Owner: Me, My Muse and I URL:www.jennifershirk.blogspot.com Join Date: Wed, 07 Mar 2007 13:12:57 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Romantic comedy writer, Jennifer Shirk, blogs about her life, her writing, books, and general nonsense-all without being interrupted!
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Where am I? (again) 2007-03-08 13:03:00 MENTAL STATUS: "Alert and ready to go". Wow. I must have had a good night's sleep. Maybe because of all that snow shoveling I did. And I wrote a little yesterday (Oh, happy days!) and even managed to do quite a bit of reading for my critique partners.So, where am I?I'm over at the Passionate Critters blog! (Talking about reading pet peeves.)If you have any, come on over and join me.
A Little Blogger Sorbet 2007-03-07 13:48:00 IN THE NEWS: According to World Magazine, "A New Zealand tree trimmer only thought he was out of peril. After he spent more than an hour and a half trapped high in a pine tree after having his leg broken by a wayward limb, paramedics in a rescue helicopter were finally able to lift him out of the tree. But as the copter tried to swing him out of the forest, it dragged the man through another tree, adding cuts and bruises to his injuries."(The FIRST thing that went through my mind was a Simpson's episode. In fact, this one. Especially toward the end.)Well, I'm interrupting all my splendid vacations pictures and recaps to announce some good news. No, I didn't say GREAT news--that would have been my blogger title--but some good news to me, anyway.Last month the library in our town announced a $2.7 million expansion.Oh. You don't think this is something to get excited about? But it is. You see, I LOVE my library!I hang out there mostly because they have such great children's programs Read more:Blogger
, Sorbet
MGM (day 4) 2007-03-06 13:41:00 MENTAL STATUS: "Happy" despite poor sleep. Woke myself up around 4AM due to dreams of giant spiders and small snakes. But I did do some writing yesterday. The daughter is getting over her cold. We have more cupcakes in the house. So, life is good.Where was I? Oh yeah. MGM Studios:We did pretty tame things there. So no Tower of Tower ride or Rock 'n' Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith for us (namely, me). But we did catch A LOT of shows. By the end of the day my daughter was pretty much "showed out". Luckily, she had a little recharging at the Playhouse Disney Live on Stage show to make it to the Fantasmic show.THE best show at MGM!!!And one we would have never saw if it hadn't been for my stubborn four-year old. She had been helping me "read" the map that day and every time we sat down somewhere she'd point to where the Fantasmic show was and ask me about it. (On the map you see Mickey, fire, lights and a dragon, so naturally it intrigued her)Even at the end of the day when we were
More Magic Kingdom Talk (day 3 & 5) 2007-03-05 13:13:00 IN THE NEWS: According to World Magazine, "One Scottsdale, Ariz., middle school shut down after a student reported seeing Batman run across campus, jump a fence, and disappear into the desert. As a result, school officals put three local schools on lock-down and police helicopters tried in vain to find whatever the student saw."I like how they started the article: "Holy Overreaction, Batman!")Ah. Now, back to the highlights of our vacation.If this is boring you...tough. This is my blog.This picture is hubby, spawn and the mother-in-law in the teacups.This is the boat we took for the Jungle Cruise ride. I remembered this ride from when I was a child at Disney. (It hasn't changed much) This is also the place where we were briefly standing in line and the mother-in-law turns to us and says, "Boy, did that guy just check Jennifer out." Of course, my reaction was, "Huh? Who? What? Where?"Which proves three things:1) My mother-in-law is much more observant than I am.2) Married men still che Read more:Kingdom
, Magic
