EdgeofGloria

This is probably my least favorite holiday of the year. I don't know why, but it is. I'm spending it by myself. Did a little cleaning, but not much. Working on my juice video right now, and watching One Hour Photo. It's a much better movie than the one I watched before, called My Date With Drew . The premise seemed interesting: an ordinary guy who has had a crush on Drew Barrymore since he was six or so decided to try and get a date with her and to film the experience. He gets a camera from Circuit City (and has to return it in 30 days) and sets out to make a film. I guess I wasn't sure what to expect. He lives in Los Angeles, so he's actually close by to her. He takes the six degrees approach, and starts searching by who knows Drew's people: publicist, facialist, etc. He only has $1,100 to spend on the film, so he tries to get free stuff when he can. Some guy put together a website for him. He gets an interview on some radio station, and five minutes later, t...

Elaine has written about where she lives; I wrote about Fort Wayne for her blog. I'm not from Fresno. Really. I grew up in Southern California, and it's still home. However, I've lived in and near Fresno for longer than I've lived anywhere else. A  lot longer. And, even before that, I spent several summers in the area when I was a kid and my dad was a produce inspector and got sent here to inspect the grapes and cataloupes. I've always found Fresno to be...odd. It's a big city (over 500,000 population in the city limits as of last year), but in a lot of ways it seems like - and is run like - a small town. It's a very conservative place, both politically and religiously. Not so much as it was fifteen or twenty  years ago, but official Fresno still hasn't quite figure out that it's the 21st century as far as I can see. Despite all that, Fresno is very diverse culturally. Last time I looked there were over 100 languages spoken b...

So here it is, Christmas Eve. I checked the mail and found out two books I ordered from Amazon came. That makes three total. All of them are books that I remember from childhood that were thrown away, or disappeared for some reason. I think I'm getting sick. I woke up yesterday with a cough. My throat feels scratchy. Usually colds start in my throat, which becomes sore. This time, I'm coughing. So I spent the entire day in bed, almost. I got up at 7 p.m. or so to feed my pets and to get something for myself. I bought a ton of food the other night, so I'm good for a while. I really didn't need to go anywhere today anyway. I could have gone and got some toothpaste, and some cleaning supplies, but a couple days won't matter. I have enough to brush my teeth, and I have enough Pine Sol Sparkling Wave to mop if I feel like it. But I do feel a bit under the weather. I will probably read my books and watch movies and daydream. I have nowhere I have to be and no one to s...

Holy shit, what an awesome day. A Facebook friend asked me for coffee. I am on the sixth day of a seven day juice fast (I've lost a little over 10 pounds) so I had hot chocolate. The friend wanted to go to Indy, and I said we should sometime, and she said, "today?" And I said, "why not?" I didn't have to work, I had some money, and we were off. Discovered a great store in Castleton called Five Below. It's like a dollar store, except some of the stuff is nicer and well worth it, for $5. I spent $62 there. I even found some retro toys I've had back in the day, got pet beds, a couple of cool tin boxes, headphones, and a few cellphone cases. Eighty-second street was bumper-to-bumper, but we persevered and found The Container Store. I'd never been to this place either, and I just about fainted. Lots of boxes and cool gadgets and shelf organizers and shelves and geez Louise. LOVE it. Also loved Five Below, and both stores need to open up in Fort Wa...

After seeing Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead about a dozen times, I decided to get a juicer and start juicing. I had my heart set on a Breville juicer, but the one I wanted cost $300. I gave it some thought, and realized if Joe Cross could talk to me, I think he'd say, "doesn't matter what kind of juicer you get, mate, just start juicing!" I started out juicing every other day, then decided to juice every day. Now, I'm on day two of a seven-day juice fast. For the most part, the juices I've been making taste really good. Even the "mean green," which is what Cross drank a lot of in the movie, isn't too bad. I've mainly been using Granny Smith apples and Clementines as a base, then throwing in whatever else I had. Cranberries, celery, cherries, carrots, even cucumber. I can't even taste the cucumber when I put it in the juice. The juice I made this evening though, was a bit of a disappointment. It consisted of carrots, red kale, celery, cra...

