M.J. Fredrick's Blog, page 24

Soap Operas

 

Because I’m obsessed, I’ve been watching old episodes of As the World Turns on youtube. They don’t have all of them, just what seem to be pivotal plot points, like a serial killer taken down or a bride left at the altar for her sister.

I’ve forgotten how much I LOVE SOAP OPERAS. Now, I don’t know why. They’re not brilliant, and story lines drag and actors come and go, but I LOVE them. When I was a little girl, my mom watched ATWT and Guiding Light, and let me watch with her. I loved the music, I loved the romance, I loved watching with my mom.

When my grandmother retired and moved out to the country, then fell and broke her hip, she started watching Days of Our Lives. I was in high school and started watching, too, and we’d write letters to each other discussing the characters like they were members of our own families. I don’t remember if I recorded the shows or not, or if she kept me up, but I know for a while, we were even getting Soap Opera Digest, we were so hooked. We liked Another World, too, but it wasn’t as wild as DOOL.

When Fred and I were dating, we’d watch Santa Barbara together, sometimes in person, but most of the time on the phone. Cruz and Eden’s theme song “I Believe in You and Me” was our wedding song. I think I saw Every Episode of Santa Barbara. Mason and Mary were my favorite couple, but I wanted to be Eden.

When I was in college, I had a break in classes at 11 AM, which is what time All My Children was shown.  So I’d eat my lunch in the TV room and watch All My Children, then dash out to my noon class.

My All My Children love continued when I started having summer breaks. All My Children came on at lunch time, so I’d put it on while I was eating. It became a sanity saver when I was writing. I’d write in the morning, take an AMC lunch-and-sewing-break, then take my nap. If I went to go get lunch, I’d race back to be home by 11.

Now I understand they show AMC online. Once I get through these ATWT episodes (or get over my obsession) I’m going to go back to that show.

Do you watch soaps? Do you know why? I wish I knew why. They help me relax and make me happy.

My Last Day of Summer Vacation

Today is my last day of summer vacation and it was not as productive as I hoped. I did a lot and learned a lot but didn’t relax much. I didn’t read as much as I usually do, I didn’t do any projects around the house. My inbox has more email now than on the last day of school (though my Google Reader is almost empty. I mean Feedly. My blog feed thing.) The time just went too quickly.

Here are what my goals were, and how I did.

1) Write 2 Christmas novellas, one historical and one contemporary.–Yup. Have minor revisions on the contemporary one.

2) Write and publish another novella.–Yup.

3) Get a good start on the first novel in my new series.–Nope. Started another novella instead. The novel was just….not me. I may revisit it, but for now, it’s not the right one.

House goals:

1) Clean garage–NOPE

2) Clean sewing room and KEEP IT THAT WAY–Kinda

3) Clean kitchen cabinets–Nope, though I gave some stuff to Josh for his apartment.

4) Straighten bathroom cabinets–nope

5) Clean closet–kinda. Couldn’t tell now though.

Fun goals:

1) Do something with Mom once a week. Our list includes trips to Fredericksburg, Seguin, Schulenberg, IKEA…–we did a LOT, but never got to Schulenberg. Castroville twice, Luling, a couple of weeks just shopping in town.

2) Sew up fabric–AND some that I bought this summer. All but one piece.

3) Catch up on reading–I read 8 books, which is less than one a week. I had one I didn’t finish, and I’m halfway through #9.

4) Hang out with Trish at the beach–did and had fun, but didn’t relax then, either.

5) Visit my dad in MN–ditto

6) Movies, almost weekly!–Saw Man of Steel twice, White House Down, World War Z, but never got to Pacific Rim, Elysium or Wolverine.

I guess I didn’t do too too bad, especially since my goal was to see what I could do writing full-time. I did about 10,000 words a week. I also lost some weight (not a huge amount, but enough to make me aware of what I’m eating.)

My New Book Trailer

Yes, this is for a book that’s 4 years old. I was cleaning out my files the other day and found a script I’d written for a trailer, complete with stock photo images. Trish’s husband is trying his hand at ads and trailers, so I asked him what he could do, and this is what he came up with! I think it’s fun.

