(Mis)Adventures In Eating

I have always heard that ones tastebuds change every seven years. I don’t have a clue whether or not this is true (I suppose I could google it…nah), but I do know that my tastebuds have certainly changed over the years. As I get older my palate continues to expand. I now enjoy foods that I used to loathe, such as fish. With my food horizons growing so quickly I have also become much more adventurous in the things I will try.

Which brings me to my story (well, actually stories).

My husband and I invited a friend of ours over recently to have a broil. She had recently visited her mother and had a bunch of fresh crabs that she wanted to eat, so she brought them with her. I had eaten crab before, but never while the meat was still in a very much whole crab shell.

I should probably take the time to mention that I am very squeamish when it comes to things that I deem “critters”. Bugs, frogs, lizards…you get the idea. I don’t do well with those types of things. In fact, when my husband and I went through our premarital counseling one of our exercises was to come up with a list of expectations we had for each other. At the top of my list: I expect you to take care of all bugs, reptiles, amphibians, and rodents.

What does this have to do with our crab broil? Well, about a month prior to this I discovered that this squeamishness extended to foods that still looked like an animal. We were eating freshly caught shrimp and when I picked the first one up and saw that it was still covered in soft, squiggly legs I nearly gagged. My husband, being the nice man that he is, proceeded to peel all the shrimp I wanted to eat for me.

Back to the crab.

I was very excited for this meal. We had broiled potatoes, corn on the cob, sausage, and (peeled) shrimp along with the crab and it looked amazing. So I boldly reach in and picked up my first crab. Obviously I knew that they still looked like crabs since they were broiled shell and all, but what I did not account for were the eyes.

I turned that crab around to face me and saw two creepy black eyes staring back at me with what looked like small whiskers sticking out of them. I promptly dropped the crab and screamed, “OHMYGOD, it has eyes!” Naturally, everyone at the table erupted into hysterical laughter at my outburst.

It took a few seconds, but I was able to get past my shock and dig in. I cracked that bad boy open, scraped all the gray yucky out, and dug for the meat. It was delicious.

When I was thinking about this story and my much mocked exclamation it reminded me of another adventure in food I suffered.

Two years ago my sister got married. It was a destination wedding at the most spectacular all-inclusive resort in Mexico you can imagine. This place had multiple five star restaurants on its property and we ate at as many of them as we could. Since it was an all-inclusive resort I decided to be adventurous and try things I would normally be afraid to spend money on in case I didn’t like them. Most of what I tried I really enjoyed. But not all.

For the rehearsal dinner we ate at one of these amazing restaurants and since it was a special event they served us a bunch of special appetizer size dishes between courses. I had a really hard time understanding the waiter who was serving these dishes, so unless I could tell by looking at it, I had no idea what I was eating.

One of these little dishes was impossible to figure out. It was served in what looked like a miniature gravy boat and was this strange looking whitish blob with different seasonings sitting in some sort of liquid marinade. It made me very nervous, but I had determined I would try it all, so I picked up that boat and poured the unknown contents into my mouth. It was not good.

I didn’t really think about it again until after the meal. I went to talk to some of my sister’s friends and find out what they had eaten. They were discussing all the food and the things they tried when one of them came out with, “It was all good, but I just couldn’t even attempt to try the shark eyes.”

Me: “Um, what? Did you just say shark eyes?”

Friend: “Yeah. You know, what was in the silver boat.”

Me: “That was SHARK EYES??!!?!”

Yep. I ate the eyes of a shark.

What about you? Have you ever eaten something crazy or exotic? Do you have any funny food stories to share? Let me know in the comments!

Breaking Down Breaking Dawn

Over the weekend I finally got the opportunity to see Breaking Dawn – Part 1. This is the first movie from The Twilight Saga that I did not see at midnight. It felt a little strange waiting to see it, but I am so glad that I did since I had a theater void of screaming girls when Jacob took his shirt off. That got annoying real fast in the previous films.

I normally try really hard to write all of my reviews as spoiler free as possible, but I can’t figure out a way to talk about this movie without mentioning details. So, if you do not know the story and would like to keep it a surprise, proceed with caution.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie. There were some things I thought they did brilliantly and some things I thought could have been better, but I left the theater content with what I had just seen.

From the moment it was announced that Breaking Dawn was going to be split into two films I thought it was a bad idea. Yes, the book is long, but that doesn’t mean that it will translate into a film that is so long it needs to be split. After seeing the first part I am even more convinced that this decision was unnecessary.

