Gerry Bartlett's Blog, page 2

New Year’s Eve

I used to feel like I had to do something important on New Year’s Eve. It was my late husband John’s birthday. His family didn’t make a big deal out of birthdays and, when I married him, I was shocked to discover he’d never had a birthday party. So when he turned forty, I had a big deal party. Combined with New Year’s Eve, it was a fun night. Guests brought gag gifts to rub in his over the hill status and we danced and had a great time. It was at home so we didn’t even have to worry about dri...

The Thanksgiving Table

Who would you like at your table for Thanksgiving? I made up a little quiz to help you decide. That���s if you���re not stuck with family members who would fail this test. You know who they are–the aunt with the white glove who finds the dust on top of the TV. The cousin who always manages to hit the bathroom when you���ve run out of toilet paper. Or the screamer who is lucky enough to see a cockroach and you haven���t seen one in, um, months. Best yet? The newly diagnosed relative who is on...

Gerry Faces Some Hard Truths

I don’t believe in resolutions, they just set me up for failure, usually by January 20th, so I decided to face some hard truths this year. Will they help me handle 2014 any better than I have any other year? Probably not. But you never know.

1) Hard truth number one: Some things are inevitable. Like death, taxes and the fact that as soon as I put on mascara, I’m going to sneeze. Yep, raccoon eyes. A few other inevitabilities? I’ve found my perfect lipstick color, so it’s been discontinued. Dit...

What I’ve Got on the Shelves

I’ve been remodeling my office and it’s been a pain. First, I had to clear the clutter. I had files going back to the eighties. And I hate to throw away anything. There are still decisions to be made about a lot of it so they’re in a closet for now. Then I realized I was a book hoarder. I am doing a massive book giveaway. Don’t ask. That’s being taken care of. I’m donating or selling a lot and some special people are getting some of them. Yes, I will be mailing soon. If I can get to the envel...

Gerry’s Sword Dance

I’m 5th from the right, back row. Short hair. Best friend Pattie is the last one on the left, little blond on the back row.

I just posted a picture of me in the Scottish Brigade back in high school. That was Austin High School in Houston, Texas. We dressed in kilts, had a bagpipe corps, along with drums and bugles. It was awesome. As part of the drill team, I learned Scottish dances, just like the sword dance Blade did in Real Vampires Know Hips Happen. Yes, I used my own experience when I wro...

Gerry in The Scottish Brigade

I’m on the back row, fifth from the right with the short hair. Company C was the short girls in the Drill Team. Read my new blog to find out about when we did the sword dance.

What is Love?

I’ve always thought of February as the month for love. Valentine’s Day is in the middle of the month and I was married on the 26th, many years ago. I’ve talked before about my own marriage and you can read my love story in another part of this website. Recently Dear Abby answered a letter from a heartbroken reader who was trying to get over a failed romance. Abby had a good definition of what real love is and I’ll paraphrase it here. She said someone who loves you makes you feel strong instea...

Why I Love Animals

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I post pictures of my dog Jet just about every Saturday. But let me tell you how Jet came into my life. My late husband was captain of a flyball team. Our aging Bedlington Terrier was going blind and John knew her days as a champion flyball dog were numbered. So he went in search of a replacement. Now flyball is nothing more than relay races for dogs. A four dog team takes turns running down a course with hurdles, hitting a box to get a ball and bringing the ball back to its owner. Belle lov...

Why I Don’t Do Resolutions

I haven’t made New Year’s Resolutions since the turn of this century. Why? Because they never did anything for me but make me feel like a failure. They were always the same. You know the ones: Lose weight, eat healthy, start exercising, get more work done, take my vitamins, manage my money better. I could go on. It’s like airing all my dirty laundry.

Did I ever keep any of those resolutions? Of course not. Oh, I’d start off January with a bang, full of fervor and resolve. I’d join Weight Watch...

The Blinking Cursor

I’m starting a new Real Vampires book and it’s not easy. Did you think it would be? This is number ten in the series. With the same feisty vampire, Glory, in the starring role. I know her really well. I have her voice in my head. I should be able to jump right into the next story without a hitch. Right? Wrong.

You see the opening of a book has to be special. It has to hook readers. Make them want to buy the book, keep reading, become intrigued if they’ve never met these characters before. Hey,...