I was born in northern Indiana, and this is the only place I've ever lived. We have the four seasons here. We have snow. People who live here, and who were born here, should realize this. Why people totally fucking freak out when we get a MILD snowstorm, is beyond me. A prediction of five to eight inches of snow has people panicking. They stock up on Doritos, soda, beer, wings, pizza, and other kinds of crap in the case they get snowed in for oh, a whole whopping 24 hours. Then, we end up with three inches of snow. Ha ha, joke's on you. I've driven semi-trucks in really bad winter weather. I've lived through the Blizzard of 1978. So dire predictions of snowstorms really don't scare me. And it pisses me off how everyone is terrified of a few inches of snow. It's INCHES, not feet. So I went out shopping. Hyde Bros. had a thing last night. Shopping from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., and I went to it. By myself. I had to work, so I was out anyway, and book shopping after...

My dad would have been 91 years old today. I wonder what he would think of all that has happened in his lifetime, if he'd still been alive. He would probably marvel at smartphones, and he'd probably get a kick out of looking up facts. Maybe he'd be on YouTube, seeing who has uploaded big band music, or his favorite Latin performers from the early 1950s. They're up there, dad. Back when music was good, LOL. Maybe he'd be making his own music. He might have a music editing program and be messing around with it. Who knows where I'd be if he were still alive. Probably here in this house. I miss him. There are so many things I wish I could ask him. Like what scared him the most? How did he get through it? What could he change if he could? And did he ever regret not moving back to Puerto Rico? We make choices in life, and hope that things turn out for the best. Because time can't be rewound. Some things cannot be undone. And I hope there's a Heaven. And ...

I will be signing books and chatting about my new projects from 2 to 5 p.m. The Bookmark is at 3420 North Anthony Boulevard in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I just checked the stats for my erotic fiction, and I'm at over 97,000 views on www.short-fiction.co.uk. I will be giving away FREE samples of the erotic romance I'm working on. It's three chapters of hot goodness, so come and check it out. I also have other projects I'm working on, and I hope to make headway on those during the Christmas break. P.S. My pen name for the erotic fiction is Janell Elizabeth Meyer.

Here is another guest post from Elaine of Littlemissattitude.blogspot.com. She's had some proximity to some famous killers. Whereas I've just worked with Ben Blauvelt , one of three men who murdered Chinese professor Maurice Lam at IPFW, Elaine has had invites to the Spahn Ranch and known people who've interacted with some notorious men. Enjoy! I've always been fascinated by the whole Six Degrees of Separation phenomenon, ever since I first read about it back in, oh, must have been in the Eighties sometimes, in an article in the old Omni magazine (which I miss horribly, by the way). I'm sure you're familiar with the idea, even if only through the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" meme, that any individual in the world can link to any other individual person in the world through six other people or less. It's an interesting idea, but one that I didn't believe when I first read about it. It just didn't seem a likely proposition. How woul...

I hadn't been down to the night before Thanksgiving lighting ceremonies in several years. I either had to work, or it didn't occur to me to go. But my friend Heidi asked me if I wanted to go, and since it would have been something to do AND I didn't have to work, I said yes. Our plan was to meet at Coney Island, a restaurant that has been downtown for almost 100 years. The prices are amazing, and it's possible to have a meal for well under $10, including tip. I had a coney dog, a bag of chips and a little eight ounce bottle of Coke (they're so cute) for less than $4. The place has fun signs, like, "In 1897 in this spot, nothing happened here." Well, the line was out the door. It was 4:30 p.m., and the place has always been a popular spot. With several thousand people gathered downtown, it makes total sense that it would be crowded. After about a half hour wait, we did get a place at the counter (they have wooden stools). We ate and chatted and I t...

