Sunday Soapbox: Short and, uh, Short

*Steps on soapbox*

I love my family and sometimes things happen that require my attention all day. Yesterday, it was doing Halloween stuff all day (including taking the whole family to the Reading Circle) and, of course, trick-or-treating. It was our anniversary (my husband and I) and we spent the day with family. By the time everyone came home exhausted, I felt I had to blog since I'm been so spotty during the week. So, the novel, with a scene half finished, stayed unwritten.

Last night, I slept poorly, though not as badly as the night before when I woke up with migraines twice. However, when I woke up this morning (sort of late), I had figured out how I was ending my novel. But the kids were up already. After the daily saving time mind-frazzle, kids were confused and freaked and Lee decided to take all to the zoo to take advantage of the good weather. And we did (and it was quite nice), but, I came home and had to finish the laundry, and do chores and get the kids ready for bed, and blog and...

So, instead of spending a lot of time here telling you that you should take the time to do what's important instead of letting everything nickel and dime it away, I'm going to say, see ya! I got a novel that's calling out for more work on it tonight!

*Leaps off soapbox and runs to my Word Perfect where the novel is just waiting for me*

Read more...

Someone Explain This To Me

Why does the death of a celebrity electrify the media?

Someone asked me this on Ask Me Anything.

You know, I have no idea. Deaths can be tragedies, but they don't have to be, but of all the factors that make me think a death is tragic, fame is just not one of them.

Death can be tragic if it's preventable - a child trapped in a trunk or falling unnoticed into a pool, someone killed by a drunk driver.

Death can be tragic when it strikes someone healthy or someone who might have had a full and happy life before them if not for the condition that killed them - people struck down in their prime with cancer or children dying of meningitis.

Death can be tragic when it's senseless - people killed in a drive by shooting or teenagers killing themselves.

Death can be tragic when someone innocent is killed via deliberate violence - serial or spree murder victims, victims of child abuse, someone shot protesting an unjust regime.

Causes of death that are painful, that rob the victim of dignity or memory or other key characteristics can be tragic, though, after the causes ravage a loved one, you can also feel relief that the victim is no longer suffering.

People touch lives, add magic or pain, and it shouldn't matter if it's a thousand lives one touches or just one. The life is precious.

Just my opinion. Oh, and that picture up there, Earnest Louis Sulak died a week ago at home, leaving many people who loved him.

Read more...