I am someone who loves mushy, gushy romance and things that most others think cheesy (as evidenced through my title for this blog, lol), and even I thought the beginning was slow and drawn out. The build up to the wedding was a bit torturous for me. Those scenes just felt so forced. It was almost like they realized they didn’t have enough material for a full two hour movie, so they stuck in extra scenes wherever they could.

The wedding itself had some moments I thought were great. I thought the toast montage was hilarious and pretty much every scene with Bella’s high school friends. Charlie, played by Billy Burke, is one of my favorite characters from the movies, and I loved every moment that he had (I think that he is one of the best actors in these movies). But, again, this section dragged out some for me.

The honeymoon is where my mushy, gushy side takes over and makes allowances for the slow pacing. I saw the movie with my husband (who, by the way, has read all four books) and while I was grinning from ear to ear at all the cute awkwardness he seemed a little bored. At least until he noticed my goofy grin, then he started laughing at me. I loved the whole awkward Bella sequence and the montage of Edward trying to keep them busy while she tries to seduce him. It was one of the few times I felt the movies captured the fun, playful side of their relationship rather than always playing up the angst.

I still can’t quite decide my feelings on how they handled the sections centered around the wolves. The scene I keep returning to and mulling over is the scene where Jacob breaks apart from the pack. I loved the way Condon illustrated the connection in their minds as Jacob was running through the woods, but when they were all actually gathered together…I’m not sure it worked. There was just something off to me. I think maybe if they had shown this side of the wolves from the get go in New Moon it would not have seemed so out of place and random here. It just felt like we had suddenly switched into a cartoon. I don’t know – I think I need to see that scene again before I can really make up my mind about it.

I also can’t make up my mind about whether or not I liked the way they played up the conflict between the wolves and the Cullens. I understand why they did it – the movie needed a threat other than Bella’s unborn child. I think what bothered me about it was that it reinforced the point that it should have been one movie. If you have to create conflict to make the movie more interesting (which they will also be doing for Part 2), I think that is a pretty good sign that there is not enough material for two good movies. But what do I know.

The thing I thought the movie did the best job with was the physical manifestation of Bella’s pregnancy. She looked like she was at death’s door. They took Stephenie Meyer’s description and ran with it. Seeing it so grotesquely visualized like that really made the urgency and desperation felt by the other characters come to life.

Then there was the birth scene.

Wow. This scene was intense. And I thought it was perfect. Condon did an incredible job taking a very graphic piece of writing and turning it into something that stayed true to that graphic nature without overwhelming the audience in gore. I also loved the way he visualized Bella’s transformation and showed that, even though she wasn’t moving, she was in agony. I told my husband that this sequence was the first time I felt like I was watching a horror movie. There was just something about the look and feel of this section that made me feel that way.

There are just a few other things I want to mention. I thought they did a great job with the way they showed Jacob imprinting. That is a very difficult concept to make visual and I felt Condon accomplished it. Loved the way they showed Bella’s body healing as she transformed. The way she started to fill back out and her ribs popped back into place – so cool. And the extra bit after the start of the credits with the Volturi was fantastic and a nice set up for the next movie. “First the spelling goes, then the grammar.” Brilliant.

As you can tell, I have very mixed feelings about this movie. But whatever its faults may be, I still love this franchise and I know I will see it at least one more time in the theaters. I feel I must point out that, much as I disagreed with the decision, as soon as I heard about the split I said to my husband, “You know what would be a really cool way to end the first movie? To do a close up on Bella’s face right after she transforms and have the last shot be her eyes snapping open and staring at the camera bright red.” They must have heard me.

What did you think? Did you like the movie, hate it, or fall somewhere in between? What parts did you like or not like? Are you excited about the next installment? Let me know in the comments!

GUEST POST: Liz Schulte – Rules to Survive a Horror Movie

This Friday’s guest blogger is the wonderfully fun Liz Schulte. Just three days ago the first book in Liz’s Guardian Trilogy, which is called Secrets, was released. The description reads:

While Olivia Martin observed life through her camera, the abyss gazed back at her. She discovers mysterious men follow her around, people close to her are dying, and her dreams are no longer her own as she falls head over heels for a perfect stranger. A chance encounter leads to an obsession that could destroy everything she has ever known or loved. Olivia is about to find out there is a lot she doesn’t know and sometimes what you don’t know can kill you.

I think it sounds incredibly interesting and I can not wait to get my hands on a copy! Until then, I am happy to give you:

Rules to Survive a Horror Movie

If you wake up one morning in a secluded cabin (haunted hotel/house, the only living person for miles, camping near Crystal Lake, Haddonfield around Halloween, to discover you didn’t really wake up you are still in a dream, a town with lots of corn and no parents, to a creepy phone call wanting to know your favorite scary movie, etc.), you may be in horror movie.

