Happy Birthday, Edward Gorey

A year ago, some of our favorite people gathered together in our living room in Vancouver, Washington, and stood with Lithus and me while we got married. It was midnight. We were in front of a fire. The Lovely Cats performed the ceremony. It was small; it was peaceful; it was right.

This last year has been anything but small. It hasn't been peaceful. It has been right. And I wouldn't have spent it with anyone else ~ or anywhere else, if doing it differently meant I wasn't with Lithus.

So lift a glass today or tonight and drink to Edward Gorey. It is his birthday, after all.


Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

Deadline

*whew*

I made my February 15th deadline. Barely. This is what happens, I suppose, when you have a deadline at the tail end of a cross-country road trip. Still, I made it and that's what matters. Now, we wait for a response from my publishing house. But who wouldn't want to read this book:

Three years ago, Carter Anne Kane left Lambert Falls. No one ever expected her to look back. Why should she when she finally had a good job, a handsome man and a city as big as her dreams? But when her sister ends up bedridden due to complications with a pregnancy, Carter Anne does the only thing she can – she returns to Lambert Falls. But she is the only one who realizes she is running from D.C. almost as fast as she is running to the Falls.

I mean, I would and I don't even like romance novels. But then again, I may be biased.

Also, amazon.com has sent out email reminders to people who bought the first book that the second comes out on March 2. March 2nd. That's wicked close. And it feels as good as the first time. Just for the record. :)

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

YOP!

We are here! We are here! We are here!

the helicopter aviation industry is...interesting. here's the short version:

Mexico fell through because of an international smuggling incident. I'm not kidding.

the Friday night before we are scheduled to leave, Lithus gets a call from a company in New Orleans, offering him a job. they have called his references, checked on how to get him an expedited US citizenship is needbe, and have suggestions of areas of town we could rent if we're interested. they want him there ASAP, so it's a good thing we were already planning on being on the road the next day. he accepts and it is decided that we will be there by Tuesday in order to talk money, timing, etc. we arrive in New Orleans and Lithus has lunch with them. things haven't worked out the way the company had expected and the first gig isn't coming together as quickly. they offer him a training captain job but that doesn't start for 4-8 weeks and they can't bring him on yet. I'm not kidding. they don't talk about money. Lithus tells them he hopes to still be available in 4-8 weeks, meanwhile, if the contract that was supposed to start that week comes through, they are to call him.

we make our way through the Gulf Coast states, knocking on doors and dropping of resumes. it's very Grapes of Wrath only with hotels. he makes several good contacts and gets his face put with his resume. many people say he will be their first choice once they have work. they still don't hire him.

Tuesday, he calls the original, NO company and they say that, while it's 60% that the contract will go through but they still can't bring him on now. we hit the road for Crow Mother's in NV. we arrived Friday evening, 14 days after originally leaving CT for a job in NO, where we will stay until someone, somewhere, actually offers him a job with a salary and start date. and even then, as we learned from Malaysia, there's no guarantee.

and this is the short version. :) roflmao

and how are you?

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

Sucking Heads at Steamboat Bill's

And loved every minute of it.

I'm in Louisiana, not Nevada. Get your mind out of the gutter.

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

Quickly...

...we're still heading west. Because it's about the journey.

...I'm back on the road again which means, even when it's tough, even when it's hard, even when I really feel like I'm done, thankyouverymuch, my life is back to not sucking. I love road life as much as I always knew I would. Things can only be so bad with your suitcase packed and a stretch of road ahead of you.

...karma is a lovely, lovely thing. When you kill people for your own bottom line; when you are indifferent to the possibility of killing people for your own bottom line; when you put profit ahead of lives and livelihoods, karma will find you. Karma will take what's owed her. And karma is a harsh bitch of a mistress. Which makes her a lovely, lovely thing.

...Bourbon Street itself is a tourist trap.

...the French Quarter is fucking amazing.

...it's about the journey.

Those are (quick) Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

It's The Journey

You know the phrase, it's the journey, not the destination? To be honest, I've always thought that was a bunch of rot. Personally, I think it's the journey and the destination. I mean, if the destination isn't worth getting there, why go there? Go somewhere else. And yes, I know. The phrase is supposed to mean don't spend so much time focusing on the future that you don't notice what's right in front of you and blah, blah, blah. I still say it's both. But I'm a both kinda gal.