WDW day 2 (Magic Kingdom) 2007-03-03 16:57:00 MENTAL STATUS: "Pumped-up". Just got the call that my new garbage disposal is about 30 minutes from being installed. Yay! (Water has not been draining properly so I've been washing dishes in the powder room sink) Yeah. I know. I almost felt a little like Kramer from Seinfeld when he started washing dishes and food in the shower. But on the plus side, the hubby took us out for breakfast and is already committed to buying me dinner tonight too. Again, yay!So I think I mentioned how I had planned out our day with all the research I did. In fact, I had it done to an exact science of what rides to hit first before a certain time--and by doing that we avoided long waits and were able to ride the rides a few times before the crowds set in.This is the Snow White ride. (My daughter's favorite princess) I was afraid it was going to be too scary for her. But she looked up at me and said, "Mommy, why would I be scared? It's just pretend." **sigh** She's growing up so fast. For this Snow White Read more:Kingdom
, Magic
Walt Disney Trip day one 2007-03-01 18:01:00 IN THE NEWS: According to World Magazine, "Thirsty NASCAR fans were left high and dry during an in-flight mishap on AirTran flight from Balitmore to Daytona Beach, Fla., leading up to the Daytona 500 race. The problem? AirTran underestimated their NASCAR fan customers and failed to bring enough beer for the morning flight. 'Then they ran out of vodka, too,' said Andy Dawson, who like other customers began imbibing soon after the plane took off at 8 AM."(Whoa. Those people like to party.)Well, back to the highlights of our DISNEY trip...We actually didn't make it into Epcot until around 4PM because we had to check in at our condo and get our bearings some. So we didn't get to see everything we wanted. Which was probably for the best, because our 4 year old companion would have been bored to tears. Oh. And I forgot my camera anyway. I left it still packed in my suitcase. (Hubby wasn't pleased, to say the least) But it was the only time I really dropped the ball on this trip.Anyhew, Read more:Disney
, Walt Disney
Scimitar's Edge by Marvin Olasky 2007-03-01 13:58:00 MENTAL STATUS: "Hyper". I've been buzzing around trying to get things done--going through mail/e-mail, shopping, cleaning and laundry. My mind is on over-drive now.Well, it's the first of the month, so that means we have to interrupt all my "exciting" stories about Walt Disney World and talk books.As a member of Fiction in Rather Short Takes, I'm posting an interview with the author, Marvin
Olasky and the first chapter of his book, Scimitar's Edge.Here goes...Stepping away from his roles as professor, historian, and creator of "compassionate conservatism," Marvin Olasky, editor-in-chief of WORLD Magazine has penned an edge-of-your-seat novel that educates as well as it informs. SCIMITAR'S EDGE is the story of four unique Americans on a journey that takes them to a world of great beauty and great danger. Olasky uses his vast knowledge of the culture to pen a tale about the War on Terror that is so realistic it might have been taken from today's headlines.A FEW QUESTIONS WITH MARVI
Last Post of the Week 2007-02-21 13:50:00 MENTAL STATUS: "Excited!" (See below)Yep, it's true. This will be the last post of the week. I know, I know. Get your tissue boxes out now. But cheer up. There's always a silver lining. I will be back the middle of next week with tons of new stuff to "chat" about. And that will be twice the fun! Well, at least less boring than usual.So what am I doing you ask? Wait. You didn't ask? Oh. Well, I'm going to tell you anyway.I'm going on vacation. YAY! ! (Yes, the hubby and the spawn are coming too)Now, see if you can guess where. It's okay. Take your time.Still don't know? Sheesh. I feel sorry for you, then.How about this?Did you guess? Thank goodness. Yes, we're going to DISNEY WORLD. My daughter is totally caught up in the whole princesses thing, so I'm sure I'll be able to say hi to Cinderella and Snow White for you. No writing will be done, obviously. But it will be nice to get away.Will you miss me?
Where am I? 2007-02-20 13:28:00 IN THE NEWS: The Food and Drug Administration has cleared for sale a handheld laser device used to promote hair growth. It's called the Hairmax Lasercomb and is the only drug-free FDA approved item on the market. So far, it's sold on the Web for a mere $545.Where am I today? Well, at yet another dentist appointment. **sigh** But I did manage to do a quick post over at the Passionate Critters blog.I'm talking about Critique Partners today. Muwah-ha-ha-ha-ha (evil laugh)Come on over and see for yourself.
