I Know I Promised True Detective, BUT DID YOU SEE THE WALKING DEAD FINALE?!

HOLY DECAYING ZOMBIES DID YOU SEE THAT?! Okay. Stop reading now if you haven't seen it. Seriously. You'll just be disappointed in yourself, because this must be seen to be believed. I mean it. You won't enjoy it nearly enough if you keep reading. Are you still here? Then I will assume that you saw the finale and hereby acknowledge no responsibility for spoiling it for you.

There were two hugely shocking moments, some self discovery, and lastly a lot of questions for next season. The first thing that evoked a, "OMG! DID YOU SEE THAT?!" occurred during an inevitable altercation between Rick, Michonne, and Carl with Darryl's new gang. Think back, and you'll remember that Rick killed one of their men in the house when he was recuperating. Well, vengeance was the goal when Joe and his happy band of predators happened upon a still-slightly-weak Rick and his makeshift family.

While Joe appeared to be the stronger and better armed of the two, he wasn't expecting Rick to channel his inner vampire. That's right. Rick turned the tables AND BIT JOE IN THE NECK AND SEVERED HIS JUGULAR! Yep. He actually spit a piece of Joe out when he was done. After that little bizarre altercation, Rick went on to assist Michonne, Darryl, and Carl in killing the rest of the team. Rick took on the nasty guy who had been threatening Carl with vaguely nasty implied, possibly sexual, threats. Rick used a knife this time and stabbed the gang banger repeatedly - and by repeatedly I mean gruesome stabbing sounds in excess of everyone's tolerance - scaring Carl in the process.

He followed this bloodbath by declaring that Darryl is his brother. Touching, no? Especially with blood covering the entire lower half of his face. All of that leads to Michonne having a philosophical (sort of) discussion with Carl about how we all have a little monster in us.

The second big event was Rick and his group's arrival at Terminus. We had seen Glenn and Maggie's crew walk through the front door to a welcome wagon offering barbecue. Rick led them through the back door, surprising the Terminus crew in the process of making new Welcome signs to lure  lead people to Terminus. They received the same welcome and offer of a plate... but Rick astutely observed that one of their people had Glenn's pocketwatch (given to him by Hershel), so he pulled his gun. Further observation revealed the armor Maggie had been wearing and various other items that had belonged to the recently arrived group. Predictably, a shootout followed.

The shootout was one sided, because the Terminus peeps were really just steering the group into a trap. The chase went past a few clues about the technically incorrect slogan that "those who arrive survive". It looks very much like a cult dedicated to their own survival... by eating their visitors. Yes, cannibals. 

Rick and his gang end up in a train car with Glenn's group. They are likely future menu items at the Terminus Cafe.

So, next season begins with a bunch of OUR survivors trapped in a train car waiting to be eaten by a cult of cannibals. But where are Carol, Tyree, and Judith? Who took Beth and where is she? How will Rick and Darryl save the rest from the cannibal cult? Will anyone get - or has anyone already been - eaten by humans? Why does it seem kind of weird that everyone wants to eat someone - zombies AND humans? Am I starting to overthink this?

What did you think? Disgusting? Awesome? Amazing? Gross? Tell me what you think.

True Detective: The Most Amazing Show You Struggled to Follow

Hold that thought. Post coming tomorrow... I just wanted to hold this spot...

New Blog Focus, New Name, New Content

Rather than start another blog, I remembered this was here and decided to change direction. I love pop culture and have all kinds of opinions and I thought I would throw them here and see if anything sticks.

If you liked reading about writing and all that jazz, go to my website. There's actually two blogs there: one for writing and one for book reviews.

If you liked reading about my crazy life, you're out of luck at the moment. Just living it takes enough time. Writing about it might push me over the verge...

So, let's talk. Movies, television, music, celebrity antics, books, magazines, and whatever comes to mind. Join me on the verge. Let's talk.