Until this week. This week, I'm pretending it's about the journey, all about the journey and nothing but the journey. We're back on the road tomorrow morning. Heading ... west.

The more Pobble Thoughts aware you are, the more likely it is that you noticed a post go missing earlier this week (and if you didn't, it's so not a big deal). That's because within an hour of my posting the latest plan, it changed. Over the next two days, it changed three more times. No exaggeration, no lie, no shit.

So, this week, we're heading...west. And that's all I need to worry about right now because it's about the journey, not the destination.

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and buck fifty will get you coffee.

Back to Work...Kinda

Once again, I have a deadline. As many of you learned, right along with me last year, I am very deadline oriented. Knowing that something has to be done...eventually...doesn't do me much good. Knowing that something has to be done by a specific date is exactly what I need. I'm not a big procrastinator ~ not for any real length of time, anyway. It's not that I work better under pressure. I tend to work streadily and consistently between the time I get the deadline and the deadline itself. The end game is simply important to me in my professional world. And to a certain extent, I've always been this way. Back when I did theatre, I would bust my ass (and often did literally, not just figuratively) for a show but classes? Meh. I would (partly because I could) phone them in.

This bit me in the ass last year with the second book (available for pre-order wherever books are sold, just in case you've forgotten *wink*) when I went from having no deadline to having one six weeks out. This year, it's a little better. The first third of the book, preferably by Feb. 15, with an extension to March 1 if I need it. Considering I got about 12,000 words in before my life crashed around my ears, this is infinitely do-able.

Plus, and let's be really honest here, it's nice to have something to do again. 2010 is already looking better.

As for Lithus, I'm not going to jinx anything. I've learned this industry; even "done deals" aren't necessarily Done Deals the way you and I think about Done Deals. All that being said, it's looking better on that front, as well. Please, this is almost done.

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

Happy Birthday!

This is my heart.

He turned 17 today. It seems impossible. In a life full of blessings, he is one of my biggest, most treasured. I'm a lucky, lucky aunt.

Those are Aunt Mame thoughts. That and a buck fifty will still get you coffee.

2009

2009. I won't be sorry to see it go, honestly. It started badly and it's ending worse. I lost my Lionel baby, too. And yet...

February 2 my first novel came out
February 18 my third nonfiction came out
February 22 I married the love of my life
April 13 Lithus got a kick-ass job in Mexico
June 1 I made my deadline for my second novel
June 3 I joined him in Mexico
July we became carnies
through September, I lived the life I have always dreamed of
October 3 I had the single best night of my life

The beginning was bad. The ending is worse. But the middle, friends...oh, the middle. And that's what will define 2009 for me.

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

December 21st

Blessed Yule, everyone.

May the light return to those who need it, as well as to the world.

Blessed Be.

~ the Pobble

Speaking of Giving...

How much do I wish I had written this article?

The NY Times has a gift guide for people of color this year. And, sadly, not surprisingly, people (mostly white people, apparently) are calling it racist. Here are a few excerpts for those of you who don't have time to click (but trust me; it's worth a click)

Culturally, all people are not the same and it is ignorant to believe otherwise. The politically correct belief that everyone is and should be exactly alike - which, in reality, tends to mean that all should share the same interests as the majority - actually serves to strip people from different cultures of the richness of their heritage and limits our society.

Would the criers of "racist" claim that in addition to cultural traits, all hair textures and facial features should be identical? Should they all be that of a Caucasian person? Follow the logic down this path and the proponents of a "colorblind" society start to sound racist.

"But what if the NY Times had a section of gifts by white people for white people?" some ask. I would argue that it already does. That's what its regular gift section is.
By Lola Adesioye for The Grio www.thegrio.com, 12/14/09

The rest is equally as brilliant. Check it out.

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

PSA Time

Every year about this time, I write a post about giving. This year is no different in that here we are, writing and reading my annual PSA about giving. This year is very different in that I am writing it from a perspective to which I am unaccustomed. It doesn't change the post much; it does remind what I want to stress and what isn't quite so important. As always, if you aren't planning on giving, for whatever reason, that's cool. Seriously. If you are going to give, please take some of this into consideration...

