Two things happened today that got me thinking and laughing about the whole writing process.  First of all, they did a thing on the Oscars about the whole process and it was hilarious!  It was a bunch of clips from movies about various kinds of writers and how they write, how crazy they get, and how exciting it is when they get an idea - hilarious.

Then I got an email from my friend, Andrea, who tells me she just threw out a whole bunch of her old writings.  Just up and turfed them like they were yesterday's brussel sprouts!  I was completely gobsmacked - what courage, what strength.  What a nutter!  LOL  I wish I had the courage to finally break down and get rid of some of my old stuff, but I just can't.  It's not like any of it's good. . . in fact, it's all HORRIBLE. . .but still. . .there's something there that makes me cling to it desperately.  How pathetic am I? 

So even though I applaud Andrea's fortitude for purging herself of stuff she didn't need, I'm too much of a coward to do it myself.

Time's a-wasting and the last day to enter for free prizes is Feb 28th.  To enter,  and to find out more info, go to my website and sign my guestbook, or send me your contact info and you'll be entered in the draw.

Good luck!!

If you're looking to kill a little time and see some pictures that are sure to inspire you, check out my other blog

Here's the email my DH rec'd this morning:

"Thank you for your recent purchase from FTD.COM for Laura Drewry.

Despite our best efforts to schedule your delivery as you requested, due to
weather conditions out of our control, we were unable to deliver your order
on the date requested. We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause.
Your FTD.COM order has been canceled and a full refund has been posted to
your credit card."

So 2 days after the fact, they finally say they couldn't deliver the flippin' flowers. Well that's swell. In the meantime, I'd assumed Valentine's Day was a write off this year - and who can blame me? I was once told by the DH that, despite what I might think, Valentine's Day is NOT a national holiday and I needed to get over it.

Guess I'll go buy my own flowers from the grocery store.

It's here - arguably the most romantic day of the year. Okay, maybe not for everyone, but you know what I mean. I know there's a lot of men out there (yes, that's a generalization) who dread this day; men who say it's too much pressure and that they're expected to make a grand romantic gesture on Valentine's Day. Here's my advice.

Get over it.

Yes, you're expected to come up with something romantic today! Why? Because for the past 364 days, your wife/girlfriend/partner has been doing all the remembering, all the shopping, all the mailing, all the planning. Today is your day to shine, your day to show her how much you appreciate her and all she does for you (and vice versa, of course).

Can't afford a fancy dinner? Make her dinner at home - KD will do fine, just so long as you do it without griping about it! (and you clean up afterwards)

Can't afford flowers? Borrow some coloured paper from work and cut out paper flowers. They'll last forever, and because YOU took the time to make them yourself, she'll love them all the more.

Hate trying to find the perfect card for her? Stop. You'll never find it if you go in with that attitude. Go directly to the funny ones and pick one of those. And don't automatically pick the card that has the most to do with sex, because those aren't usually funny and today is not all about sex, guys, it's about romance.

Hold her hand, talk to her, listen to her - these things are all free and since she's your Valentine, you should want to do these things anyway. And if you don't want to do them, then you may need to rethink things a little. . . .

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!

Thought this was worth sharing this morning.

Bill Gates' Rules on Life for Kids of Any Age

Love him or hate him, he sure hits the nail on the head with this! To anyone with kids of any age, here's some advice.

Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did NOT teach, and kids will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try cleaning the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

If you agree, pass it on.
If you can read this - Thank a teacher!