My Life is a Sitcom or a Soap Opera... or Both

I actually had a friend tell me that I should have a podcast about my life because ... well, I'm not sure there was a reason, but she was laughing like a maniac at the time. I think I had told her of my latest adventures including apparently removing a chunk of cornea with my contact lens, my children using my bra as a weapon, and dealing with a client who just can't make up his mind. I told her that my life is normal. She disagreed.

For now, I'll stick to blogging, I told her, because I can't even keep up with that, so adding a podcast would make me feel guilty about ignoring my blogs because when I'm writing blog posts I feel guilty about not doing laundry and that much guilt will require more meds and therapy than my insurance will cover.

In other words. I'm still here.

What Ever Happened to Village Gate Square? (Rochester, NY)

I've sent this to the local paper, but I doubt they will publish it. I will share it with you here, just in case, because the story should be told.

Today I took my son to Village Gate Square. You know Village Gate. The place where you say to your friends, "I'm going to Village Gate and they say, "Hey! Can we come with?"

We were looking forward to checking out Bop Shop Records, Ricky's Place, Far Out Vintage, and Comics, Etc. Three out of four were gone. In their places were construction cones and wilted caution tape. Active construction appeared to be going on with questionable safety.

When we wandered into Comics, Etc., a man in a white shirt appeared to be having a heated discussion with the men behind the counter. He was saying something about rent. I concluded that he was someone who might know what was going on, so when their conversation paused, I said, "Excuse me. What happened to Village Gate?"

He turned to me and smiled condescendingly. He told me that they were updating and would have many fine restaurants soon. He asked me who I was and I responded that I was a consumer who came to Village Gate specifically to find those shops that sold items not found anywhere else. It was home to artistic, creative, vintage, unique shops. Where had they gone? He smiled that smile again and spoke to me as if to a child, explaining that he needed his rent.  It occurred to me that he must be getting his rent if he could afford the major construction going on. He then turned to the men behind the counter and said that I must be a friend of theirs.

I could tolerate the condescension, but to say that I was expressing my opinion as a ruse? I got angry. Obviously, the men in the store denied it because I don’t know any of them. He turned to me again as I tried to explain why Village Gate had character and how it was a shame for it to be lost. He asked me if he should get rent. I felt an equally absurd question was in order so I asked him, “Are you an asshole?” To which he turned and stormed away saying he didn’t need to be insulted, which in Management language means, “Yes.” Was I wrong in calling him a name? Yes. I'm sorry I did it. But I wanted answers and was asking sincerely as a consumer and was getting blown off. Management should at least listen to what consumers are saying and be polite and informative. Asking if he should get paid rent is NOT a reasonable response.

Village Gate was home to the independent stores where you could find the unique and wonderfully eccentric – an extension of the artistic community. Now it will be aluminum and glass. How very sad.  

Bloggers Who Hurt

A friend of mine called my attention to a blog post that was incredibly hurtful to a certain part of the population. I refuse to give this blogger any kind of inadvertent promotion by telling you the subject or anything else about it. I just want to share something with MY readers.

Writing a blog post that is inflammatory, simply to get a rise out of people and draw attention to your blog is irresponsible and quite frankly, just plain mean. To then take the well-thought out responses of those who are offended and continue to debase people is inexcusable. 

Yes, we all have freedom of speech. Some of us use this power for good. Some of us use it to make others feel bad. Some use it for attention via stepping all over other people's feelings. I have some very wise advise to offer that Wil Wheaton lives by:

Don't be a dick.

Interview with Gene Doucette

Go check out my interview with Gene Doucette on the day of his new book release: Hellenic Immortal.

Fridge Update

Because I know you can't stand the suspense, I'll tell you that an adult technician came in, ran through a series of tests that were dictated to him over the phone from Frigidaire because they won't give the techs a hard copy, and concluded that the ice maker is broken. Um. Yeah.