Rule #1- Don’t panic. Well, maybe panic a little because there are scary things after you, but pull yourself together quick before you become an extra.

It is important to keep your head about you, in more ways than one, and figure out what type of horror movie you are in.

-Is this a zombie movie? Have people been sick and dropping like flies? Are you the only person for miles? Are undead people trying to bite you?

-Is this a slasher film? Are all of your friends slightly more slutty and want to camp? Are you or they having nightmares? This one is important… do you have a babysitting job?

-Is this a vampire movie? Do you have a really hot neighbor that mostly comes out at night? If you answered yes to that why are you still reading this? Go talk to him. *waggles eyebrows* Unless that neighbor is about 17 and smells like teen spirit and angst, in that case you aren’t in a scary movie. Stop fretting you have a vegetarian vamp.

After you figure out what you are up against, you must start preparing. Rule #2- Always be prepared. Find a weapon. Even if you don’t see the psycho, carry it around with you and for goodness sakes do not sit it down somewhere!?! Always expect someone is around every corner, sneaking up behind you, hiding just out of sight.  

*important note* When you see said psychopath do not drop, throw, or do anything else that is stupid with your weapon.

Okay, so now you are armed and paranoid the next step is NOT escaping. That’s right, make no escape efforts. Do not be fooled by the friend who is pulling on your arm telling you to come this way. Freddy, Jason, and Michael have been doing this for a lot longer than you, and they know you are going to go outside. Rule 3- Stay mobile and stay hidden.   The best defense is a good offense. Running away is not an offense. You hide quietly (Rule 4- Absolutely no crying!) with your weapon that you haven’t dropped or thrown away, and you wait for an opportunity to either attack or move somewhere the killer isn’t.  Rule 5- Be aware of your surroundings. While you are hiding, if you don’t see the monster, it’s probably behind you, next to you, or waiting for you to do something dumb.  Rule 6- Don’t be dumb. Really this can be applied to all aspects of life (this goes double for the driver in front of me on my way to work this morning!)

Congratulations you have survived 2/3 of the movie, but now you are at the part where survival is going to get tricky. The movie is winding down there are only a couple people left, and you know at least one of the people the audience thought would survive is going to bite the dust. You might think this is the part where you hunker down and continue to hide, but no.  Rule 7- Be heroic. You haven’t been heroic so far and that’s good. The early heroes don’t live until the end. However, the people at the end of the movie who step up to fight the bad guy do, normally (70/30, really). What happens is one person decides to be a hero, and inspires the other to do the same then the killer ganks the other person and the original hero is left with the glory. Rule 8- Never assume the killer is dead. It doesn’t matter how dead you think it is, it will come back for one more scare. Evil always defies the odds so be ready for it (see rule 2).

Those are the rules to survive a horror movie, now just hope there isn’t a sequel.

* * *

So what do you think? Would you have what it takes to survive? Let us know in the comments!

I would like to say a huge thank you to Liz for providing this post for us! Be sure to connect with her through her website, twitter, and facebook.

I’m Thankful for Flat Tires

With Thanksgiving happening tomorrow I decided that today’s blog post would be all about the things I am thankful for in my life. I couldn’t wait to write it. I had an incredibly fun night last night so that, in spite of my just over two hours of sleep, I woke in a great mood. I only had to work half a day, my husband was coming home after being out of town – it was going to be the perfect day to extol upon the many blessings in my life. Or so I thought.

Just before I am ready to leave the house the sky explodes in a torrential downpour that does not abate, even a little bit, for my entire 30+ mile drive to work. Later I am walking to my car from the library when I see that I have an unsalvagable flat tire. Did I mention I am a nanny and had 3 children under the age of 7 in my care? Yeah. That was fun.

But in the middle of my extreme annoyance I found myself uttering cries of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving that the rain stopped before I had to take the kids out; thanksgiving that I had Triple A; thanksgiving that Triple A arrived faster than what they told me; thanksgiving that the kids were well behaved during all of this; thanksgiving that I had the money to get new tires; thanksgiving that I had a car – flat tires and all. As it turned out, I had a lot to be thankful for.

When I take a step back and look at the wide view of my life I am able to see how truly blessed I am. Is everything absolutely picture perfect? Of course not! But you know what? It is pretty darn close.

I have the most wonderful family in the world. I am blessed with a mother, father, sister, brother-in-law, and stepmom who all love me and support me in everything I do – even this crazy idea of mine to be a published author. This summer we had a new addition to the family when my sister gave birth to her first child. I am now the proud aunt of the most perfect little 5 month old boy in the world.

