Mad Ravings....

Hi Everyone! I had my beautiful baby boy on February 1st--exactly on my due date! My dr. didn't think I'd have him for awhile, but I proved her wrong :) We were still arguing/talking about names after he was born but we finally settled on one and his middle name is after my husband's dad who passed away 2yrs ago. I'll post birth story and pictures very soon--but that's him in my icon, isn't he precious?!

Samuel Dennis Cooper
Born February 1, 2008
9 lbs 1 oz
21.5 inches long

It's been forever since I've posted on here! This pregnancy has really been kicking my butt. Luckily I'm feeling much better now and have a tiny bit more energy.

We had the ultrasound on Tuesday and it looks like the little bugger is a boy! So that makes three boys now--i'm severely out numbered! But, it will make things a lot easier since I already know what to expect and my youngest will only be 3yrs older when the baby is born.

Now comes the hard part...deciding and agreeing upon a name. It would be so much easier if it were a girl since we've had that name picked out for years!

My fortune cookie says:

Live life not expecting, then even the small tings you be grateful for!

Small tings, huh?

Seriously.


Confucius Say:
If You look in fortune cookie, you are a pathetic fool who seeks advice from bakery products.

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Which is basically what I did last night. Being such the procrastinator that I am, my Christmas shopping wasn't finished. Or even started. If my mom hadn't asked me to go shopping with her, I'd be that person on Xmas eve looking for gifts still. I just don't really enjoy shopping all that much, especially during the holidays when it's so absurdly crowded. I get really crabby and want to push everyone out of my way, lol.

So I ended up getting everything I needed for Christmas for the boys. I got Alexander the most adorable chair-it's Elmo, has fur covering it and when you sit in it, the thing laughs (like the tickle me elmo dolls) and starts vibrating. He's really Elmo obsessed right now, so I can't wait to see the look on his face :)

I didn't get home till 1am...I literally was ready to drop. Shopping is very tiring. I'm glad the holiday is only once a year. Oh, except Alexander's birthday is Jan. 4th so I'll need to start planning and shopping for his birthday. *sigh*

Any ideas on what kind of birthday party to throw for a 2yr old? Last year for his 1st, we did Chuck E. Cheeses. NEVER AGAIN! It was a total nightmare. Now I know why they serve beer there. They really should be selling shots. I don't want to have a party at the house and I can't seem to find any other kid oriented birthday parties other than Chuck E.

Today is one of those days. For ten reasons.

1. My oldest son forgetting his homework at home so we had to drive back and get it, which caused him to be about 20 minutes late to school. AND his teachers just had a talk with me about him being late previously.

2. Which in turn, caused me to be late for work.

3. As if that wasn't bad enough, as I'm rushing to get out of my car, I pull my coffee mug from the cup holder and see a huge piece of chewed gum stringing from the bottom of the cup to the cup holder....

4. In my brand new car. That my son didn't wrap tightly enough back in the wrapper when he spit it out.

5. Scraping the gum off, i'm rushing through the parking lot to the office building which is about a mile away. Seriously.

6. My scarf gets hooked to the tiny velcro patch on my purse as I'm walking....

7. And as I yank it away, the string starts the unraveling process

8. and my coffee splatters all over my skirt.

9. So I head to the bathroom to clean up before heading to my desk

10. Only to run into the head manager in the bathroom. who asks me how I am and I spill everything to her, including how late I am. What is wrong with me???

On top of everything, I'm feeling sick all over again. I had finally got rid of my bronchitis, but now I'm having the same miserable symptoms all over again. It's a never ending cycle. I'm way too stressed and feel yuck today.

/rant

That is all :)

So I must too!



( my xmas stocking )

I've really been neglecting my LJ :(

So much has been going on, including house hunting, keeping up with the boys, and getting over a horrible cold that led to bronchitis and laryngitis--which is especially bad since I have to talk to people all day long at work. I had also pulled a muscle in my neck (don't ask) and had to walk around work with my head completely tilted to my shoulder. Some of my co-workers had the gall to ask, "Did you hurt yourself?" No, I just wanted to walk around all day looking like an idiot :)

Anyways, I totally bombed with NaNo and came nowhere near my goal. Maybe next year, right? On a more positive note, I have several fulls out to agents after reading the partial (a few more since my last post). I'm still waiting on all of them which is difficult, because I'm anything but patient, lol. I've started working on my newest YA and plan to concentrate on that for the time being. It's a bit different from others I've written, which makes it all the more fun.