Anyway, it needs a whole new board of computer software apparatus or something that will require them to pull out the fridge and probably be eaten whole by the dust bunnies that are likely waiting for him. They probably broke the ice maker for this exact reason.... Now I get it....

Technician Doogie 2

I forgot to mention that now my "new" refrigerator doesn't make ice (yes, it is supposed to) so they sent one guy out who had to call someone else to try to figure out what was wrong and guessed it was some part called a timberometerothingie or something and ordered it. Three days later, Doogie Howser 2, who was quite possibly 12 and may have needed a phone book on the van seat to drive, took everything apart, spilled water all over the floor, put in the timbealoinemimt, and went away. And my fridge still doesn't make ice.

So today a THIRD tech is coming over. Soon. And he will probably figure out that it's some other thingamajointer that will have to be ordered and we'll have to have a FOURTH tech come put it in... This is like the Twilight Zone. It's like a neverending loop.

Whoa.

Yes, I have been totally neglecting this blog, my personal one, to pay attention to my Mini Book Review blog and my business blog.

So, I'm back, or I'll try to be back, bringing with me news of why my life is a sitcom - and why I hate sitcoms.

Good Riddance

Today we took our Christmas tree out to the road. The aforementioned Poison Ivy Tree. And I'm telling you this even though you didn't post anything because I'm nice.

We donned latex gloves, pulled the Christmas tree bag up over the tree (I couldn't get Hazmat  suits from eBay quickly enough), tied it with string which promptly broke, and then duct taped the crap out of it. No poison ivy could escape that bag. Well, I suppose it could, but it would have to get through the plastic and duct tape. Oh, and all the stuff that I wiped with Clorox wipes including my own skin.

The tree is now at the road and my son took a photo of me flipping the bird next to it. Nice, right? I know.

Oh. Hi.

Yes, I've been a slacker in the blogging department. Suck it up. I'm here now with a story to tell that will make up for my absence. It's called: My Life is a Sitcom because my Christmas Tree is Full of Poison Ivy.

You know, the title tells it all. I wonder if anyone is actually going to read this. Maybe I'll wait and see before telling the story. If you want to hear it, comment or follow. So there.

Manufacturers, Service Centers, and Plumbers, Oh My...

I'm angry. And that's putting it mildly. I have a dishwasher and before you get all in my face, I admit that I am totally and completely spoiled by having it. Except right now. Because it was bright and shiny and new and worked for 6 months. Now it just sprays water at the dishes and vomits out the soap down the shiny door where it becomes cement.

As an aside - our usual plumber did not install this as he had just had surgery so we had someone else do it.

I called the manufacturer, who helpfully provided me with a list of qualified warranty approved service centers. I called one. The tech came over. I think he was about 12. He barely looked at it and blamed installation and said to call a plumber and have him fix the drain hose because it has to loop and there was a bunch of hose under the machine and it drains into the floor and blah blah blah call a plumber.

The plumber, who I know and trust because, aside from the fact that he has done great work for us for as long as I can remember, was here with me on 9/11 and we watched the tragedy unfold together. Anyway, he looked at it, pulled it out, which Doogie Techboy didn't do, said the hose was looped and that it should work fine. It wasn't installation, it was the machine.

So I called the service center. I was routed to a manager who said the hose had to be "looped twice in the back not the side" and that he'd have the tech who came over here call me. Well, apparently, that guy wasn't a manager, he was a parts guy and had no clue what he was talking about at all, which came out later. Misrepresenting himself and diagnosing the issue just pissed me off more.

Doogie calls and gets all defensive and says that he's right even though the plumber with tons more experience says it's the machine. As we talk, he gets cocky and I get pissed. He was asking if I was going to believe a plumber over a service tech. I said, "Um. Yeah." So, anyway, our conversation did not go well because he was  a jerk. I was sweetness and light. Okay, I wasn't a witch, but I told him I was frustrated. I had 3 expert opinions and was out $60 for the plumber. I wish I had called him an asshole, but I hung up instead.