1. Christmas is about all kids. Everybody loves to take care of the little ones. Don't forget their older siblings. Not even all agencies address the desires and dreams of teenagers (some don't even deal with tweens, which just makes no sense to me. Digressing, Pobble...) Ask. Find out who and where the agencies are that ensure the older kids have something under the tree, too. Think about giving to them. Don't know where to start? Call the local middle and high schools. They'll know. Ask to speak to the receptionist or the school counselor. It's the people behind the scenes with the information, but ain't that always the truth? ;)

2. People are hurting everywhere this year. No one is exempt. Think you live in a neighborhood that hasn't been hit? Think again. Regardless of the face that is being put on, statistically, someone in your neighborhood, someone you see every week, someone wearing a warm coat and a smile, doesn't know how to make the season special for their kids or family this year. Try to give locally.

3. Every little bit helps. You may be unable to give to the extent that you once did and that you will be able to again right now. Okay. If you can afford to give anything, it's okay to give it. I don't care if it's a dollar. Or the spare change from your car. The agency or organization isn't going to look at your donation and turn it away because it's too little. They will take your spare change and add it to the other donations of spare change and *poof* create a meal or a stocking or a ride to a job interview or...something. With your little ol' dollar in coins.

4. Agencies can't stay in business to help people if they can't pay their electric bills and salaries. So often I hear "I don't give because my whole donation doesn't go directly to the people I want to help." Well get over your damn self and redefine your understanding of "directly to the people." Now, before anyone starts yelling at me, yes, there are indeed agencies whose salaries are too high, whose marketing campaigns cost more than some people make in a year, whose Board of Directors have grand parties twice a year. I'm not talking about giving to them. That's silly. However, your local shelter or human services organization? No one working there is rich. Most people working there have a second income for their family. I know agencies where the people working there are actually financially eligible for the very services they provide. Electricity costs money. Rent and mortgages cost money. Want to ensure your donation goes "directly to the people" then make sure the lights and heat stay on so the people you want to help have a place to go to get help. It really is just as important.

5. Compassion without respect is insulting. I have written about this over and over and over again. It continues to be important to me. There but for the grace of God, my friends. Treat people with the attitude you would want directed your way. If you wouldn't want to be pitied, then don't pity.

But above all, hold onto each other. Love each other. Be good to each other. Take care of each other. Enjoy whatever it is you have this year. Decorate your home, sing carols, take walks hand in hand. Reconnect with each other. Because sometimes, that's the greatest gift you can give the people you love.

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

Snow Days

Remember when a snow day was the greatest thing imaginable? We were lucky enough to grow up in walking distance of some of our best friends so, inevitably, a snow day included some combination of Crow, L&R, usually Kat, and me all at one of the houses. If sledding was on the agenda, it was L&R's house. If games and a fire in the fireplace were the goals, they'd come to us. My mother would hand over the dining room, with the fireplace and the large table and the access to the kitchen and be on the porch. L&R's mom would be...somewhere...while we hung out outside or in the tv room or around the kitchen table. Both made sure we had warm lunches and then...disappeared. Close enough for shouting but not there with us.

Today is a snow day here at the Cathouse. The Princess Kitty has been out with her best friend (also in walking distance). The squealing and fun of outdoors has turned into the squealing and fun of indoors. Snow was gathered and has been made into snow cream or snow ice cream or whatever name you give it. Princess Kitty's is pink. Best Friend's is green. I have no doubt hot cocoa will appear at some point in the day. And it's only 11:30.

As for Lithus and me? We're down in the basement. I've learned what my mom and L&R's mom were doing now; they were maintaining snow day sanity. Are we close enough for shouting? Of course. But sanity is good, too. The women who helped raise me taught me well. Sometimes, there's no shame in hiding. Let's hear it for snow days. And hiding.

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

Finding Thanks

In the past, I have been accused of being optimistic to the point of Pollyanna. I know; it's hard to believe. The cynical, jaded Pobble that optimistic. It is, however, truer than I often like to admit. I truly believe things will work out. Maybe it's years working domestic violence and the perspective that gave me. Maybe it's being hospitalized at 17 for depression and the perspective that gave me. Maybe it's four years with a really excellent therapist and the perspective that gave me. Maybe it's just foolhardiness. I don't know. I do know that, eventually, I come out of my funk and start putting one foot in front of the other and then...something happens. I remember that, whatever it is, it isn't forever. Guess where I've gotten over the last three weeks?

