Sherry Morris's Blog, page 15

Sherry Where Do I Know You From?

A new follower on Twitter posed this question to me. Well, let's see. Where could you know me from?
You called 9-1-1 and I was the volunteer EMT dispatched to help you when you were having a really bad day.
You stated your name and address, showed me your I.D. and I was the election official who gave you the ballot to change the world.
Your child broke his wrist and I applied the soft cast in the E.R.
You sat next to me in the theater and were so happy when I finished crunching my popcorn.
You were chatting with the other mothers at the bus stop and had to move over so I could jog through, huffing and puffing.
You were standing in a long line for the Peter Pan ride at the Magic Kingdom in Disney World and I was the woman in front of you reapplying sunscreen. 
You were a vendor at a train show and I stood in front of your table texting while my husband asked you if you could do better on a price.
You were in a Yoga class and I was the woman the instructor kept adjusting.
You sat next to me on a north or south bound train and I read the whole way.
You know my daughter who looks just like me. Only younger and slimmer.
You came to a book signing and didn't buy my book but asked me where the restroom was.
If none of those scenarios seem accurate, perhaps I just look like Mrs. Everywoman. It's very nice to meet you.

Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade

I can't wait to see this new parade at the Magic Kingdom! Beast is my daughter's favorite prince. He is also an exquisite host. It's really hard to get reservations to eat at his castle restaurant, Be Our Guest. We've always eaten after 9 PM, and been well fed.

Cher in Concert

I saw Cher in concert last night in Washington, DC. Yes, we had really bad seats. However, I'm so glad we got to experience this once in a lifetime event. Let me just say that her production surpassed Disney standards. I have no idea how they could do that in a show that travels. She changed costumes at least every two songs. While changing, we were entertained by acrobats, dancers and singers, which kept the show moving along in the theme.

I never in my life thought I'd see a 20' tall gilded Trojan horse. Yep, the lady makes an entrance. And this was just for one song, every song had a similar mind blowing experience.

Personally, I treasured her duets of The Beat Goes On and I've Got You Babe with Sonny Bono. So touching and heartfelt.

I couldn't figure out what they were doing with the circus set and performers until Cher burst on stage as a gypsy and sang Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves then Dark Lady. I'd never realized Dark Lady was also a gypsy. Duh.

The song that caused the most thunderous applause was If I Could Turn Back Time. Four men threw sailor hats onto the stage. Yes, she wore a bodysuit showing what she showed aboard the infamous aircraft carrier video. Yes, she is beautiful and has the body for it.

Pat Benatar was her opening act. I was happy to recognize four of her songs. She and her husband, Spider Giraldo put on a great 35th anniversary show. They said they'll be touring this summer with Ricky Springfield.

Cher in concert. Go see her.

Results of Dialing Back the Shameless Self-Promotion

Hello! Me again. A week ago I blogged, vowing to dial back my shameless book promotion, since my books don't sell well anymore. Not that they ever sold much to begin with. Discoverability problem. Writing out-of-the-box problem. Weird imagination problem. Anyhow, my sales had dropped to less than one per week of my 13 published titles.
I cut way back on buy my book tweets, rarely reTweet other artists, and guess what? No change. I'm still selling less than one per week. In case I need to spell it out: Less than one sale per week means ZERO.
So, I'll keep with the new program. I'm loving spending less online time on exasperating promo and more on mundane stuff that makes me happy, both online and back in the real world.
Oh, and for the record, I'm no longer writing fiction for publication. Been there, done that for fifteen years. Onward and upward!

Yes Virginia, Someone Made a Mildew Resistant Shower Curtain

Since the 90's, we'd always picked up shower curtain liners from the Dollar Store and used them for a few weeks, then tossed them when the yucky black mildew invaded. Not very green of us. One day I decided to search online for shower curtain reviews, hoping to find some type that everyone raved about. I found this mildew resistant thick curtain. Consumers said it stayed mildew-free for six months. So I bought one. And after three months, bought another for the kids' bathroom. Exactly six months from hanging the first one, mildew appeared. Six months! So I ordered another.

But there was an additional gremlin in the shower that irritated me daily. The S shaped shower curtain hooks flew off the rod nearly every time I pulled the curtain open or closed. Again, I turned to the Internet. I found that the highest ranked hooks were chrome roller ball hooks. They were in stock at Wal-Mart, about $1 more than Amazon, so I gave them a try. They work marvelously! And they make a happy zing sound as the curtain glides over the rod. I ordered a set from Amazon for our first floor bathroom, along with a mildew resistant curtain since my daughter is now showering in there. The mixing valve in the kids' bath isn't mixing anymore and she doesn't like the cold showers while waiting for her father to repair it. You know men and their honey-doo list procrastination.

Anyhow, if mildew on your shower curtain bugs you, try this Maytex No More Mildew Shower Curtain Liner. And here are the Ushoppingcart Heavy Duty Polished Chrome Roller Shower Curtain Rings Hooks.