Happy P Day!! 2007-02-19 13:33:00 MENTAL STATUS: "Relaxed". I'm having a very nice holiday weekend, thus far. Very relaxing. I did some writing. Went out to dinner. Watched a movie with the hubby. Even did some painting with my little one.And what holiday am I speaking of? (This is for all those Canadian readers I have) All two of you.President's Day!!!According to Wikipedia, "Presidents Day (also styled President's Day or Presidents' Day) is the common name for the United States federal holiday officially designated as Washington's Birthday. It is celebrated on the third Monday of February. As the official title of the federal holiday, Washington's Birthday was originally implemented by the federal government in 1880 in the District of Columbia and expanded in 1885 to include all federal offices. As the first federal holiday to honor an American citizen, the holiday was celebrated on Washington's actual birthday, February 22 (also my dad's birthday) In 1971 the federal holiday was shifted to the third Monday i Read more:Happy
Interesting Comments 2007-02-16 14:00:00 IN THE NEWS: According to World Magazine, "The makers of a popular sleeping pill Stillnox have an unconventional problem. One rare side effect of the drug causes users to sleepwalk to their kitchens and gorge on food while slumbering."(Now THAT's a side effect I never heard before.)You know it's funny. Yesterday's blog, gave me a lot of comments--both public and private.Like all the men commented on #5 (the tongue thing)Yet, all the women commented on #7 (the toilet paper thing)I just can't believe no one commented on #4 (my sense of taste thing). Come on, people! Don't you think that's interesting? You could rent me out for parties and your guests can have me taste food and I can tell them what's wrong with it.See? Fun. Interesting.Oh well. I must prepare the house for my daughter's play date now. Hopefully, it will remain in one piece by the time they're done. Hubby and I are having our date night tonight too. We'll be cooking dinner together while the little girlie is at c Read more:Comments
TAGGED: Dare to be weird meme 2007-02-15 14:20:00 MENTAL STATUS: "Wary". I have to go back to the dentist today for my tooth. You know, problem tooth #30? I hope this is it and they can just put the crown back on. I'm tired of chewing on my left side.Well, thanks to Elle Fredrix, I've been tagged. AGAIN. (I must say she really keeps me hopping with this blog.)So now I must name 6 to 10 WEIRD THINGS about myself. And to spread this "special" torture around, I will in return tag Chelle, Chicki, Erin and Angela.Here goes.I'm naming SEVEN WEIRD THINGS. (Just to be different)7) If the toilet paper is not hanging in the correct "over hang" position, I HAVE to correct it. (Even in someone else's home) I know. Problems.6) I have an almost paralyzing fear of heights and roller coasters.5) Not only can I roll my tongue, but I can flip it upside down.4) My sense of taste is what some would call "heightened" or "sensitive". I can eat something and almost right away tell you what is in it or what is missing from it. After putting in my mouth a
Happy Valentine's Day! 2007-02-14 14:07:00 IN THE NEWS: According to Happy
news.com, "Archaeologists working on the eve of Valentine
's Day carefully began digging up the bones of a prehistoric couple on Tuesday in Mantua Italy, hoping to keep their 5,000-year-old embrace undisturbed forever. An archaeologist said there is little doubt the couple's pose was born of a deep love, but warned it could be impossible to determine the exact nature of their relationship and how they died."(Aww. How sweet)It's Valentine's Day and that means one thing...I must bring cupcakes to my daughter's preschool party. (Kidding) Well, not about the cupcakes. I really do have to bring cupcakes to my daughter's school today. She decorated them beautifully, too. Actually, my hubby was sweet. He came home with lovely flowers for me yesterday, so I would be surprised. And I was! He's always one step ahead of me. I like that. Which is why I wasn't shocked when I took this love quiz and got the answer below.True Love Lucky you!You guys have a very m