I can honestly say that I get along with and love my husband’s family. Not very many people can say this and mean it. Just last week we went on a vacation to Disney with them – mother-in-law, father-in-law, two sisters-in-law, two 3 year old nephews (one for each sister-in-law) – and none of us ever wanted to kill each other. In fact, we had fun. My husband has a wonderful family that has always welcomed me and treated me as if I were just one of them.

I have many amazing friends, some of whom have been with me since middle school. Whether they are old friends or new, I love each and every one of them dearly and can not imagine my life without them.

In the past few months I have been introduced to a social media network that I now adore and look forward to spending time with each and every day. I am so amazed at the support and true sense of community that I have found online. When I look at all that has happened in just a few short months I am overwhelmed. I want to say a HUGE, heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you who follow me on Twitter, read my blog, have friended me on Facebook and liked my page. All of you are incredible and I never would have believed that I would have such a great network in such a short amount of time. I also want to specifically thank the MyWANA and WANA1011 crews. You guys are wonderful and truly live out the message of our fearless leader, Kristen Lamb, that “We Are Not Alone.”

For some reason, the wonderful John Thrasher decided that I would be a good addition to Hypable’s Glee Chat podcast, and I am thankful every day for this. Not only do I look forward to and LOVE recording the podcast episodes, but thanks to John I now have 6 new, fantastic friends. John, Coty, Mitch, Natalie, Roxanne, Megan, and I have truly become some kind of strangely fabulous family. It is actually these guys I have to thank for my lack of sleep last night. We were all having so much fun with one another that I did not want to go to bed. I never would have believed how quickly I would come to love all of them.

More than anything else I am thankful for my husband. We have been married well over 8 years and I can honestly say we are happier than we have ever been. He is my best friend, my support, my advocate, my love. I look at him and I can’t help but smile. He makes me laugh, he holds me when cry, he listens when I need to vent, he indulges me when I am giddy and hyper, he knows all my faults and still loves me. He is my one, true love.

When I look at this I see that I am truly and greatly blessed. When I look at this a little rain and a flat tire don’t seem so bad. To everyone in my life I want to say thank you and I love you all.

What are you thankful for this year? I would love for you to tell me in the comments.

The Characters of Harry Potter: Hermione

Two weeks ago I began my series on some of the characters of Harry Potter by taking a look at Harry’s faithful sidekick, Ron Weasley. Today I am going to look at another member of the all important trio. Let’s dive right in!

HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER

When you think of Hermione what’s the first word that pops into your head? I am willing to bet it was something like smart, intelligent, gifted, or some other synonym of those words. From the moment we are introduced to her in Philosopher’s Stone and she spouts off that she has “learnt all [their] set books by heart” we are primed to know that she is “the smart one” (79*). But that is not all she is.

It is not until Order of the Phoenix that one of Rowling’s characters, in the form of Terry Boot, asks Hermione the question most readers had been thinking all along: Why did the Sorting Hat put her in Gryffindor as opposed to Ravenclaw? (353) Our first introduction to the house qualities comes through the Sorting Hat’s song. We learn that Ravenclaw house holds “those of wit and learning”, whereas Gryffindors are “brave at heart” and exhibit “daring, nerve, and chivalry” (Philosopher’s Stone, 88). It seems obvious that Hermione would fit in with Ravenclaw – I have even heard it said, though I don’t remember where, that she was only put in Gryffindor because it was more convenient – but I believe that Gryffindor is actually the perfect fit for her.

It would be impossible to list out all the instances where Hermione has demonstrated her bravery, daring, and nerve. Every single book has countless examples and Deathly Hallows is pretty much one giant display of these traits. From fighting Death Eaters to stomping through the Forbidden Forest to defying the Ministry of Magic – and the list goes on – she demonstrates these most basic Gryffindor qualities. But I want to focus more on what I think is the most important (and most overlooked) quality of a Gryffindor: chivalry.

The idea of chivalry comes from the medieval period and its order of knights. Thanks in large part to Queen Elinor of Aquataine and her court, the idea of “courtly love” is what is most frequently associated with the term chivalry, but that is just a small part of it. Chivalry also encompasses a strict code of honor and loyalty towards ones brothers in arms and those who are weak or unable to fend for themselves. Hermione embodies all of these qualities.

You would be hard pressed to find someone in the Harry Potter series who demonstrates more loyalty to their comrades in arms than Hermione. From the moment she gave Harry her loyalty she never took it back. Regardless of how it may have looked to Harry at times, she always had his best interests at heart and had his back. Even if that meant doing something she knew would upset him, like when she told McGonagall her suspicions regarding the mysterious gift of the very expensive Firebolt. She stays by his side through countless dangerous situations and, more impressively, his frequent mood swings.