Yes, I know I can wash the shower curtain in the washing machine. I used to do that in the 80's. And the curtains always came out stained and sometimes the design was scratched up.

By the way, the only thing that cleans the soap scum from the textured floor of our shower is my husband's elbow grease, a scrub brush and Comet.

Goofy Gets Even More Animated!

I've noticed a lot of fathers identify with Goofy. Who is your favorite Disney character? Tinker Bell is close to my heart. Donald Duck has been my favorite since I was a little girl. I love it when he is happy.

Writing Prompt #32: Funeral

Your character is attending the funeral of an immediate family member. He/she is devastated by the unexpected loss.

What was the cause of death? Natural? Accidental? Suspicious? Homicide?

Someone who should have been paying respects is glaringly missing. Who?

What is inside the two envelopes given to the widowed spouse immediately after the flag was presented to him/her by two separate officials who whispered?

Who is the strange woman sitting with the family and escorted away by a uniformed general? A secret sister your character never knew? Someone close to the widow/widower? Someone with a powerful secret?

Your character was not invited to a reception following the service. Why?

My Sister's Funeral

My beautiful sister was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery yesterday. It was an Air Force ceremony with full honors. Well over 100 of her loved ones in attendance. I had hoped for closure, but I'm not ready yet. I am unable to blog about her extraordinary life because I'm still selfishly grieving her loss. I'm devastated. She was a non-smoker who was killed by lung cancer. She hid it from me. I learned a week before she passed.

Anyhow, to move on and include her in something positive, I will post writing prompt #32: Funeral. These are questions that were running through my muddled mind during the service. I hope it inspires something in my writer friends. I am no longer writing fiction.

No Biopsies Required

In 2005, a malignant melanoma was removed from my left shoulder blade. I was quite lucky it was discovered before it had gotten out of control. Every six months, I have a full body skin exam performed by a dermatologist. Usually the exam ends with three moles biopsied: one I'm concerned about, one the doctor is concerned about and one that spooks us both.

I had my biannual exam today and there was nothing suspicious found. I didn't escape pain though. I had fourteen benign seborrhea keratosis on my face zapped with liquid nitrogen. Four were near my left eye, several at my hair line and a few near my jaw. They'll swell up, dry out and flake off slowly over the next month. FYI having lesions "frozen" off feels like a burning, stinging bee while the procedure is performed. Depending how many were done, it can be painful for hours afterwards, but nothing that can't be calmed by Tylenol.

I was told to keep the large scar near my collar bone out of the sun. This was from a re-excised scar from my biopsy six months ago. It had become irritated and spooked my doctor. I'll wear crew necked tops or scarves until further notice.

Everyone is at risk for skin cancer. All ethnic backgrounds and ages. Please make an appointment to see a dermatologist and have your moles checked. Early detection can give you and me decades of life.

A Difficult Week Ahead

Photo of the inside of our minivan running through the car wash.
Today is Monday. I'm doing my normal morning chores of dogs, dishes, laundry and the budget. I'm looking forward to a new class at the gym tonight: Yoga for Athletes.

Tuesday will be routine as well.

Wednesday I have my six month full body skin exam by my dermatologist. It normally ends with three moles to be biopsied. One that the doc is concerned about but I'm not. One I'm concerned about but she isn't. And one that spooks us both. I'm a malignant melanoma patient. Nine years ago, a stage zero melanoma was removed from my left shoulder blade. It was a miracle my gynecologist nurse practitioner told me to have it checked. It was large and irregular, but a normal reddish tan color. It was the rarest form of melanoma, the kind with no pigment. I've since been to several dermatologists as determined by my health insurance coverage. I've been told more than once that I am a dermatologist's worst nightmare because of the absence of pigment. I really like the lady I'm seeing now and she is hyper-vigilant which is good, but also painful and disfiguring. Anything she has a hunch about gets removed. I'm prone to ugly raised purple keloid scars. My back is scary. I had one on my chest from my last biopsy that was irritated by my puppy. The doc was spooked by the looks of it, so she excised it. This time taking 4 cm. of skin. Leaving a much larger scar on my chest near my collar bone. I had a laser treatment on it last week, it's supposed to help lighten it. Anyhow, it was just a scar, there was no cancer found in the pathology.

So much for ever wearing necklaces again. They'll irritate it and she'll re-excise it and I'll have a bigger scar. I'm excited to wear scarves instead of jewelry. It's all good. And just to put it out there, I've never had a suntan, never been to the tanning bed and always slathered on sunscreen. And I have melanoma. Get yourself checked, please.

Thursday I will attend my beautiful sister Beth's funeral with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery. She enlisted in the Air Force as a clarinet player and retired two years ago as the superintendent of the President's Air Force Band. She was subsequently diagnosed with lung cancer, which she hid from me. I found out a week before she passed. She was a non-smoker.

I have no idea what the rest of the week will bring. Hoping for peace and closure and gratitude for my privileged life. Like our minivan caked in winter slush, I just need to make it to Friday and run through a rainbow to wash away the dread and sadness.