"BEAR" with my sense of humor 2007-02-13 13:03:00 MENTAL STATUS: "Wired". I have a lot of energy but I can't write for some reason. I was doing so great writing-wise last week. What happened? Right now, I feel like I have my hands in so many things and nothing is getting done. I just learned my hubby got an e-mail from his friend. Seems as though as soon as we left the Borgata Saturday night, Vice Neil (Motley Crue lead singer) jumped up on stage at the Gypsy Bar and sang 4 songs with the house band. The place was going crazy. In addition, about 6 of the Flyers, including Peter Forsberg stopped by after their win. Figures.Anyhew, yesterday, my hubby came home for lunch and to spend time with the family. We had the news on in the background. Nothing exciting was happening.That is...until I left the room.Again. Figures.I heard my hubby laughing so hard he was howling. So I rushed back into the room. "What? What did I miss?" I asked. My hubby then proceeds to describe what he saw on the news about this bear up in a tree and how these pe
Saturday Night Recap 2007-02-12 13:40:00 IN THE NEWS: According to HappyNews.com , "A woman who auctioned an old painting hoping to get a few thousand dollars toward her daughter's college tuition was stunned when the picture fetched $600,000. The picture sold Sunday by Clars Auction Gallery in Oakland, CA to an unnamed New York dealer and has no title or signature and staff of the gallery couldn't determine its origins. But the buzz in the art world is that someone thinks it's the lost work of a 17th-century Italian master, Pier Francesco Mola."(How awesome is that! )Okay. I know you're just dying to know how Saturday
night went. Well... We. Had. A. Fantastic time! Truly. Everything about the night was so fun! And the Borgata is beautiful--not your typical Atlantic City casino at all. I would definitely go back to hang out.Anyhew, first, we met up with our friends and went to Wolfgang Puck's and learned it was a 3 hour wait. Ouch! Okay, I know what you're thinking. Jennifer, didn't you make a reservation for a party o Read more:Night
, Recap
, Saturday Night
Saturday Funny 2007-02-10 15:07:00 MENTAL STATUS: "Excited". Going to the Borgata tonight. (See pic below) It's a rare Saturday
post. But what the heck. I'm excited!Got the hubby tickets to see Brian Regan at the Borgata tonight. We're going with some friends and eating at Wolfgang Puck's for dinner. (My mom will watch the kiddie.)So who's Brian Regan? What? You never heard of him? He just so happens to be one of our favorite comedians, along with Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano and Jeffrey Ross.Here's a sample of his act. It's a few minutes long, so sit back and relax. I tried to find one of my favorites that he does about Poptarts, but it's not available anymore. But this is just as good.I give you the "Eye Exam".Who's your favorite comedian? Read more:Funny
Friday, I'm Still Sick 2007-02-09 14:00:00 IN THE NEWS: I'm telling you, WORLD magazine had a ton of great material to use this week. I had a hard time choosing. But here's another goodie: In Japan, McDonald's recently rolled out it's biggest hamburger yet: A four-patty burger known as the Mega Mac. It's said to be popular with young men, and McDonald's sold over 3 million of those burgers in the first 4 days.(I love this. WORLD magazine entitled their article "McCoronary". Uh, yeah.)I took my title today from that Cure song "Friday
, I'm in Love--which to my horror is about 15 years old. **shiver** Anyway, I was pretty much down for the count yesterday afternoon. This "bug" hit me full force with everything it had. I couldn't even do normal food shopping. I ordered everything online. It's being delivered today around 1:30PM. YAY! Food IS coming.So as I lay in bed with my eyes rolled back in my head, my four-year-old daughter was a complete sweetheart. She played quietly around me, covered me up in her 12 x 12 inch rece
Is it spring yet? 2007-02-08 13:28:00 MENTAL STATUS: "Frustrated". This crazy weather is keeping me and my daughter sick. Every time I think we're all better, I start getting the "nose" thing, aches and the sore throat. WAH!Even though I feel like I've been run over by a reindeer, I must venture out today and get food. The refrigerator is in very sad shape. It's almost embarrassing. So I'll keep this short.I'm freezing. Yesterday it was one degree in my town in New Jersey. Yes, I know it could be worse. I lived in New England for five years, so I KNOW what real cold feels like, thank you very much. But I don't like it. So there.It doesn't help that my house--a rather large 2 story--is extremely cold on the first floor (my hubby and I had thick socks on and they were still cold!) and suffocatingly hot upstairs (we're sleeping like it's summertime).And I'm wondering why I keep getting sick?The only bright spot to this cold weather is I'm doing VERY well with my writing challenge. I knocked off almost another 500 w Read more:spring yet