That's when the manufacturer called me. My husband had been working that angle. He had secured a partial reimbursement of the plumber's fee of $60. BUT, as I spoke to this very courteous representative, it became painfully obvious that while they were appalled by the treatment I received from the service center, it was still an installation problem and I was screwed. Even worse, they called back 5 minutes later to tell me that, because it is an installation issue, we won't get the reimbursement either.

So. I have dishpan hands, am out $60, still have a broken dishwasher, 3 "expert" opinions, and have to call the installer which is a whole other story that I don't want to go into, but this is going to be... not good.

I just want to tell Doogie Techboy what he can do with his damned looped hose. And it won't be pretty.

Maybe If I Type More Slowly.....

You know when you try to communicate with someone and you ask a question or ask them to do something and then they either a) don't answer the question but complicate things even more or b) screw things up worse?  I'm in the middle of one of those situations. I'm a COPYWRITER on a project and while I do place some images and other things, I do NOT, as a rule, do anything with web design.

So, today I am frustrated at being asked to do stuff that I can't do by someone who should know who to ask AND who isn't answering my questions so I can fix what this person screwed up by "dropping some text in" incorrectly.

I think it's Whine O'Clock. I wish it was Wine O'Clock.

Update: I love it when I get an email that says, "Good question, I'll find out!" but it doesn't contain the question in question. You see, there were about 25 questions. *sigh*

Magic 8 Ball Monday

If my social networkers are interested, they can post questions for my Magic 8 Ball here and I'll post the Magic 8 Ball's answers. If nobody is interested, there will be no comments.

All questions must be formed for a "yes" or "no" answer.

Disclaimer: This is a toy.

Probably, I should have asked the Ball if this was a good idea....

How to Make Your Facebook Page More Recognizable

A few tips and tricks I've picked up to make the new FB changes more palatable for those of you who do not like the new interface:

View this video: Facebook Changes


Put this in your status: Please do me a favor and move your mouse over my name here, wait for the box to load and then move your mouse over the "Subscribe" link. Then uncheck the "Comments and Likes". I would really rather that my comments on friends and families posts not be made public, thank you! Then re-post this if you don't want your every single move posted on the right side in the "Ticker Box" for everyone to see! I'm posting this not only for myself, but also so that my friends and family will know to ask others to do the same if they would not like their every move on facebook noticed. Thanks.


Apply these settings: HOW TO GET YOUR FEED BACK TO NORMAL AGAIN. if you want your feed to go back to normal go to your account settings (that arrow next to HOME) and go to notifications (upper left). There is a box on the upper right that is checked that says "email frequency." Uncheck that box and your feed will show all the posts again. Then go to your home page and anything in the "Top Stories" click on the down arrow and "unmark as top story" - now your newsfeed will be setup by timestamp rather than randomly picking "top stories!"


It won't fix everything, but it WILL help you to stop freaking out. Feel free to find me and friend me on Facebook. Or "like" my Page. 


Good luck! And remember, G+ is open to the public now and it's pretty cool...

Oh, Facebook... What Were You Thinking?

Clearly, Mark Zuckerberg owns stock in Google. Why else would he make inconvenient, non-intuitive, annoying changes to Facebook on the day after Google Plus goes public?

G+ has been invitation only for 3 months. I've been on for a good portion of that time, and honestly, it's pretty great. It makes sharing to groups and individuals easy and has plenty of features. It's only drawback was that there were limited people to share with. Well, that obstacle was removed yesterday.

Today, I woke to a new FB. I keep getting lost in my own page, trying to figure out how the site has determined what it thinks might be important to me. I have to click to see new posts or "stories" as it says. There's some kind of streaming update thingie on the side that I have no clue what to do with. Nobody can figure out what the Hell these changes are supposed to achieve other than drive us over to G+.

Go check out G+ today. See what you think. Look me up there. Drag me into a circle and I'll return the favor. Let's just give it a try.

