Express Yourself December Edition

December is in 2 days – give or take, depending on where you live, and with that comes and new Express Yourself Meme banner!

For the month of December we want to know...

Dec. 3-7: What is your most Memorable Holiday Gift? It can be anything. From your earliest memories to your most current.

Dec. 10-14: What would be your Dream Winter Getaway? Sick of being stuck in the same place and having cabin fever? Or maybe you don't mind the cold but wanna do something in the snow? We wanna know.

Dec. 17-21: What are a few of your Favorite Holiday Songs? I only really like a couple but you can name as many as you like. Some holiday songs just get you in the mood.

As stated in the banner... Jackie and I have decided to only prepare 3 weeks of EYM during the month of December because of the Holiday Season. With all of the festivities and whatnot, we didn't want to be under so much pressure. Not only that, but we didn't want our loyal EYM'ers to be either.

Side note: Next Monday is a busy blogging day for me so I will post my Memorable Holiday Gift on Tuesday.

Mondays blogs: Kyra Lennon stops by to share an except and some info on her new book Blindsided. And I will also be participating in the And You Are? Bloghop.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Express Yourself - Perfect Imperfections

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thankgiving - if you celebrate it, that is.

The last EYM entry for the month of November; we are wanting to know... List 5 imperfections about yourself; things that bug others but are part of what makes you - you.

Everyone has those ticks or quirks that just drives other batshit crazy. I'm no exception. Here are my 5.

1.  I can be loud. Yeah, I talk loud, laugh loud, etc. But not in places like churches, the movies or a library. Mostly in restauraunts, at the dinner or when I'm drinking.

2.  I swear. Ok I said it. I'm half girl - half sailor. My dad likes to say I'm half German, quarter Irish, and quarter French... I'm bound to have eternal conflict. Ha. Ha. I call them "Sentence Enhancers".

3.  I know what buttons to push. Oh come on... who doesn't do this... on purpose? Please... you know you do. The only difference between me and other people in my family... I know how to do it well. And my kids and hubby HATE it. I can make any one of them talk without them realizing it.

And here are two imperfections I am working on...

4.  Being too honest. I am very honest with another person. Please don't ask me to be honest with you unless you really want it. Maybe I need a class in Being Kosher 101 or something but I will tell exactly what I think is wrong your outfit, makeup, WIP, idea, etc. Here's the twist... I'm horrible on the return. Unless I ask for it, I don't want you to be honest back.

Example: You ask me to be honest to you so I am, but then you turn around and say something "honest" about me without me asking for a "critique" -- I hate that! I should be more open about it since I was honest about you but like I said - I'm working on biting my tongue on this one. Again I didn't ask for your opinion - and this is where my defensiveness comes in.

5. Passive aggressive. I know, it's kind of the oxymoron to #4. But I can be very passive and apparently this annoys some people. Unless it's something I'm interested in or passionate about... Frankly my dear's I really don't give a d@amn. No really, I. Don't. Care. And this is another problem... knowing the difference between being passive aggressive or not caring. You decide I guess.

And there you have it. 5 things that I know drive others batshit crazy. However, I'm perfectly content with being imperfect <-- this is one thing I don't have a problem with.

Express Yourself - Quotes

Hello blogging buddies! Welcome to another week of EYM!

This week we are posting - What are a few inspirational quotes you'd like to pass along to others?

I have 5 quotes I wanted to share. One pertains to writing; the others are life "lessons". I live by more of course. Everyday we are faced with ignorance, stupidity, superficiality, etc. I am constantly reminding myself and my children not to get caught up in the RAT RACE of it all.

And now for something fun and zombified! I'm one of those Daryl Dixon girlfriendsfans. Seriously - if this man walked in here right now - I'd literally keel over and need CPR from him and him only.



What Would Daryl Dixon Do?



Everyone have a great Monday and since Thanksgiving will be taking over my life in two and a half days I hope you all have a great week as well!