So since I'm such a fangirl, I actually went to an 11 p.m. showing of Catching Fire . I wasn't really aware there was an 8 p.m. showing, but I went with two friends, and both had to work earlier. But there I was, in my "May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor" shirt that a friend got me for Christmas last year. The woman at the popcorn counter loved it and told me so. But anyway, on to Catching Fire . The book goes into a good amount of detail before getting into the Quarter Quell. The movie is a bit more prompt. Katniss is in the woods with Gale, and she aims at a turkey. But it looks like a guy. To her, at least. She freaks out and Gale comforts her. It's time for the Victory Tour, and that part is true to the book. Less than ten minutes in, the three finger salute goes up from District 11, Rue and Thresh's district. Before the tour, however, President Snow pays an unexpected visit before the tour, and tells Katniss that people throughout Panem aren't hap...

Yeah, I said on Facebook that I would review Catching Fire for my Saturday post. I think I'm late with the Saturday post, and sorry, it's not about Catching Fire . I review books on Fiverr.com and I had an 811 page epic to review, and I didn't read as much per day as I should have. It didn't really hold my attention like the first book in the triology did. And I HAD to get it done. And thanks to my former computer guy, I no longer have Microsoft Word on my computer. And saving my Apache Open Office document as a Word file didn't work. And I had to put in an eight hour day at work...nine if you include the hour I took for lunch (where I read part of the book I was reviewing.) I just got done cleaning up the tub where I puked. It was sudden, and fierce--like Linda Blair in The Exorcist vomiting. I don't know if it was the juice, or that Marie Callender's chicken pot pie. I made a really yummy juice out of red cabbage, apples, oranges, celery and frozen che...

I'm sitting here waiting for dinner to be done, and realizing I need to update the blogs. So here's another one of WDYMTP. Subject: Female Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana How we met: Facebook friend suggested we friend each other Relationship/friendship length: Nine months So I write erotic fiction , and was lucky enough to realize that if Fifty Shades of Grey could be popular, I'd best be promoting my erotic fiction. So last summer, that's what I was doing. My ex-boyfriend suggested I friend one of his friends. She was a politician, and since she wasn't getting any coverage from the local news outlets, I offered to do a story on her. She was thankful. Then, a few months go by, and she contacts me, saying she has an opportunity for me. That opportunity was getting into a local adult novelty store and selling my erotic fiction there. I accompany my friend and her assistant/friend to the bookstore, where my friend takes over and sets pricing. I'm broke, s...

After watching Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead probably a dozen times, I finally went out and bought a juicer. I had my heart set on a Breville, the same kind that Joe Cross used in his documentary, but at $300, it wasn't in the budget. I'd set some money aside, but it seemed like there was always an emergency coming up, and I had to use the money for something else. But I won a gift card for my cookies at work, and after buying Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead last week, and watching it twice in one night, I got a Bella juicer from Target. Because I had the gift card, it set me back less than $40. I stopped off at the store and bought some veggies and fruits, and I plan to try it tonight. If you are interested in juicing, I highly suggest you rent this movie. It's a documentary, but very well done, and funny. And it makes sense. Find out more here.

It's 12:19 a.m. Wednesday. I was getting ready for class tomorrow and totally forgot about updating this blog. But at least I am ready for class. That's it for today.

Wikipedia is Useful for at Least One Thing... Some people go looking for blog prompts when they can't think of what to write about on their blog. Not me. I've tried that, and it hardly ever works. But, sometimes I just can't find any inspiration. Or, I've got plenty of inspiration, but I know if I write about what is inspiring me at the moment, I'll just end up ranting and sounding like a loon. What do I do when that happens? I click over to Wikipedia. Goodness knows, it needs to be good for something. And that's all the editorializing I'll do about the Wiki for today, because I'm really trying to avoid getting belligerent here right now. Maybe I'll write about it some other time, when I really feel like going full howl. But not now. Anyway, as I write this, it just turned into October 28 in my time zone about 40 minutes ago. Which means that I should at least be trying to sleep. But, there's a storm coming in, I've g...