Saving Grace

 

I watched 46 episodes of Saving Grace in 10 days this summer. I don’t know if you remember it. It was on about 7 years ago TNT, with Holly Hunter as a hard-living detective who was sent a “last-chance” angel because of all the bad choices she’s made. She’s having an affair with her partner, a married man. She’s hard-drinking, and has some questionable police tactics, a definite anti-hero. The shows balance between the interaction between the disbelieving detective and her angel, named Earl, and police procedurals. Some of the cases were absolutely heartbreaking.

The story takes place in Oklahoma City, and there are a lot of references to the Murrah Building bombing. Holly Hunter’s character, Grace Hanadarko, had a sister who died in the bombing, and it was Grace’s fault, which is part of the reason she’s so reckless with her life and career.

She was a really hard character to like. In fact, the first three or so episodes, I almost turned it off, despite my reason for watching (Bailey Chase as Butch Ada, the Longhorn working in Sooner country). I couldn’t understand why these people liked her. She fought with her family, she was abrasive. Her only soft spots were her nephew Clay, the son of the sister who died in the bombing, and her best friend Rhetta, who is also the criminologist at the police station. As the show progressed, you saw how good she was with witnesses and victims, and you could see why she was getting this second-chance angel.

It became an obsession for me at this point. What was going to happen to Grace? What was going to happen to the people with whom she shared her last-chance angel? Some days I’d watch 6 episodes, not my best days.

And then came the end. I HATED THE END. HATED the last few episodes. I understand, after reading online, that they found out the show was canceled when they had 3 episodes to go, and they wanted to wrap it up. But I totally didn’t buy it. I was upset for days.

Has anyone out there seen it? Can someone share my outrage? My love? Because I’m about to start watching it again.

Goals for the Week of Back to School and the Boy Moving Out

 

 

The last day of Josh’s internship was Friday, so we haven’t had much time to shop. He needs jeans and underwear and shoes before he heads back, so I imagine we’ll be doing that one day.

He’s moving the same day I start school, so my stepdad and husband are the ones moving him. I am really REALLY glad about this, but also guilty. So I need to do as much to help as I can before.

We go back to work on Thursday. I think in my entire 25 years, we’ve gone back in the middle of the week ONCE. I did not like it. It ruins the whole week.

And of course I didn’t get half of what I wanted to get done, done. So I’m in panic mode.

1) Finish novella and send to editor.

2) Finish revisions on other novella and send back.

3) Make a skirt. (I already have enough new clothes for inservice week, and I’ll repeat them the first week with the kids, but I like to sew and watch Longmire.

4) Exercise every day. I fell off the wagon last week because I slept in twice (until 7!) and wasn’t feeling good another day. This week, back to it! I’m even going to try to walk before school, even if I just make a couple of trips around the block.

5) Work on getting back in the swing.

6) Get Josh ready to move. I think my last day of summer is not going to be fun.

Impending Empty Nest…Again

All summer long, I’ve logically prepared for Josh’s move back to Austin. He’s living in an apartment this time, so there were things he’d need, like a TV and a couch. I ordered those things, arranged for delivery. I’ve been buying things along the way, extra toothbrushes, garbage bags, dish towels. I’ve been setting aside things I have too many of: dishes, glasses, a can opener. I have a grocery list for food staples for his pantry.

But a couple of days ago, it hit me. This time he probably won’t come back. He won’t spend a month here at Christmas. May just come down for the day at Thanksgiving. After graduation, he’ll still have 2 1/2 months on his lease, so unless he gets a job here, he won’t be coming home then, either. He’s taking his bed with him, and while we have a twin bed for him to sleep in when he comes home, well, I know that’s not exactly inviting.

My stomach is in knots. I’m always on the verge of tears. I did this before, I know, and actually kind of liked it. There was a definite freedom to not having to work around his schedule, to not have to worry about him being out too late. Fred and I could plan things in advance. This summer has been so nice. He’s worked at his internship full-time, eaten dinner home most nights, only gone out a couple nights a week. It was a very quiet and calm summer. I told my mom it almost makes it worse because I saw him so much more this summer than last, when he was running here and there and working and going to school.