In my experience, people who are highly intelligent do not always have the most common sense or emotional empathy. This is not the case with Hermione. She is very attuned to the emotional state of those around her and their well-being.  She does not like to see anyone, regardless of species, mistreated and is compelled to act against it. The most obvious example of this trait is her crusade for House Elf rights, but there are many other, smaller instances as well. When she and Ron are made prefects in their fifth year she takes her duties very seriously. She does not allow anyone, including Ron, to bully the younger students – even if it is something as insignificant as addressing them as “midgets” (Order of the Phoenix, 194).

In spite of Hermione’s extreme intellect, I believe that she belongs in Gryffindor more than Ravenclaw. She embodies all of the qualities that are required of a true Gryffindor and her intelligence only helps to serve her in those areas. Hermione is one of my favorite characters, not just of this series, but in all of fiction. She is an incredible role-model for young girls to look up to. She is never overly concerned with what people think of her or how popular she is. Instead, she wants to better herself and those around her. She is willing to look adversity in the face, no matter how big, if she thinks it is the right thing to do. If that isn’t daring, nerve, and chivalry, then I don’t know what is.

What do you think? Do you think Hermione was sorted into the correct house? What do you like/not like about her character? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

*All page numbers are from the UK editions.

MASH-UP: Bullies, Panties, Beer, and So Much More

This week I do not have a guest blogger. Instead I am going to provide a mash-up of 10 blogs that I have really enjoyed for various reasons. Of course there are many, many more wonderful blog posts out there than these 10, but it would be impossible for me to find them all. I hope you enjoy the posts I am able to feature as much as I did!

Take a Stand Against Bullying! by Natalie Hartford: Did you know today was International Stand Up To Bullying Day? Neither did I until I read Natalie’s post. She shares a very honest, moving story about how she was a bully when she was younger and how she changed. She is now trying to spread the message that this kind of stuff needs to stop.

Silly Soapbox: Beer-Can Barriers by Myndi Shafer: Myndi shares a very amusing video of a dog who can’t reach it’s toy because it is surrounded by a beer-can fence. It’s a cute video followed by some very interesting thoughts the video elicited from Myndi.

Golden Sky Showers of a Sister Remembered by Debra Kristi: In this powerful and touching post Debra remembers her sister whom she tragically lost in a car accident. It is a beautiful post that I am thankful she was willing to share.

Biking in Panties by Lisa Hall-Wilson: Lisa shares the mortifying – and hilarious – story about a time she had to ride a bicycle in her panties. You don’t want to miss this one!

Tele-Tuesday: Remembering the Family Programs of Years Past by Tiffany A. White: This is a fun, nostalgic look at the lost age of funny, family sitcoms such as Growing Pains and The Cosby Show.

The Life Cycle of a Blogger – 10 Stages by Roni Loren: This hysterical look into the cycle of new enthusiasm to overwhelmed craziness can be applied to virtually anything we decide to try in life. So even if you only read blogs rather than write them it is still worth checking out.

Are You Living Life at Warp 10? by Marcy Kennedy: This post looks at the Star Trek: Voyager idea of Warp 10 and how it can adversely affect us when we try to live at that speed.

Right Back Where We Started From by Rachelle Gardner: Literary agent Rachelle Gardner takes a break from her usual blog topics with this post and instead takes a trip down memory lane. In it she remembers her 7th grade self and imagines what she would say to her if they could talk.

Hello, My Name Is… by Clay Morgan: One of my favorite TV shows is Psych. In this blog Clay shares a video montage of the hilarious nicknames the main character comes up for his best friend. He also shares stories of the identities and nicknames he and his friends used to come up with. It’s a very fun read.

Structure Part 7 – Genre Matters by Kristen Lamb: If I could I would include a link to pretty much every blog this fabulous lady writes, but instead I chose one. Her series on writing structure has been fantastic and taught me so much. If you haven’t already, you should check out her latest entry – and then browse the rest of her posts.

There you have it – 10 blog posts that I enjoyed enough to share. I really hope you check some of them out, and if you do, let me know in the comments. Also feel free to share links to posts that you enjoyed, but I may have missed. The more blog love and sharing the better!

The 7 Mile Hike From Hell

Several years ago I got to do what many people dream of: vacation in Hawaii. I went with my husband and his family just after Christmas to ring in the New Year. We were there for a week and it was just as beautiful and amazing as anyone would imagine. Gorgeous beaches, breathtaking jungles, stunning waterfalls – everything was just as I expected it to be. Almost.

One of the things we were all excited to see was the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. The very day after our arrival we decided to go visit.