Because there is still so much for which to be thankful:
* I'm going through this with Lithus by my side;
* when the Lovely Cats said "let me throw you a birthday party" we said "okay" instead of deciding to be somewhere else between the Oregon job and the Malaysia one;
* there wasn't another gig after my birthday party so we hung out here at the Cathouse, instead of ending up in Utah or somewhere, stuck, with no one and nowhere to go;
* unemployment insurance;
* the fact that we do have a place to be, to live, to stay, until the answers start being "when can you start" instead of "nothing right now";
* the timing on the sale of the jeep ~ and the fact that the deal hadn't quite closed;
* the knowledge that if it turns out we really need to be on the west coast or the gulf coast, we have places we can be there, too;
* that Lithus is discovering what this kind of family means;
* that I know what this kind of family means.

And it's the holiday season, for which I am always thankful because, well, it's the holidays.

Blessed be, everyone. May you find your own thanks this week.

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

Are You Fucking KIDDING Me?

Friday, the Lovely Cats and I head to Worcester, MA where my storage still is to check in on it and drop stuff off. I tell her that, according to Lithus's morning phone call, we need to be ready for me to leave the country Monday. On the way to Worcester, my phone rings. It is Lithus. In the 2 hours between the time he had called to say good morning and then, the company had lost their contract and was sending him home because they could no longer afford to keep him on. He'll be back in NYC Tuesday.

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME???????????????????

First, we weren't told there was a contract outstanding. We were told all contracts had been signed and there was GUARANTEED work through 2012. Second, he turned down 2 BETTER PAYING JOBS to take this one because it was the most interesting one AND THEY KNEW IT. Third, we have made several financial decisions based on this job (sold the jeep, made some large payments to get ahead on a few things, you get the idea). Fourth, we have jumped through our asses for them to get Lithus there in time to get to work on their timeline (remember the unexpected trip to Canada? Yeah.). We also made little decisions based on this (new clothes for both of us for my b'day party; buying Halloween costumes). And while these aren't big, even added together, they are only two things. We've been making these little choices since mid-September when John and Gary PROMISED us *they* were different because *they* had been pilots and *knew* what it was like for pilots to get dicked around by companies and had *sworn* they would never do this to *their* pilots once they started their own company. And they are sending him home after a week and a half.

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME???????????????????????

So now I had to call the guy who gave me a $50 deposit on the jeep and was expecting to pick it up this afternoon and get him his deposit back; Lithus has to find another job; I have to research unemployment and see if he has to be in the same state where he was last employed in order to collect; blah blah blah...

I was coming home from Worcester and making my plane reservations, wiring a deposit to the place we wanted to live in KL and canceling both my car insurance and our COBRA. TTG I had all that planned for Friday and no sooner.

My friends and family have said their goodbyes ~ some of them quite touching. We have been stressed and on overload trying to relocate overseas. Our friends and family have been patient and understanding and calming in spite of the craziness that this stretch of our lives has put them through. And now...

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?????????????????????

I am angry, hurt, speechless, overwhelmed, you name it, I'm feeling it. The reality hasn't quite set in yet but it's coming.

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME???????????????????

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee, if I can stand to be around you (and you can stand me, too) right now.

In 24 Hours

Yesterday afternoon, Lithus and I left the Lovely Cats' house for JFK International Airport in NYC to put him on a plane to Malaysia this morning. Only this morning, it turns out that, due to an unforeseen glitch, Lithus couldn't go to Malaysia until he renewed his passport (which hasn't expired, for the record). So we researched options in New York City ~ to learn that when Canadian citizens in NY need passport assistance, they are told to go to Montreal. Time to go to Montreal.

Except, being in my own country and not traveling to Malaysia today, I didn't have *my* passport. Off we went, back to the Lovely Cats' house.

Tonight, we're in Montreal.
Tomorrow, we get Lithus' passport renewed.
Tuesday (please, oh please), we get Lithus' passport.
And the story goes on from there.
You know I'll keep you posted.

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

Catching Everything Up

With apologies to you who read it in your email box...

