Wednesday Writer's Workspace

I'm hanging out with Nutschell at The Writing Nut today for her Wednesday Writer's Workspace series. For a hint at my workspace, here's a look at one of my writing companions, the always comfortable Nate. 

Stop by here and say hello! :)

Music Monday: Concerts

I think everyone who loves music can agree there's nothing like going to a great concert. No matter what type of music you enjoy, seeing and hearing it played live is an experience like no other. Most of the time that is a good thing but, as with anything else, there are exceptions. As fun as a great concert can be, a bad concert is a hellish way to spend a few hours.

I was listening to my Ipod while out walking with Clancy over the weekend and started thinking about some of the many concerts I've gone to over the years. It wasn't hard for me to immediately name the best and worst shows I've ever seen.

The Best:

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Born in the USA tour, 1984

I've been a Springsteen fan since I was a little girl and my brother started listening to Greetings from Asbury Park at our house. I saw him live for the first time when I was 15, right at the start of the Born in the USA tour in the summer of 1984. The concert lasted several hours, and I loved every second of it. It was the first concert I ever went to and, after starting with the Boss, it's been hard for anything else to measure up. I've seen Springsteen numerous times since and loved the shows, but there's been nothing to top the magic of that long ago night.

The Worst:

The Spin Doctors, Pocket Full of Kryptonite tour, 1992

If you listened to radio in the early 90s, it's a safe bet that you heard Two Princes by the Spin Doctors. It was a catchy song and my friends and I would walk around singing it all the time. We must have really loved it, because a group of us decided to go see the band when they came to Columbus, Ohio. By the time the concert ended, I never wanted to hear Two Princes or anything else from the Spin Doctors ever again. The whole show was nothing but disjointed noise and I was dying for it to end almost as soon as it started. To my knowledge the band never had another hit album, which was definitely no surprise to me after sitting through that concert.

The One The Got Away:

U2, Zoo TV tour, 1992

I've loved U2 since I was a young teenager in the 80s, but I never saw them in concert until 2005. I had an opportunity to see them in 1992 during their tour to promote Achtung Baby, which I think is their best album, but I didn't take it. I'm glad I finally saw the band live, but I'll always regret not seeing them when they were at their creative peak.

What about you? What's the best concert you've ever seen? Any you'd rather forget? Are there any shows you regret not attending?

Also, I'm really excited to be a guest at The Writing Nut later this week. I'll be hanging out with the wonderful Nutschell on Wednesday for her Wednesday Writer's Workspace series. If you're not already familiar with The Writing Nut, I highly recommend it. Nutschell has a fantastic blog. :)

Catching Up

I haven't been blogging much in the past few weeks since I started editing and revising my WIP and found the task to be more overwhelming than I expected. Yikes! I knew the job was going to be difficult, but I admit I am pulling my hair out more than I anticipated.

During this time I was tagged by three great bloggers, Annalisa Crawford, Nutschell of The Writing Nut, and The Armchair Squid, and I want to catch up now and say thank you so much to all three of them for thinking of me!

Each tag came with 10 questions, but I worried I would bore everyone to death if I answered all 30 of them, so I thought I would just take 5 from each and post my answers to 15 questions. Hopefully that won't be too long! The first 5 are from Armchair, the second 5 from Nutschell, and the last 5 are from Annalisa. It was fun to think of answers to all of these. 


1. What is your dream vacation?

I'd love to drive around and explore the western United States, seeing the Rocky Mountains, visiting national parks like Yellowstone and Zion, going back to the Grand Canyon, and ending up in my favorite city I've ever visited, San Francisco. I love what I've seen of the West, and would love to have all the time in the world to explore more of it.

Rocky Mountain Gateway

2. Tell us one thing you want to do but don't dare do it.

I really want to learn to swim. I tried more than once as a child, but was very afraid of the water. Now I'm chicken to take lessons as an adult.

3. What's your biggest phobia?

I'm very uncomfortable in elevators and I hate to be in tightly enclosed spaces.

4. Name three blessings in your life.

1. I had a happy childhood and am fortunate to have a close and loving family. As I've grown older I've learned what a blessing that is. 2. I am in good health, knock on wood. 3. I have discovered this amazing opportunity to transform my life through writing, and so far it has been one of the biggest blessings of my life.

5. What is your favorite quote?

I have several, but if I had to pick just one I think it would be this:  

It is never too late to be what you might have been ~ George Eliot

6.  What’s your ultimate caffeine source?

Coffee, coffee, and more coffee.

Source

7. Favorite music source? (Radio, Pandora, Spotify, CD, Ipod, etc)

My Ipod is one of my favorite toys I've ever owned. I can't live without it.  

8. Favorite Writing book?

Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott

9. Favorite TV show?

I'm a total tv junkie so it's nearly impossible for me to pick just one, but of the shows on the air right now I'd say Game of Thrones is my favorite. I can't wait for it to return next month. 

10. Harry Potter or Twilight?

Harry all the way. I totally love the Harry Potter series, and I'm not a Twilight fan, so this one was easy. 

11. Which book, that you're supposed to love, do you actually hate?

Pride and Prejudice. I know it's almost considered blasphemous, but I don't enjoy Jane Austen. Flame away, I can take it. :D

12. Can you remember your first teacher?

Yes. My kindergarten teacher was Mrs. Phillips. At the time I thought she was old, but I think now she was probably only about 22. Perspectives change a great deal!

13. In which order should Star Wars be watched: IV, V, VI, I, II, III or I, II, III, IV, V, VI?

I confess I've never seen I or II. I did see III and didn't care for it. So I am just going to say IV, V, VI. 

14. Which fictional character would you like to be for a day?

Sookie Stackhouse. I don't even like the character, but having Eric Northman drooling over me would be a nice way to spend the day. :D

Eric Northman

15. Do you still have your first teddy bear? (I do.)

I do, too, and it is a very beat up and dearly loved Winnie the Pooh.

So those are my 15 questions and answers. I hope I haven't put everyone to sleep! Thanks again to Armchair, Nutschell, and Annalisa for tagging me. If you're not already familiar with their blogs, I highly recommend all 3 of them.


Now back to revising and pulling out what remains of my hair. ;)