The day started off perfect. We hiked through the areas of rainforest and saw some of the most beautiful flowers and trees you can imagine; we walked through places where the volcano was currently inactive but had once been active, including a very cool lava tube; we went to the Visitor’s Center where you can read up on all of the history – we did it all and had a blast.

Then the time came to hike over the vast expanse of lava rock to see the nighttime glow of active lava flowing into the ocean.

I really have no idea what we were thinking. It was a 7 mile hike round trip and let’s just say that none of us were in ideal condition to be doing that kind of extreme activity. We should have realized just how out of our depth we were when we arrived at the information area. It was plastered with warnings and news articles of what happened to people who were a little too careless. Giant bugs that come out at night, dehydration, being burned by lava, sudden breakages of the very ground you are standing on, and on and on. Yet we were still determined to do it.

Everything started well enough. We were laughing and joking as we skipped from rock to rock. At first there were little reflectors on the ground to mark the easiest path, but those eventually stopped and we were left to fend for ourselves. Every once in a while we had to turn back because the path we were following suddenly ended in a steep drop-off, but it was all good fun.

After a while one of my sisters-in-law and my father-in-law decided that they did not want to go the full way, so they found a relatively comfortable spot where they would sit and look at the lava through binoculars once it got dark. The rest of us (my husband, mother-in-law, other sister-in-law, and myself) continued on.

As night drew closer we began to grow weary. We wanted to make sure we got there before dark so we tried to pick up the pace. We gradually began traveling in a line rather than a group as some of us (mainly me) slowed down.

Two things you need to know before I continue: 1. Lava rock is extremely difficult terrain. It is sharp, jagged, and unpredictable. 2. I am a gigantic klutz.

My feet were becoming very heavy and dragging beneath me. Eventually the inevitable happened. I fell.

Since I am a klutz I am very good at popping back up when I fall and this time was no different. My most immediate fear was that my mother-in-law, who works in the church, heard the expletive that slipped out of my mouth as I fell. When they asked if I was ok I hastily assured that I was and kept walking.

Then my mother-in-law asked if I was bleeding.

I glanced down and was filled with panic as I saw that my right leg was covered in bright red blood. Not wanting to alarm anyone I calmly responded that yes, I was bleeding some. My sister-in-law promptly turned to look and just started screaming.

As everyone converged on me I was forced to admit that my leg needed attention. Using some of the water we had brought with us my husband cleaned the blood off so we could see that my leg was not as bad as it originally looked. There was one cut that was somewhat deep, but it was mostly shallow scratches. Once the wound was clean we tied a jacket around my leg and continued the trek.

By the time we reached the area marked off to view the lava none of us really cared that much. We were tired, aching – and still had to hike back. The thought of that return hike made me want to cry.

While we sat, my husband looked at my leg again. The jacket was too bulky and had been sliding down my leg as we walked. The jacket belonged to my mother-in-law. She had gotten it on a trip to Vermont after searching all over for the perfect one. In order to better protect the open wound my husband asked if he could rip it so it would stay in place. She agreed without hesitation, but when she heard the first loud rrrrrrip a small whimper escaped her throat.

It was now completely dark. We snapped a few pictures of the lava, stood up, and turned around to look with dread at the rock stretching before us. With our flashlights turned on we ventured back out.

We had not been walking long when my husband began to feel sick. He was getting dehydrated and…uh oh…all our water was gone. So as we walked, one slow step at a time, he had to stop periodically to dry heave.

By this point in time we were all so exhausted that we were delirious. We probably sounded like a pack of crazy hyenas to anyone walking by from the way we were laughing so uncontrollably. I kept making the joke that I finally understood the walk of faith from this experience since all we could do was put one foot in front of the other and trust that eventually we would make it to the end.

With one injured and one sick we were moving very slowly. And then my mother-in-law fell. She banged her knee against a rock and, for a moment that seemed to stretch on forever, could do nothing other than grimace in pain. My husband admitted later that he felt a twinge of relief at the thought that they would now have to send a rescue helicopter to get us. But eventually the pain died down and she was fine, so we continued on.

When we met back up with my father-in-law and the sister-in-law who had stayed behind we all erupted into the story of what had happened to us. Their eyes grew round and they were afraid to tell us of the pleasant time they’d had together.

Once we were all together again, though, the rest of the hike seemed to go much more quickly. When we came upon the first stretch of flat road we all cheered and, laughing, said that if we weren’t afraid we wouldn’t be able to get back up we would kiss it.

By placing one foot in front of the other we were able to make it through a situation that seemed insurmountable. It is amazing what you can do when you keep a good attitude and allow yourself to just laugh. It was nothing like what I expected, but I will certainly never forget my perilous hike through the volcanoes of Hawaii.