Here's one more plug for the Author Fair, Saturday, Nov. 9 from noon to 4 p.m. at the downtown branch of the Allen County Public Library. There should be 62 authors, maybe even more, who will have information about their books. The Bookmark will be selling the books, so no need to worry about bringing cash, because they take credit cards. I will be on a panel discussion about e-publishing, and that starts at 3 p.m. and runs until 3:50 p.m. Dean Robinson, of Summit City Noise will be at my table during that time. Talk to him about his work. My books Served Cold: Tales of Revenge and Redemption and Anything For Georgetown And Other Stories will be available for purchase. I will also be giving away FREE SAMPLES of the latest erotic romance I'm working on. You can also enter for a chance to win one or both of my titles. "Served" is what I call semi-autobiographical revenge fantasy fiction. If you've ever pissed me off, you might be a character in one of these stor...

I came across a picture on my Facebook feed today, and I should have saved it, but I didn't. On the left was a flabby, tattooed guy, who looked like he was taking a "selfie." On the right was a chiseled, nearly skinny guy with guns draped all over him. The caption on the left said, "this is sexy." The caption on the right said, "this is not." I frankly thought both pictures were gross-looking and said so. The flabby guy was unappealing, because he was flabby and tattooed, the chiseled guy looked a little too skinny, and the guns didn't help. So what does this have to do with one of my biggest fears? Well, I'm afraid of becoming morbidly obese. I'm already obese. My BMI is right on the borderline. I've been trying to eat better, and I've definitely been exercising more. I've been eating at least two servings of vegetables/fruits a day since the doctor said I could eat what I wanted after I had my surgery. But I know how I can b...

The Allen County Public Library is a great resource here in northern Indiana. It's one of the top libraries in the United States for genealogy research, and has a huge selection of videos, especially in the downtown location. Because it tries to use funds wisely, they host an annual author fair. This is to gather authors wanting to promote their books all in one area, all in one day, instead of having authors set up individual book signings/readings. Some of the authors are self-published, but some have actual honest-to-God publishers as well. It's a chance to meet authors, talk about writing, and get information about self-publishing and epublishing. One author dismissed self-publishing as "printing." The majority of the authors I talked to for a story that will appear in the November 1 issue of the Fort Wayne Reader thought that self-publishing and epublishing is a great thing, and will enable more writers to get their stuff out there. Like Amanda Hocking . Have...

Gone With the Wind was not my favorite book as a child. Nor as a young adult. I had to wait until I was considerably older to appreciate it. It's the same with the movie. Mom used to drag me along whenever it was re-released, and I remember sitting in the Embassy Theatre  as a child, watching the epic unfold on screen and wondering what the big deal was about. I had to become an adult to appreciate the film, too. It's not my favorite film, but I can admire the work that went into it. The only way I'm like Scarlett physically is that I'm a brunette. The other way is that my parents sheltered me to a certain extent. I certainly wasn't rich, but I think my mother wanted to protect me from harm as much as she could. A bout with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis made my early years a bit of a mess, and I think it anguished my mother. As a result, whatever I wanted, I got, as long as my mom could afford it. I relied on my mom to make things happen, to fight my battles, and...

I'm becoming more and more suspicious of people who want to try and turn Fort Wayne into a big city. They frequently have grand plans, but not enough money or people to support it, and then they take off. There was someone here a few years ago who had an idea to rent meeting space to local business owners who wouldn't normally have space to meet in. Here's the problem: we have way too many places to meet for free . The mall, Barnes and Noble, restaurants, coffee shops. Plus, people are cheap, and Fort Wayne people are way cheap. More recently, I attended a meeting for a locally-based online publication. I expressed a desire to do short videos of local events/businesses. The person with the idea for the website was very receptive to my making videos. So I started on one for a downtown business. I ran into both camera problems and video software editing problems, and I've apologized to the business owner for the delay. However, the website, which was supposed to be u...