Six days off of work went by more quickly than just a regular 2 day weekend :( The wedding couldn't have been any more perfect. The weather was terrific (no snow) and it was SO great having time away without the kids. After the ceremony we went out to The Four Seasons for lunch, then we parted ways with the family and checked into our hotel and did a little shopping at the Heavenly Village. From there we did some gambling at Harvey's--we were disappointed in the new casino MontBleu (formerly Cesars). We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe and the waitress was so sweet and brought us a sundae topped with a candle because "weddings are special" she said. So that ran us a bit behind and we were almost late to a fantastic comedy/magic show at the Horizons Casino called The Chipper Lowell Show. We had to run about a block away in like 5 minutes! Almost running over innocent bystanders and one sprained finger later, we arrived just in time. We gambled some more that night and the next morning/afternoon before heading home. It was so much fun, I wish we could take another week off!



WEDDING PICTURES!

Saturday night, Carl (my fiance) came home and surprised me. He brought me outside to see my wedding gift--a 2007 Prius--fully loaded! We also got new cell phones that are blue tooth and work with the car, so I can talk in the air and dial anyones number and talk (it's through the radio speakers) as long as my cell phone is somewhere with me. It has sooo many cool features that I've never seen in a car before! He's the greatest--but my wedding gift to him could nowhere compare!!

Nine more days till the wedding (and the countdown continues...)

Everything is in order and now all I have to do is sit back and wait. So why do I still feel stressed? I think the night before I'll need to go out for a drink. Or three.

Okay, so I did something this weekend I've never done before. Something I've always been curious about doing. I talked to a psychic. It was actually pretty fun. Several of my friends did too.

So I asked her about the stuff that is probably pretty common. Like career, family and such. I then asked her, "what about my writing?" and that was all I said. She answered by telling me about my writing habbits (which were dead on) and that everything I've been going through is a learning process that will build up to something. She said something will happen when I least expect it, that I will turn in a direction that I wasn't necessarily meaning to and it will be a complete surprise.

About my upcoming marriage: she said it will lead to a long life of happiness and told me things about my fiance that were also totally dead on!

It was kind of eerie how she was so completely right about things (hence the psychic part, lol). She explained things to me about my eight year old and also told me about my past life. Apparently I live somewhere near Nebraska and was very poor and lived off the land (like a farmer or something) and before that I was middle class living in Europe. Both times as a woman, and never rich.

She also said I'll have two more kids (probably boys)! Can you imagine...me with four boys? I'll be the only girl in the house with my own little football team. Geez!

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It's been awhile since I've been on here. First I was just busy, then I got really sick. Ran a fever for several days, my throat hurt so bad I couldn't eat, barely drink, and hardly swallow. Finally decided it wouldn't go away and went to the dr. My dr. took one look at my throat and told me I had tonsillitis. Yesterday I got a letter in the mail from my doctor saying I tested positive for strep. This was the first time I've ever had that...and it was soooo painful!

Anyways, I'm back to my old self and trying to play catch up now. Starting Monday I'm going through training for four weeks for a new position at my job so I'll be on a much earlier schedule and won't have access to my computer *sigh*

I picked up a can of that spray on tan stuff last night, thinking it might be fun to try out. I'm pale (like glow in the dark) pretty much all year round--minus the occassional burn, so I thought I'd give the can a try.

Do. Not. Try.

That stuff is not only a waste of money, but a waste of time.

Okay, so I bought the cheaper kind (Banana Boat)so I don't know if the more expensive stuff really works any better, but the airbrush tan is supposed to be completely sprayed on without having to rub it in.

Yeah, this works if you want to come out of it looking like a cheetah.

I followed the directions and sprayed evenly, starting with my legs. Big circles of brown appeared in areas where the spray landed more heavily (not user error). so I rub it in a little, and end up with these "shavings" that are dark, all over. Stupid me, after wiping it off, I continue to use this because I don't want just part of my body one color.

It worked okay on my shoulders, then the can quit. I don't know if it was clogged or what, but I could not get the stupid thing to work anymore. at all.

*sigh*

So now today I look like an Oompa Loompa.

Well, not exactly, but that's how I feel.

In the cafeteria at my work, the signs says,

Today's Lunch Special: Stake Sandwich and Fries, $4.99

Can I get a side of plywood with that?

This is one of those things that just really gets under my skin. I'm sitting at a stop light, on my way to work, and some lady has a sign around her neck: 5 kids no job can you help?

There are two things I would love to say to her, but I don't have the guts to say it to her face (and instead I blog about it), because in person, I cannot be rude. Sure, I can think things, but unless you really manage to personally piss me off, I cannot be rude--and I hate confrontation.