What about you? Have you been faced with a situation where you just wanted to give up but couldn’t? How did you cope? Do you have any funny stories of fun outings that have turned disastrous? Let me know in the comments!

The Grimm Side of Fairy Tales

Two weeks ago I wrote about ABCs fantastic new fairy tale show, Once Upon a Time. Interestingly, NBC has also come out with a fairy tale show, but one that is much darker, grittier. Grimm follows the story of Nick Burkhardt, a homicide detective in Portland, Oregon. When his dying aunt comes to visit she tells him that he is descended from a line of Grimms – a group of people who hunt down and kill the supernatural creatures from fairy tales. As he learns more about who he is, he begins to recognize these creatures when they temporarily lose control and allow their true form to become visible. He also learns that they are frequently behind the very homicides he is trying to solve.

It is a very interesting concept. It takes the much used, serialized cop show and gives it a unique twist. So far each new episode has introduced us to a new creature that ends up being behind whatever murder Nick and his partner, Hank, are working on. While some of it has been a little hokie (cough – the bee people – cough) most of it has been intense, and in some instances, frightening. I am glad that they made Nick ignorant of the show universe, so that we are learning about everything with him. It helps us connect with his frustrations as he is struggling to figure out what on earth is going on around him.

Thankfully – or conveniently, depending on how you look at it – Nick’s aunt left him a trailer full of books, weapons, and other various things he needs to understand and kill the creatures he is up against. One of the things that I have been impressed with is that each creature has a well thought out heritage, a culture. They are not just mindless animals seeking out what they can kill; they have motives based on centuries of traditions and history. This helps make the world much more believable.

Another thing that Nick learns early on is that not all of these creatures are bad. Some of them have renounced their murderous heritage and consider themselves reformed. This is the case for my favorite character on the show. Eddie Monroe is a blutbad, or big bad wolf, who Nick somehow gets to help him out each episode. The fact that Eddie turns up every time Nick calls and puts himself in dangerous situations to help out is a plothole that, for now, I am willing to overlook because I love his character so much.

I don’t really know if I can describe what it is about Eddie that makes me like him as much as I do. He just has this quality about him. He is a somewhat goofy guy with this great, sarcastic sense of humor. He wants to stay out of trouble, but he is very capable of handling himself. His personality just seems so incongruous with the supernatural element in him that I can’t wait to see what he will do next.

There was this great scene in the second episode where Nick asks him to protect his aunt. Eddie does as asked, but in the process accidentally rips the arm off of one of the attackers. When he shifts back to his human form he just looks at the arm in his hand and says, “Okay, that went a little bit too far,” in this dry, matter-of-fact voice. I lost it. There was just something about the completely nonplussed expression on his face and the way he delivered the line that was hysterical. Strange thing to find funny, yet it was.

Between the two fairy tale shows I must admit that I prefer Once Upon a Time, but I do really enjoy Grimm. I am very curious to see where this show goes and how the plots it is busily setting up play out. I am interested to learn more about the creatures who inhabit this world and how they are connected to each other and the Grimms. I feel like the dark nature of the show suits it well and through characters such as Eddie they are able to infuse enough levity to keep it from becoming oppressive. My hope is that because of it’s dark tone it will attract an audience that perhaps would not normally be drawn to a show about fairy tales. If this happens, then I believe it can find the legs that have alluded so many other shows based in fantasy on NBC.

What about you? Have you been watching Grimm? What do you like or dislike about it? Which do you prefer – Grimm or Once Upon a Time? Let me know in the comments!

GUEST POST: M.G. Miller – Lycanthropy: a Disease, Not a Crime

It’s Friday and I have another special treat for you: Guest blogger M.G. Miller.

M.G. Miller is a Southern Gothic novelist and former editor for Surreal, a national magazine of speculative fiction. He has won Best Novel awards from Arkansas and Oklahoma states, a Deep South Prize from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and an Arkansas Governor’s Award for Literature. His award-winning literary novel, Bayou Jesus, concerning racism and religion in the Deep South, will be reissued December 25th by Southern Exposures Press exclusively on Amazon Kindle and has recently begun production for the audio version. Bayou Jesus is the first of three Miller titles to be released in 2012. In July, his historical horror novel, Her Grave Embrace, will be reissued as well, followed next December by Murderous, a novelization based on a true crime.