1. We left Medford the last week in September and drove to Reno where Crow Mother lives.
2. Spent 2 days there, being Aunt Mame and Uncle Lithus.
3. Hit the road on Sunday for a cross country trip...in the jeep...that has no catalytic converter....or air conditioning....or heat...or much of an exhaust system. It was a BLAST. We laughed our asses off for 5 days and plenty of beautiful (and boring) countryside.
4. Arrived at the Lovely Cats' in CT by (late-) dinner time on Thursday.
5. Friday friends started to arrive and there was much craziness and last minute running around before my birthday party.
6. Saturday, my friends who arrived early and I hid in the basement while the Lovely Cats and Lithus pulled off the coup of a lifetime and finished the party prep.
7. Saturday night, I had the best night of my life, bar none, as the Lovely Cats and Lithus threw me a party for my 40th birthday. I had very intentionally kept it small, small, small. 20 people were there. It was a once in a lifetime event for me and everything a 40th birthday should be.
8. For a few days, we recovered.

The rest...

Here's the big news, first ~ we're moving to Malaysia. Lithus goes Sunday out of JFK. I join him the end of the month. I've also learned there's no way to build up to it so I just drop it like that. rofl. Don't know for how long ~ six months or 16 years. It depends on so many factors, not the least of which is how much we like Malaysia and living in Kuala Lumpur. He will be logging in the darkest jungles of Borneo 7-10 days a month and we will be in the city the rest of the time. I do expect it to be a while given that we are too much about the adventure to not find a way to enjoy living overseas.

But there's still more ~ FALL INTO ME is available for preorder on Amazon and the proofs got sent back to NY yesterday. Meanwhile, I am writing on Carter Anne's story, too. That got hung up for a bit because I forgot for a while that I write trashy romance novels and not great literature. Instead of just letting my male character be an archetypal Super Man, I tried to make him just an ordinary guy ~ only there was no conflict unless he was indeed the son of the influential politician who managed to get Carter Anne her job in DC (unbeknownst to her, of course). So, I gave in and let him be the archetype and am moving forward once again.

On a related note, and I feel remarkably guilty making this about me and my career because it is so much bigger than just that, HOWEVER my fabulous editor who has been considered THE premiere editor of romance novels for years now actually died on the 28th of September. She had taken a leave of absence at the beginning of summer, explained I would have to write Bobby's story without her but she would be back in time for Carter Anne's and we would pow wow about where we would go with my career and all that once she got back in the first week of October. Turns out, the leave was for cancer treatments. It was a slow moving, not terribly aggressive form of cancer and she was doing great and then...she died on the 28th. So who knows what happens now. *sigh* It's so strange to think I won't ever hear "Pobble! Kate!" when I answer the phone again.

Lithus is no longer working for New Company but is now working for Newer Company. New Company couldn't get contracts for the winter. The industry is still reeling from the economic crash last year; Carson released a whole bunch of really good pilots into the pool recently; and there are more helicopters and pilots than there are contracts these days. Plus, as the war in Iraq winds down, there will be still more pilots looking for jobs here. So, we're grateful to be getting out of the country for a bit and for Lithus's reputation that allows him to keep flying. He's actually turned down jobs that have been offered because we are so excited with Newer but the fact that they came his way makes me hugely proud of my love, especially given that one of the companies literally has pilots standing in line at their door and Lithus hadn't even applied with them. Yep, they came to him.

And that, I believe, brings you up to date. *whew*

From here out, I will (hopefully, anyway) be better about posting semi-regularly. And am even considering a travel blog once I hit Malaysia. I'll keep you posted. For now, though,

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

Position Available

Needed: Temporary, Full-Time Gestalt Observer

After 40 years, the Gestalt Observer for Pobble Thoughts Inc. is taking a much deserved sabbatical. Qualified applicants will possess the following qualities:

• flexibility
• nonjudgmental attitude
• lack of any sense of personal self
• ability to maintain composure under duress and/or unusual situations
• great sense of humor
• a notable lack of need to run screaming

Position is expected to last 4-6 weeks. Please forward resumes, with cover letter and chocolate requirements, to HR Manager, c/o Pobble Thoughts.

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

The Adventure Continues

We left Medford Friday.

We arrived at Crow's house that evening. Spent two lovely days and nights being Aunt Mame and Uncle Lithus.

Left there Sunday.

Arrived in Wendover, NV Sunday night.

Left there Monday (today), had lunch in Evanstown, WY and are now spending the night in Sidney, Nebraska (and I don't know how to abbreviate that so...)

By Thursday night, we will be in Connecticut with the Lovely Cats et al.

For those of you who have been in touch and haven't heard from me, that's why. Postings to follow. Because yes, I'm taking notes. :)

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

For BDS Over at $$

And he knows why.

Those are Pobble Thoughts (a day or two late). That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.