M.A. Harper's Blog, page 4

On Hiatus

What with the recent death of my brother-in-law, and my ongoing attempt to get new novel ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE written, this little blog has had to take a back seat lately. But I'll get it going again soon, I promise.

Avoiding Mardi Gras

Okay, I might totally skip Carnival this year.

Today--Sunday--it's raining. And even if it stops, there're going to be puddles everywhere deep as ponds afterward. Only with broken beads in 'em, and plastic bottles and cups. Floating chunks of soggy hot dogs, cigarette butts, brown dead leaves and stuff nobody wants to think

Letting Myself Go

When I turned thirty-three years old, I was stunned at having lived as long as Jesus. Sort of old, and I could die! But society said this wasn't old at all--oldER, maybe, but not "old"--so I went on my first-ever diet. Then as I approached forty, an age during my childhood where women could finally give up and surrender to time and weight, TIME magazine said I was still in

Reinvention

Okay, it's 2014 and time for renewal. So I'm told. I did make a resolution on New Year's Eve to go on a diet, but broke it on January 2nd, so there's not going to be a whole lot of self-improvement going on here until, like, after Mardi Gras. When it's Lent. Actually, I don't

Not Yet

I'm not sure what hurts the most right now--hands, feet or back. It's Christmastime (yippee) and my day job's at a gift shop (#!*). But today's Sunday, and although we're open and people are working, none of them are ME, astoundingly. So my gift-wrap-stressed fingers are recuperating nicely around a steaming mug of black

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Most of y'all are too young to remember him. I mean, it's fifty long years ago when he was assassinated, for God's sake. And a lot of you guys don't like our current President, so maybe you ought to imagine instead what it'd feel like if somebody suddenly upped and shot Justin Bieber. Or--no... wait... Hmm.

Lies Told To Cats

Two weeks ago, cat Casey went to the vet for an ingrown toenail. It happens to animals too. I never knew that. And a dew claw is wicked sharp. Poor little dude. I knew it was a job for professionals. "Do Not Try This At Home" was written all over it.

The follow-up vet

Facebooking Rules for Mature Americans

A few things I've learned the hard way, in no particular order:

1. Nothing you post on Facebook after two glasses of wine is as fascinating as you think it is.
2. Not even terrorists or Mark Zuckerburg are interested in violating your privacy by sharing with the international public those photos of your recipes, pets

Hens In Hurricanes

This summer's been like a gas explosion: intensely hot, dazzlingly brief.

I can't believe it's almost over. Seems like only yesterday when everybody's kids were just out of school, and now they're back in. August used to drag by, once upon a time, with nothing to take people's minds off hurricane season. Now there

On Hiatus

Sorry, guys, but I'm out to lunch. Hard at work on my new book, IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS. If I subtract all the time I spend at my day job, plus sleeping, eating, reading (and drinking), there just aren't enough writing hours left in the day, hahahaha! But I'll be back soon, once