Life Begins Today! 2007-02-07 13:26:00 IN THE NEWS: This is taken from World Magazine's February 10th issue: "Looking for a date in Washington State? Don't look at the dentist's office. That's because Washington state law forbids health-care providers, including doctors, dental hygienists, opticians, and nurses, from engaging in a romantic relationship with patients (even a former patient up to two years)--EVEN if it's true love."(WOW. This is external conflict at it's best.)As I stated above in my title: Life does begin today. Well, life began when I was born. Uh, no that's not true. Technically, life began as soon as sperm A met egg B, but that's for another discussion.So why does life begin for me? Because my hubby ordered and we just received.....That's right.Look out. I'm toning up. I plan to look so GOOD this summer--maybe even by May. I'm so excited! Here's the video on it: Cableflex. We watched it a week ago on some infomercial, and my hubby and I were sold. What's nice is it doesn't take up a lot of s Read more:Life Begins
, Today
What's Your Motivation? 2007-02-06 13:45:00 MENTAL STATUS: "Happy." Going to my mom's today with my little one. We're going to get our nails done. AGAIN. What can I say? We're pampered ladies. Actually, my mom suggested we go to the "beauty school" near her, since it will cost about 1/4 of the price you'd normally pay at a retail salon. We'll see what happens...Well, I'm not only happy because I will soon be getting a pedicure, but because I also managed to write 233 words on my new manuscript.>Okay. That may not sound like very many words to someone who doesn't write--but actually 250 words equals ONE page. What? That's right.ONE.WHOLE.PAGE. (And probably at least a handful of hairs and a 1/2 cup of sweat too. )One of my CP's (critique partners) suggested a challenge this week. 250 words a day or...else? Something like that.Oooh! I love a challenge, and it was just the kick in the butt I needed right now. Thanks, DD!What motivates you?
Not So Super Ads 2007-02-05 13:35:00 IN THE NEWS: According to the the Press of Atlantic City, Saturday, an eight month pregnant woman playing the penny slots at Resorts in Atlantic City started to feel labor pains that she mistook for gas. Wrong! A little while later the woman's water broke and she ended up giving birth to a 5lb boy on the casino floor. Both baby and mom are doing fine.Well, aside from the opening kick-off, the Super
bowl wasn't very exciting. But I'm very happy the Colts won--particularly since they dominated the game and it would have been a shame if they'd lost because of the weather and how slippery the ball was.So let's get down to the real poop: the commercials.My hubby and I thought it was a weak year for them. I actually ended up reading the paper (hence the Atlantic City news above) during the commercials because I started to get bored. I expected to laugh and be entertained between the game and instead I ended up hoping they weren't going to replay some of them.But two caught my attention
Superbowl Time! 2007-02-03 20:58:00 MENTAL STATUS: "Not all there". The hubby and I had a "date" night last night, so I had a margarita at the restaurant. Since I am a light-weight, I'm paying for it today. Despite this feeling, I am judging some queries over at Romance Divas. So if I scored you low, I blame loss of a few brain cells.Well, the hubby and I are staying in to watch the Superbowl
in the privacy of our own living room. But in honor of the festive event, I am making my "cheesy meatball lasagna". I have a nice salad, bread sticks, and even dessert to go along with that, too.Yes, I know that doesn't sound diet friendly, but what can you do? Sometimes you need comfort food--especially when the Eagles and the Patriots are not playing. But I digress...I have no real "stake" in the game, since my two teams are not in the Superbowl (did I mention that already?). So I must decide by some other means a team to cheer on.Either coach could be the first African-American coach to win a Superbowl, both seem like nice guys
