New Year's Wishes

happy new+year+2012 pics on Sodahead

May the New Year bring about the change you've been hoping for along with a better, happier, and richer life full of love. 

Holiday Season 2011

May this Christmas grant you the gift of

Health, Wealth, and Love wrapped up in

Joy.

My Saturday With Santa



This past Saturday, I spent it with my dear friend Tom D.  I had a wonderful time that day which began with Tom picking me up early in the morning and driving all the way to New Hope, Pennsylvania.  We had a nice time during the drive catching up and looking for a place to eat because I hadn’t had breakfast.  The drive would take a few hours and because I’m hypoglycemic, I couldn’t wait until we reached Pennsylvania to eat. 

By this point we’re in New Jersey.  It was too early for a restaurant and there weren’t any diners nearby.  Every place that Tom suggested wasn’t suitable because it was a fast food place.  I’m careful about what I eat because my digestive system hasn’t been able to tolerate McDonald’s, Burger King or any place such as that for quite some time.  Poor Tom was trying his best to accommodate me but after a while was referring to me as high maintenance.  I disagreed and this went on for a bit until I spotted an IHOP and he pulled into the parking lot immediately.

Thankfully, there wasn’t a long wait before we were seated, but here is where it really impacted on me that Tom is such a darling friend.  You see, Tom is a pseudo vegan.  He’s a vegetarian that has also given up fish and eggs and at sometime plans to give up dairy.  The dilemma arose when I instantly knew what I was ordering and Tom was having difficulty because the majority of the food served at IHOP contains eggs.  He ended up ordering a salad.  Tom is a large 6’3 man sitting next to me at the table with a salad in front of him and I’m 4’10 ½ and I had a breakfast sampler which consisted of two eggs, two sausages, two bacon, two pancakes and hash browns.  We had a bit of a chuckle at that. 

But it gets better – Tom is Dutch with blue eyes and a full white beard.  On Saturday, he wore a Santa hat all day.  Everywhere we went he was greeted by people saying “Hi Santa!” and of course, he greeted them back always having witty things to say.  When he asked the server for the check, one of the other servers approached him and handed him her Christmas Wish list which he read in front of her and promptly put in his pocket.  Children waved at him and he waved back.  All I could say while looking so small next to him was that all the other Elves are going to talk because he took me out for the day.  He said “Let them”.  Yes, he was in full character.

After breakfast we quickly resumed our trip to New Hope without any further demands from me.  New Hope was very nice with its quaint shops and artsy feel.  When we left New Hope we drove to Peddler’s Village in Lahaska, PA.  I loved Peddler’s Village which at the moment is lit up for Christmas.  The mall is set up like a small village and it’s so beautiful especially when it got dark and all the lights from the trees illuminated the whole place.  We enjoyed hot apple cider and soft pretzels while sitting at a bench.  Passersby greeted Santa and a woman approached him and told him what she wanted for Christmas.  But remembering that sitting next to him I look like a little Elf, I made sure to ask her if she had been good because Santa Will check the list. 

As we walked through the shops we could hear people who had children with them murmuring “Is that Santa?” and the children trying to get a closer look.  At one point and I don’t remember when, there was a woman who had a headband with reindeer antlers.  Tom walked up to her and said “Meet me in the roof in ten minutes!”  We all laughed.

We had a lot of fun on Saturday.  I wonder if he'll do it again next year.  If he does, I might join in the fun and wear an Elf's hat.

Happy Holidays!

 



Writing This Weekend

I’ve been working on my novel this weekend and I even managed to tweet a bit of micro-fiction. I’m feeling pretty good about it. The last few months have been slow going and I was afraid that I would get overwhelmed with the holidays and not get any writing done at all. But, working a little bit on my writing is better than nothing so it’s great that I got some work in. There are several WIPs on the burner and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to work on all of them.  I'll see how it goes.

Creating worlds is hard work especially when dealing with different timelines, sprinkled with Steampunk ensuring that the right anachronisms are evenly placed, while at the same time keeping it interesting. It’s weird because during all of this, tidbits of new scenery or images for my other WIPs pop up in my head and I have to stop and make a quick note so that I don’t lose them. I’m exhausted! I’m going to go brew some coffee for a much needed recharge.

The Train Ride Home

I was riding a crowded train on my way home which was schlepping along the tunnel at a sluggish speed.  Sometimes it would pick up momentum lurching forward in momentary spurts and then it would stop as if drained, only to resume the slow drag through the tunnel.  There weren’t any seats available and I stood for most of the ride. My imagination ran wild with images of a giant worm crawling on its belly while we rode in a metal box that was strapped to it.  Well, now that I think of it, the worm would’ve moved faster.

But then I started looking at the other riders and my gaze focused on a man who resembled a friend of mine.  I almost woke him up to say “hi!” and then in the next instant I realized that he only resembled my friend and wasn’t my friend at all.  So, I looked around some more and started to take notice of the people that were crowded by the doors.  These were young college age people talking and having a good time and completely heedless of the fact that we weren’t getting anywhere.  They were too perky and all that was missing was for them to start an impromptu song and dance routine a la Glee. They annoyed me and I thought “damn youngin’s”.

A moment later I forgot about the annoying twenty-somethings because my attention was caught by the woman in front of me.  She had to be in her early to mid fifties and I only say that because besides the fact that she looked like a mature older woman; she had the kind of short haircut that most older women get.  In addition to that, her hair was dyed a bit too black which didn’t camouflage the thinning section of hair on top of her head.  You have to understand that I’m tired from a long day at work and my commute is an hour and a half each way.  I didn’t get a seat, the train isn’t moving, my knees are hurting so I’m not entirely in the best of moods.

The train had stopped at a station, more passengers came in than left and I still didn’t have a seat.  The doors closed and the train picked up its miserable trek to the next station.  I looked at the woman who had begun to look inside her huge purse that could fit a Pomeranian and pulled out her keys.  The keys were in a tri-fold leather key case with rings which she opened, selected two keys one silver and one brass, snapped it closed and clutched it firmly in her hand.  I thought to myself, “she’s getting off at the next stop and I get to sit”. 

The train pulled in at the next station and the woman never got up to leave.  She fiddled with her keys with a nervous energy and looked about the train car.  We were in the tunnel by now; she couldn’t be looking out of the windows so I wondered what she was looking for.  She rubbed the keys and passed them from one hand to the other while glancing about the train.  I wondered if she was looking for someone but after glan,cing about, she would close her eyes and rest.  My imagination, activated once more, wondered if the woman thought she was being followed.

Another station came and went and this woman still didn’t leave the train.  She opened the enormous bag digging within its depths and pulled out her cell phone which she fiddled with for a while.  At the next station, she fidgeted in her seat and I figured “this is it”, but no.  She just adjusted her luggage-sized purse on her lap, opened it up really wide this time (I thought I was going to fall in) and pulled out her damn keys again.  I didn’t have nice thoughts about her after that.  Two stations later she finally left along with half the occupants of the train and I was finally able to sit down. 

 I was thinking that I should take the characteristics of this woman to create a character for one of my stories.  Or maybe I shouldn’t people watch because it just pisses me off to see all the stupid annoying things they do. Or perhaps, I’m still tired and moody.