Express Yourself - Post a Picture Week

Another week of Express Yourself has arrived!

This week - Nov. 12 thru 16 you are asked to; Post a picture of your work area; cubicle, craft area, writing area, etc. Then explain what it is you do.

We know that outside of blogging we all have jobs and/or hobbies. What we want to know is - what are they? And what kind of atmosphere do you accomplish them in.

Not only do I blog, read, write, and raise a family but I also work 40 (sometimes 40+) hr work weeks. And here is what I stare at for 8 hours a day.

Your typical cubicle; computer with two monitors, chair, trash can, kids art, tons of photos, papers, printer, inbox, calendar, heater, etc.

This is also where a lot of writing creativity takes place too. After staring at the those two screens far so long I kind of zone out. My mind wonders and I'm transported into my WIP.

Isn't it sad that most of my life is either sleeping or sitting in this little cubicle.

Well there you have it. My work life in a nut shell. Have a great Monday!

Super Sweet Blogger Award

If you are looking for other posts this week:

Express Yourself meme

Resurrection Blogfest

IWSG

Laura @ My Baffling Brain awarded me with the Super Sweet Blogger Award!

Sweet related questions? This is my kind of award!

Cookies or Cake?
I like Cake w/out frosting. But I also love chocolate chip cookies.

Chocolate or Vanilla?
Chocolate or vanilla what exactly?
I like chocolate candies as in Reese’s or bars.
I like vanilla cake or flavoring as in coffee.

What is your favorite sweet treat?
Reese’s Piece’s or anything minting.

When do you crave sweet things most?
I would have to agree with Laura… after a large meal. I always go for something sweet after I’ve consumed something salty and filling.

If you had a sweet nickname what would it be?
My dad always called me “punkin” I’ve always been fond of it. I find it sweet.

I'm awarding this to anyone that's feeling sweet enough to tell us about their sweet tooth! I know, how generic. Thanks again, Laura!

Have a great Weekend!

IWSG - Uturn

If you are here for the Resurrection Blogfest, that post is here.

Ah, so, it’s that time of the month again where I lay out my insecurities.

I like it actually. When I talk about writing to non-writers I get the glazed over look. Which is uncomfortable. They nod and do a lot of “hmm mmm” ‘s. Which, by the way, makes me feel stupid. They are the ones that have no idea what I’m talking about. So shouldn’t they feel stupid? Why is that?

So my WIP took an unexpected U-turn.

I was headed down the road of mythology and suddenly ended up in outer space. WHA-?

How in the Sam-H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks does that happen? I have no idea. *shrugs*

The better first half of my book is going to be a [female dog] to change but it has to get done. Right? Right!

Monday I posted a playlist for my WIP Occupiers and a rough synopsis which indicates my WIP is a bit Rock-N-Rock meets Heavy Metal. Of course it has a few slower songs, you know, not everything in life is equivalent to what snorting crack might feel like. However I’m hoping most of my WIP has readers flipping the pages so fast; paper cuts become popular.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold my horses! I still need to edit the first, like, 100 pages. Then edit the whole thing. Then have someone else read it and edit it for me. Then more editing. I still need to edit my synopsis and write a query, and and and and and … ARG … UGH … WTF!

Have a great Wednesday

Resurrection Blogfest - Zombie Tips for an Apocalypse

If you are here for IWSG - that post is here

Mina is celebrating her first year of blogging by hosting Resurrection Blogfest! Details here! This blogfest is for you to post something from your first year of blogging that you believe deserves a little TLC or something you are proud of, or maybe it holds sentimental value to you.

The piece I picked has been viewed 669 times and was originally posted 1/6/12. I began blogging in August of 2011. I was a nobody when I first started out and no one viewed this post until The Walking Dead came back from it's break during season two and talk of 12/21/12 was all the rage. I'm pretty proud of all the info that went into this. Hope you enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Since the oncoming of December 21^st, 2012 is approaching and the end of the world talk (most likely a joke) one can only rely on what one knows on survival. The Mayan Calendar has repeated itself hundreds of time over the centuries, so one should assume that, again, life will continue to thrive come December 22^nd, 2012. You can only fit so much on a piece of wood.