Crazy for You?? 2007-02-02 08:23:00 IN THE NEWS: According to Fox News, "Pillow-fights are no longer reserved for pajama parties and pre-teen girls. Now, adult women are getting involved, and it's getting serious." There's actually a pillow-fight league for this new sport, and it's taking Toronto by storm. If you don't believe me, click here.(Hey, I think this would finally be a sport I could be good at.)I had some major work done on my "problem" tooth yesterday (#30 for all you dental buffs) Anyway, as I was on my way to the endodontist, I got stuck behind a car doing 40 m/h in a 50m/h zone. **sigh**Now, I'm a go-with-the-flow type of person and would normally just end up doing 40 too. But I was late.Really late. Okay, not that late, but late enough.I cannot stand being late for ANYTHING. It's a pet peeve. I start to get that claustrophobic tight in the chest area shortness of breath, my pulse spikes up way above it's normal 52 beats per minute (I know that's low, by the way) and all I can think about is getting Read more:Crazy
Teeth: What a pain (literally) 2007-03-13 12:57:00 IN THE NEWS: According to World Magazine, "A bus security camera late last month caught what was almost a harrowing scene. After Springfield, MO., bus driver Chris Leslie pulled up to a bus stop and opened the door, a 3 year-old girl said, "bye," stepped off the bus and walked into heavy traffic as her mother was occupied with another child in a stroller. Leslie then raced out the door and grabbed her just as a car made a rapid stop right in front of them." Leslie won the city's Driver of the Year Award last year.(Whew! Oh, man. I couldn't imagine if I had been that mother.)Well, I have bad news and bad news. What do you want first?First, the bad news. I need to get my tooth extracted (or pulled). Now, the bad news. I have to put off getting pregnant. AGAIN. At this rate, I'm going to have a 27 year span between children. (If I can get pregnant again) But that's another story.I'm very frustrated, mostly at my teeth right now. I brush sometimes THREE times a day, I floss like 4 tim Read more:literally
More Fun than a Toothache 2007-03-14 12:19:00 MENTAL STATUS: "Better". I still have jaw pain here and there and headaches from the tooth that's been the bane of my existence, but I'm hanging in there until the 26th.Yes, I'm doing better. I even managed to write a little. (After I was finished sulking)After a friend of mine saw my blog yesterday, he thought I sounded depressed. Did I? Ooops. I guess I did. Sorry to be Captain Bring Down for everybody.So he sent me this to cheer me up: ABBA song.It worked!I have to admit I really smiled when I saw this--and at the same time questioned whatever I had seen and liked about that group. But hey, I was young and their "Greatest Hits" cassette was my first to own.Even so, I had never heard of this song before. (Fortunately) But I think the words capture the profound meaning of this world and how we should be living it. Not.Anyway, enjoy. I did.(Thanks, Ed) Read more:Toothache
And then there was 11... 2007-03-15 13:28:00 IN THE NEWS: According to World magazine, "The largest documented colossal squid is finally out of the waters. Fishermen off the coast of New Zealand pulled in what most believe is the largest squid ever captured." The colossal squid weighed in at 990 pounds and is believed to be the world's largest invertebrate.(Am I the only geek who found this interesting?)Anyhew, enough squid. Let's talk IDOL...Poor Brandon. Why not Sanjaya? Why not Sanjaya? WHY NOT Sanjaya?Oh well. What's another week, right?I have to say that although I wanted Sanjaya off (did I mention that?), my voting plan seemed to have worked. I know because I voted for everyone, except 4 people. I won't say who, but three of them were in the bottom three. Keep in mind this voting method I concocted is still in the new theory stage. So we'll see if it works next week.I must confess something, though. Haley got my vote. What? Yes, she grew on me. I'm glad she wasn't voted off the show now. Uh-oh. Did I really write
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