The first: Um, if you're wasting time begging for money on the street, why don't you consider using your time more wisely and walk a block to McDonalds who has a HUGE painted window that says 'Hiring, $10/hr'

The second: If you cannot provide for your children and you degrade yourself to bumming around the streets for money, then stop having kids! You have five, it's not like it was an accident--five times!

And what's worse is the fact that she goes to every car who's sitting at the stoplight, knocks on the driver window and says, "Can you help?" The car in front of me gave her cash that she threw into her bag she was carrying. It's people like that who contribute to people like her, making them think it's okay to beg for money.

I know times can be hard. Trust me, I've been there. BUT, i've been working since I was 16. At one point I was a single mother, making only minimum wage. Yes, it can be done, but not if you're lazy. I don't have any sympathy for lazy people who try to take an easy way out AND resort to panhandling.

So anyways, that's my pet peeve of the week.

/rant

Or maybe it's not just men, but non-writers. Yeah, let me rephrase that. MY man just doesn't get it, as I'm sure other non-writers out there are the same.

Carl got home earlier than me on Friday and left my mail, which consisted of one envelope which just happened to be an agent response, on the front porch. You know, outside in the wind? Luckily, I got home before it had a chance to blow away, but still. I told him that night he needs to bring my mail inside because what if it DID blow away?

HIM: Was it a good letter?
ME: What does that matter?
HIM: Well, was it a rejection?
ME: Yeah, but so what?
HIM: Well, it wouldn't have mattered if it DID blow away then.
ME: WHAT?! What do you mean it wouldn't have mattered? Of course it would. Those letters are just as important!
HIM: I don't get it.

THEN he says this:

HIM: I knew it was a rejection anyways.
ME: Really? How's that? I'd LOVE to learn how to read letters without opening them.
HIM: It was so obvious. The envelope was really thin.
ME: That doesn't mean it's a rejection. It will still be really thin if it's a request for a full.
HIM: Full what?
ME: (exasperated sigh) Never mind.

Is he the only one that doesn't get it, or is anyone else in the same boat with me?

Oh yeah, and Friday I had some girl at work come up to me and say,"I didn't know you write. That's great. I'm a writer too. I've been wanting to write a book for awhile now."

Ugghh!! Then you're not a writer! Writers actually WRITE, not just think about writing!

Noticing the usage of all caps several times here (and exclamation marks) it may seem that i'm totally pissed or frustrated or in a bad mood or something. But i'm not. This was all on Friday. Today, I'm actually in a pretty good mood--notice my little smiley cat icon?

Except for the fact that i've come to the conclusion that I may be a better writer of queries than actual manuscripts. Go figure.

BUT, I was just in the restroom here at work when I encountered a lady with a guide dog. Here's the thing. It's not a seeing-eye dog, on the harness it said "Hearing Dog." The lady/owner was not blind or disabled. Now, what would the purpose of a dog like that be? All dogs can hear. They can't sign to you what's going on. So is it just me, or does this seem completely, for lack of a better word, strange?

Friday I received a letter from Ethan Ellenberg regarding my YA partial he requested.

Dear Ms. Thomason,

Thank you for sending your YA novel GOOD FRIENDS GONE BAD. I think it is a facinating idea (YAY!). I've never seen anything like it (DOUBLE YAY!). Unfortunately I just didn't love the writing(OUCH!). Best of luck with other agents.

I wasn't upset after reading this, but instead thought this was kind of funny. Just last week I received a letter from another agent who had read the partial, and she said she loved the writing and the sassy voice, but not so much the idea of it.

Agents are so completely opposite. I'm really learning a lot about this. I can't change the way I write, so no need to stress over that. If an agent doesn't like my writing, then that's not the agent for me. I was ready to make changes to the ms based on what another agent said, about not liking the actual set up of the story, but if I listen to this last rejeciton, this agent says the idea is fascinating.

So I'm thinking I just need to wait this out and see if there is just one agent out there who likes the idea and the writing. If not, I guess I can make changes based on the overall suggestions.

I got this very nice email from an agent yesterday who had my full manuscript.

Dear Rose,

There is a lot to love about your work but I ultimately felt like it was maybe a draft away from where I would like it to be to offer you representation. Thanks again for the chance to review it. As you will see from the letter attached, I would be happy to see a revised version of X MANUSCRIPT or any of your future manuscripts if another agent doesn't offer you representation before then.

All the best,

Agent X

This was one of the most helpful letter's I've received. Although it was essentially a rejection, it was a wonderful rejection and still gives me hope. I'm going to work on the revisions and also run this through my crit group and see how it goes.