But just in case…



Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse

There are all kinds of emergencies out there that we can prepare for. Take a zombie apocalypse for example. That’s right, I said z-o-m-b-i-e a-p-o-c-a-l-y-p-s-e. You may laugh now, but when it happens you’ll be happy you read this, and hey, maybe you’ll even learn a thing or two about how to prepare for a real emergency.

A Brief History of Zombies
We’ve all seen at least one movie about flesh-eating zombies taking over (my personal favorite is Resident Evil), but where do zombies come from and why do they love eating brains so much? The word zombie comes from Haitian and New Orleans voodoo origins. Although its meaning has changed slightly over the years, it refers to a human corpse mysteriously reanimated to serve the undead. Through ancient voodoo and folk-lore traditions, shows like the Walking Dead were born.

In movies, shows, and literature, zombies are often depicted as being created by an infectious virus, which is passed on via bites and contact with bodily fluids. Harvard psychiatrist Steven Scholzman wrote a (fictional) medical paper on the zombies presented in Night of the Living Dead and refers to the condition as Ataxic Neurodegenerative Satiety Deficiency Syndrome caused by an infectious agent. The Zombie Survival Guide identifies the cause of zombies as a virus called solanum. Other zombie origins shown in films include radiation from a destroyed NASA Venus probe (as in Night of the Living Dead), as well as mutations of existing conditions such as prions, mad-cow disease, measles and rabies.

The rise of zombies in pop culture has given credence to the idea that a zombie apocalypse could happen. In such a scenario zombies would take over entire countries, roaming city streets eating anything living that got in their way. The proliferation of this idea has led many people to wonder “How do I prepare for a zombie apocalypse?”

Well, we’re here to answer that question for you, and hopefully share a few tips about preparing for real emergencies too!

Better Safe than Sorry

 

     Some of the supplies for your emergency kit.

So what do you need to do before zombies…or hurricanes or pandemics for example, actually happen? First of all, you should have an emergency kit in your house. This includes things like water, food, and other supplies to get you through the first couple of days before you can locate a zombie-free refugee camp (or in the event of a natural disaster, it will buy you some time until you are able to make your way to an evacuation shelter or utility lines are restored). Below are a few items you should include in your kit, for a full list visit the CDC Emergency page.

• Water (1 gallon per person per day)
• Food (stock up on non-perishable items that you eat regularly)
• Medications (this includes prescription and non-prescription meds)
• Tools and Supplies (utility knife, duct tape, battery powered radio, etc.)
• Sanitation and Hygiene (household bleach, soap, towels, etc.)
• Clothing and Bedding (a change of clothes for each family member and blankets)
• Important documents (copies of your driver’s license, passport, and birth certificate to name a few)
• First Aid supplies (although you’re a goner if a zombie bites you, you can use these supplies to treat basic cuts and lacerations that you might get during a tornado or hurricane)

Once you’ve made your emergency kit, you should sit down with your family and come up with an emergency plan. This includes where you would go and who you would call if zombies started appearing outside your door step. You can also implement this plan if there is a flood, earthquake, or other emergency.

1. Identify the types of emergencies that are possible in your area. Besides a zombie apocalypse, this may include floods, tornadoes, or earthquakes. If you are unsure contact your local Red Cross chapter for more information.
2. Pick a meeting place for your family to regroup in case zombies invade your home…or your town evacuates because of a hurricane. Pick one place right outside your home for sudden emergencies and one place outside of your neighborhood in case you are unable to return home right away.
3. Identify your emergency contacts. Make a list of local contacts like the police, fire department, and your local zombie response team. Also identify an out-of-state contact that you can call during an emergency to let the rest of your family know you are ok.
4. Plan your evacuation route. When zombies are hungry they won’t stop until they get food (i.e., brains), which means you need to get out of town fast! Plan where you would go and multiple routes you would take ahead of time so that the flesh eaters don’t have a chance! This is also helpful when natural disasters strike and you have to take shelter fast.