My husband reminds me this is the way it’s supposed to be. And I know it. We were already married at his age. But the thought of him not living here anymore is breaking my heart.

Goals for My Last Full Week of Summer (WAH!!!) and Eden’s Promise Launch

 

The less time I have, the more I need to do!

Today we’re taking the boy to Austin to check out his apartment to see if my step-dad can drive the trailer up there, or if it’s better to rent a UHaul. I need to get to the grocery store at some point because I’m OUT OF DIET COKE. Right now I’m about to go for my walk, and I want to sew the casing for my dress so I can thread the elastic through it on our way to Austin. Not even the school year yet and I feel like I’m ALWAYS RUSHING!

This week:

1) Launch party on Facebook for Eden’s Promise.

2) Get really close to finishing novella.

3) Finish the skirt and dress I’ve started, cut out pajama pants, another dress and another skirt.

4) Keep exercising

5) Day with Mom

6) Keep up the house. I never did any of the big things I was going to do, no time with the writing!

Goals for the Last Week of July

 

This week is more about balance. I did pretty well on most of my goals, except sewing (got derailed on a project with flimsy, slippery fabric that is NO fun.) I will NOT watch 30-plus episodes of a show on Netflix. I will keep up my house better (was MORTIFIED Friday night when Josh brought home a date and there were baskets of laundry and shopping bags all over the counter, not to mention I hadn’t swept in a couple of days.)

 

Make revisions on beach story
Read other beach stories for continuity.
Get a haircut so it can calm down by the first day of school
Work on wedding planner
Add reader letters/sample chapters to my self-published books
Plan Eden launch party
Day with Mom
Exercise daily. Down 8 pounds from July 8.
Work in yard
Clean laundry room
Finish skirts and cut out dress. One skirt is a snap, the other is a PITA. Naturally, the machine is threaded for the PITA.
NOT FREAK OUT that I’m running out of summer!

Goals the Week of…Nothing? Again? Are You Sure?

Again, that doesn’t mean I won’t be busy!

Just an FYI, my Bluestone series is on sale this week at Amazon and BN! I would love love love to make a list, so if you would be so kind as to spread the word?

AND if you sign up for my newsletter, you’ll get a coupon code for an advance copy of Eden’s Promise, and a couple of other goodies! The link is on the right.

1) Finish edits on Eden.

2) Format Eden for print.

3) Finish edits on Starfish Shores.

4) Work on wedding planner.

5) Day with Mom.

6) Keep on exercising. (I’ve lost 5 pounds in 2 weeks!)

7) Keep up house.

8) Buy Josh’s couch.

9) Make and send newsletter.

My Neighborhood

A couple of years ago, when my mother-in-law passed away, my husband and I talked about selling our house and moving into hers. It’s half the size, but it was paid for, and I could quit teaching and be a full-time writer.

Two reasons we decided against it. One, my sun room. I love love love my sun room. And two, my neighborhood.

Since I’ve started walking again this summer, I’ve redeveloped an appreciation of my neighborhood. The neighborhood was built in the early 1950s, so it’s a lot of ranch-style houses on big lots, wide streets and lots of big trees. If you’ve seen the movie, THE HELP, the more “modern” houses are just like houses in this neighborhood. (The one where they build a bathroom on the back porch for the maid? That could have been filmed in this neighborhood.)

We have great yards, which inspire me to come work in mine, and yards that don’t get taken care of at all. There are people, like me, who give it a try but it doesn’t quite translate.

I see the occasional cat, but never any loose dogs. When you do see loose dogs, you know they’ve slipped out, as Stormy has been known to do on occasion.

There is always SOMEONE out–jogging, walking, riding bikes. I saw a guy mowing before 7:30 this morning. Yes, it’ll be hot later, but I’m sure his neighbors did NOT appreciate that.

We live in a flight path, but it doesn’t bother me. I love seeing the planes flying over and wondering where people are going.

We are right behind the church where we got married, and I love hearing the church bells at noon and 6.

What about you? Do you love your neighborhood? What do you love about it?