Now, if you play those games over on FB, I wouldn't worry. I expect  those will show up on G+ soon enough. Let the crops die. Seriously. It's a game, people.

A Forgotten Promise: Proposal Writing Secret

I had promised to post some unusual proposals that yielded great job results. I forgot all about it. So... Here's one for your viewing pleasure. It was for a job that was looking for more than the "standard boilerplate articles".  Please do not steal my words.


Your wish is my command. Wait - your wish about sparkly interesting writing - other wishes are subject to review. Anyway, I am sick of buyers asking for the same old content. I've been waiting for you. It's about time you showed up.

Debt Settlement and File Encryption Software aren't exactly edge-of-your-seat exciting, but I think I could manage to grab readers and give them a little shake and send them off to your site. Oh, and the shake will likely be with laughter... I'm not violent or anything. 

Nitty gritty details? I write well. I'm interesting. I want you to be 100% satisfied with my work. My spelling and grammar are top notch. And I'm very, very creative. *sits up very straight, waving hands in the air while softly chanting pickmepickmepickmepickmepickme*

I've chosen a couple of lovely pieces for you to read. They have absolutely nothing to do with your subjects, but hopefully they will make you smile. And while you're smiling, just maybe you will award the job to me.

Have a lovely day.

I won the job - no contest. $175 and it was easy as could be.

The bottom line is this: Read the job description and write a proposal that gives the client what they are looking for. Show your personality, as in the example above, if they seem to be looking for a certain spark. If they are looking for very professional, stick to something more like this:

In my past role as a Registered Nurse, I taught CPR and First Aid, medication administration, as well as various modules for staff and patients. Later, I became I certified Teaching Assistant to help younger students. In other words, I love to teach. I can easily take your medical questions and "translate" the answers into language and content that is easily accessible to your readers.

Attached is a Dental manual I wrote for a non-profit agency. The entire manual, including exercises, is all original work. I am also attaching some SEO articles and other samples for your review.

My bid is based on 2 weeks of 12 questions each. The number of words will be near one hundred, though may be slightly over depending upon the complexity of the subject. Thank you for considering my proposal.


Again, please do NOT steal my words. They're mine and I am kind of attached to them. The real secret to writing a proposal is to be an individual. Forget the tips and formulas. Just write your proposal based on the job description. No two will be alike, nor will they contain the same elements. Be an individual. THAT is the secret.

Friendship

Friendship can be an interesting dilemma. Say, for example, you are with a group of friends and one steps up with a problem. The group, having known each other for years and being very good friends, were quick to offer advice. Now, out of love for this friend, some of the advice may have been overzealous or unfair to the other parties involved in the problem. It may have been harsh. Some may have been helpful and some may not. The bottom line was that the friend came to this group for advice, opinions, and to get something off of his chest. This was all said in a private room, so that no feelings would be hurt or words misinterpreted or overzealousness treated as the norm.

Now suppose the others involved in the problem somehow have recorded and listened to the advice. Not knowing these friends very well, they take everything very badly and get angry and hurt. You really can't blame them. The friends were pretty vituperative. These others had every right to be hurt.

But. Remember the friend with the problem? This listening in was part of the problem. It all goes full circle. Now it would seem everyone is hurt, the recording is destroyed, and everyone is worried about the friend with the problem because he isn't responding to calls.

There's the dilemma. Nobody wins. Everyone is upset and/or worried.

My solution? If you don't trust someone and feel the need to snoop or listen to conversations to which you were not invited, something is inherently wrong and should be addressed. Without trust, what do you have? This should never have gotten to this point and left not only those "others" feeling bad, but also the group of friends feeling violated. The privacy of the room was the safeguard and it was broken.

We all need a place to vent safely. Even if we talk shit about someone because we think they are hurting our friends.

How Much Can I Juggle?

Trying to find my way back to this blog. Does anyone have a GPS? I keep forgetting it's here....