Never Fear – CDC is Ready

If zombies did start roaming the streets, CDC would conduct an investigation much like any other disease outbreak. CDC would provide technical assistance to cities, states, or international partners dealing with a zombie infestation. This assistance might include consultation, lab testing and analysis, patient management and care, tracking of contacts, and infection control (including isolation and quarantine). It’s likely that an investigation of this scenario would seek to accomplish several goals: determine the cause of the illness, the source of the infection/virus/toxin, learn how it is transmitted and how readily it is spread, how to break the cycle of transmission and thus prevent further cases, and how patients can best be treated. Not only would scientists be working to identify the cause and cure of the zombie outbreak, but CDC and other federal agencies would send medical teams and first responders to help those in affected areas (I will be volunteering the young nameless disease detectives for the field work).

To learn more about what CDC does to prepare for and respond to emergencies of all kinds, click here.

To learn more about how you can prepare for and stay safe during an emergency, click here.

To find this original information, click here.

Express Yourself - Playlist

This weeks Express Yourself meme (Nov. 5-9) is all about the playlists.

Whether it be in regards to your WIP or your Non-fictional life; we all have a playlist.

While writing some of us listen to music which gets our writing mojo pumping.

In real life there are those songs and lyrics that sing to our souls. Something within these tracks vibrates us to our cores and brings out something alive within our beings.

A lot of those songs which push in our non-fictional life are what also drive our fictional one as well.

Here is my fictional (if I was to do a real life playlist; we would be here all day) playlist for my WIP Occupiers

Quick Synopsis (needs work like everything else) :

Seventeen year old Reese never had a reason to question her powers before. She chalked it up to being different like her mother. But then her absent father shows up one day with her twin, Rena, who displays the same abilities and a story of an alien planet, Ury, full of Earths doppelgangers. The very idea is ridiculous, impossible, and far-fetched. However, try telling that to Reese who thinks anything is possible.

After learning they are not the only Twinning left with abilities, Reese and Rena must now travel through time to find The Merged. Hidden in the cracks of the past, the others hold the key and the power to the future. The girls will not only find Time Flashing difficult to master but even more daunting to complete on a different planet. Can The Merged be saved before too much time passes?

Two planets merge. One holds peace. One holds pain. Can two girls hold it together?

Source of two planets in corner ONLY--> planetfrondar.com

Express Yourself Meme and Halloween

Oh how sad *wipes tear from cheek* October is over and I couldn’t find a way to stop it.

Good news though; this means that another month of Express Yourself starts next Monday, November 5^th. And like last month and every month to follow – we want to get to know our fellow bloggers.

To learn more about this meme please go HERE or click on the EXPRESS YOURSELF page tab.

You don’t have to post every week.

You can post whenever you want Monday thru Friday.

And you can use whichever of our badges you’d like. Oh! Speaking of badges, there is a new one!! Hope you like!

November posts will be...

Now on to Halloween.

Wonder what I went as, for the Day of the Dead, well I went as a cold and wet mom. Hence this picture: hoodie, Colorado coat, winter boots, and soaked jeans rolled up. And NO! they are not all mine. My little one is the Bee hiding behind me.


Officers hand out candy from their cars.

 My Freshman was smart enough to stay home and play ping pong then after the ran stopped he ran from house to house with his friend with only a mask. It took them 10 minutes.

My 7th grader (on R)...


Phantom of Opera and Kesha

  My 10 yr old Scream wannabe...

This mask has always freaked me out

Now we also went to a Halloween party as a family and this was the outcome!


We won best costumes!

 

Walking Dead Survivor (those are real weapons straped to him - yes he knows how to use them), Minnie Mouse (who hates what daddy is wearing), Mime, Kesha, RL Stein's Scarecrow and Scream