there was snow on the ground. People always have trouble believing that it snows in Spain.

My plan is to superimpose a saber (there's a thrilling sword scene at the end of the book) and a rose (because I think roses symbolize romance) over the cathedral backdrop. Hence, I get the image of old world, danger and romance. What do you think?

Now if I could just figure a way to get that picture permanently in my blog description!! I know there is a way, damn it, and I'm determined to find it.

Golden Boy no more

Sigh... the men just don't get it. Blake, aka, "Golden Boy" put his foot in his mouth one too many times last night and got booted from his Survivor fraternity.

Helloooo, Blake! Not only were Danni and Amy not impressed with the stories of your girlfriend's double D sized boobs, but even Bobby Jon and Brandon were snoozing on that. What did Brandon say, "I'm not into novelty breasts"? It's probably the most interesting thing country boy has uttered the entire game.

I have to give it to Brian (but then, who can compete with the diabolic fem/boy gene?) He was brilliant. He saved himself last night and I really thought he was agoner. As I said before, I think he's going to go far in this game.

Danni has voted herself into an interesting position. She was the Delilah to Blake's Samson. Not sure how that will work out for her, but I still like her. A lot. I really hope she makes it to the final four.

Lydia rose about 10 notches last night. While Stephenie and the rest of her tribe were crying about losing the reward challenge, Lydia got out there and made lemonade out of lemons. Literally. She chopped citrus and danced and cracked jokes and it was just what that sad sack of losers needed to motivate them. And she performed really well in the Immunity challenge. Lydia is slowly rising to the leadership position that Stephenie is too whiney to take. Steph has been a real disappointment this go around. She's a great athlete, has a great spirit, but she is an individualist- not a team player. It's no coincidence that she's on the losing team 2 seasons in a row. The girl couldn't motivate her way out of a paperbag.

As for Laurel and Hardy, er, I mean, Pokey and Dudd...er, I mean, Jamie and Judd. Not even worth mentioning. Can you say, pathetic?

Next week's previews show a shirtless Bobby Jon and Jamie squaring off. I just wonder where Judd and his 'tosterone are during this. Could be an interesting threesome, don't you think?

Survivor Update--Too Stupid to Win

The men are too stupid to win. Period. If a woman doesn't win this one, I'll puke.

First there's Judd--or rather, Dudd, who, when paired with Brandon, was sort of funny and entertaining in a Dumb and Dumber sort of way. On his own, however, he's just plain stupid. The word is testosterone, Dudd-- not tosterone.

Then we have Bobby Jon. I really liked Bobby Jon and Stephenie on Survivor Palau. But the old saying that fish and company start to smell in 3 days has something to it. I came to the conclusion awhile back that Bobby Jon is a spaz. A cute spaz, but a spaz just the same. Notice how often he trips and falls down or overthrows or basically just tries so hard on the challenges that he ends up blowing it. Tonight, while his team was rowing to retrieve their bag in the immunity challenge, Bobby Jon was rowing frantically... in the wrong direction. Enough said. I wish someone would give him a modeling contract so he could just smile and look purty.

And then there's Gary. This dude keeps digging his own grave deeper and deeper. Tonight, he confronted Danni and denied once again that he was an NFL quarterback. AGH! This is so frustrating because I actually like Gary.

If Margaret doesn't do something brilliant and fast, her days are numbered. Did you see the stunned look on her face when Judd did his Judas act? She shouldn't have been surprised. That will teach you, Margaret, to run around playing Florence Nightengale to a bunch of genetically inferior beings, aka, the men on your team. How many of them were puking and suffering from heat stroke on day one? The thanks you will get for nursing them is a deadpan look from Jeff when he says "Margaret, the tribe has spoken." Dummm.....

Poor Stephenie. By the time this show is over, America will be sick of her. The editing and Jeff will see to that. How many times do we have to hear that poor poor Stephenie is on "the losing team"? Now, besides being on the losing team, Stephenie has bad luck. Maybe Lydia can find a chicken and sacrifice it to rid Steph of her mal mojo. Otherwise, I fear Steph is doomed to go down in Survivor history as the biggest loser of all.

Last but not least are Rafe and Brian (who, for our purposes I will not lump in with the men) So far, these guys have gone under the radar and played it smart. I think they will both last a long time.

Tonight's favorite: Danni. She is a kick ass chick that hasn't done or said anything dumb. And, surprise, she manages to get on the winning team! She's my early favorite to win. A beautiful woman who is smart and strong. At least so far...

Wow! I won something

I actually won something. I never win anything. But I just found out that I have won my friend Sydney Gallagher's blog contest. I get an authentic beer mug from the Cannstatter Volksfest 2005! Which is very cool, because my husband, better known simply as Mike Geraci (not just Mike, but Mike Geraci- must have both first and last name in there) was born in Stuttgart where the festival takes place. Though there's not a drop of German blood in him (he was an army brat) he has a great affinity with the German people (they both love beer) So this will make a nice little present for him.

Check out Sydney's website:

http://www.sydneygallagher.com/

The Kia Marathon

Hey Maria, I'm stealing your blog again--but this time it's for a good cause. :)

Our writing chapter, RWA Online, hosts a writing marathon every October in honor of a former member, Kia Cochrane.

Here's Kia's story.
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Copyright 2002
DanaRae Pomeroy

The Kia Marathon

Kia was a special lady to many of the people in the Romance Section and, later, the RWA Forum. She was published in contemporary category romance as Kia Cochran. Just prior to her death, she'd turned her hand to attempting mystery romances.

I was one of the few fortunate enough to meet Kia in person. In fact, we 'camped' in her back yard in our RV for three weeks, the spring before she died. Kia is responsible (long story) for our move to Greenville SC, 'tho I'd never met her in person until we pulled into their driveway.

Several of us came to know Kia well through doing the Artist Way course via email and forming a Sacred Circle. When I had the opportunity to spend three weeks literally in her backyard, it was as if we were old friends. In addition to her writing, Kia was a voracious reader. She made weekly trips to the local library and and supported the Friends of the Library in their sales fundraising. She was also a crafter and viewed her knitting and her quilting as she did her writing ... a puzzle to be put together, a story to be told, an image to be created.

Kia was always encouraging and her primary mantra to the rest of us was to write, write the story, tell the story, do not stop, do not pull out the red pencil, do not listen to the internal critic, until the story is on paper or disk. Then, go back and plug the holes, flesh the characters, add the description, whatever. The important thing was to write and tell the story, then worry about the "warts."

Kia survived breast cancer and was headed toward her fifth year "clear" exam when bone cancer set in. Most folks never knew she was a cancer survivor, nor that she was as ill as she was the last several months. She refused to go to the hospital until the very end, wanting to stay at home with her husband, surrounded by the plants she loved and the dogs who were her "children." She passed away in August of 2000, but she left a memory of her caring and a reminder that the most important thing a writer can do is tell a story that will touch the readers' hearts.

What Classic Movie are you?

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

My good friend Mel is obsessed with these litle tests. I have to admit, they're good for a smile. So I'm Raiders of the Lost Ark. Does that mean I get Harrison Ford as my co-star?