In addition to that impressive list of achievements, M.G. Miller is a true southern gentleman with a fabulous sense of humor. Both of which are evident through his post. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Lycanthropy: A Disease, Not a Crime

When the moon is fat, I can hardly sleep, no matter if I’m dead tired, no matter if I pop some Valerian Root before I go to bed.  But is it any wonder?  If the moon can affect the tidal pull of the Earth’s oceans, and humans are composed of about 60% water, of course there’s going to be a little moon madness, a little ebb and flow, going on within us, whether we’re aware of it or not.

In the past, I’ve had to take the drastic measure of hanging a blanket over my bedroom window to try and dim that midnight sun.  But more often than not, it doesn’t seem to work.  I still toss and turn, and my entire body itches.  Mornings after, my beard has grown at twice its usual rate.  Sometimes I wish I’d just go ahead and turn into a werewolf to get it over with.  Slaughter a few sheep, chase some red hoodies around, maybe take out the village drunk.  But then I’d probably wake up naked in a ditch somewhere, and that wouldn’t be cool.

I may have my share of fur, but unless I’ve been lied to all these years, I wasn’t born on Christmas Day, and I certainly don’t have a unibrow.  That’s the legend I’ve always heard about how you can tell if a man is a werewolf or not.

But most legends are based on some fact, and if there’s one that I do believe in to a degree, it would have to be about our four-pawed pal, simply by the way the moon affects me.  During a full moon, crime rates go up, and violence is more prevalent.  Some pretty weird things, other than my inability to sleep, have happened to me during a full moon too.

Two incidents involved bikers.  Years ago there was a biker pad around the corner from me.  One full moon night, one of them knocked on my door and asked to use the phone.  Seems his buddy (a midget biker, no less) had O.D.’d on something.  But by the time the ambulance arrived, Little B. was already in Harley Heaven.

Another full moon night, I was still awake at three in the morning, with the front door open, when I heard footsteps clomping onto the porch.  I looked up to see another biker, with long hair and a beard, looking in at me through the screen door.  He was smiling.

It was a little unnerving because of the late hour–not to mention the fact that when I walked closer, I noticed he had blood all over him.

“Hey, man,” he said.  “Could I use your phone?”

I thought maybe he’d been in an accident, and asked him if he was all right, but he said no, he was just fine.  Just wanted to call a buddy to come pick him up.

“Are you sure you’re OK?” I asked.

“Yeah, why?”

I averted my eyes from his blood-spattered face to his blood-smeared jacket, and he followed the line of my gaze, looking down at himself.  Then he looked back up at me, his face puzzled.  He seemed completely oblivious to all the blood, and if he wasn’t going to say anything about it, I sure as hell wasn’t going to press the subject.

I let him call his buddy (outside on my cordless), and he thanked me, had a seat on the porch to wait, and lit a cigarette.  Seemed like a nice guy, even told me a couple colorful jokes while he waited.  But as I laughed uneasily, I just stood there wondering, Who’d he just kill? and hoping it was merely one of the village sheep.

* * *

What strange things have you noticed occur during the full moon? Anything as crazy as what happened to M.G. Miller? Share your stories and observations in the comments!

Want to read more by M.G. Miller? Be sure to connect with him online:

Website: http://www.mgmillerbooks.com/
Blog: http://www.mgmillerbooks.wordpress.com/
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/MG-Miller/165654790177878
Twitter: http://twitter.com/m_g_miller

I’ll Get to it Later…

My "I don't want to do that now" face

I don’t know about you, but I am a career procrastinator. I always have been. I can remember being in school (much longer ago than I care to admit) working on some project or paper into the wee hours of the morning cursing myself for waiting so long. Every time I swore I would never wait until so late again, yet when the next project arose I would inevitably find myself scrambling.

One of the problems was that I never had any real consequences other than stress and exhaustion. I somehow always managed to pull together something good enough to earn a grade I was okay with, so when I was faced with the choice of doing work ahead of time or doing…whatever…I chose the whatever.

I used to always laugh when teachers tried to “help” us avoid procrastination by dividing the work and giving each part a due date. College professors seemed particularly fond of this method. All this really did was cause me to come up with something passable until it was time for the “real” work to be due. One common part for teachers to separate out was the research. They would ask us to find x number of sources and turn those in. Half the time I didn’t even read the sources opting to just find titles that sounded appropriate. And I still did it the night before it was due.

When the deadlines began coming from a job rather than school I got a little better. Rather than waiting the night before something was due I would wait until the weekend before and at least start on it. Sometimes.

Now I don’t have a job that really requires any work outside of what I do while I’m there, which is nice. Instead, all of my deadlines are self-imposed for things that I choose to do – blogging, writing and editing a book – those kinds of things. Without any “real” deadline with the threat of actual consequences (other than my own disappointment) it has been extremely difficult to overcome the “I’ll get to it later” syndrome.

You’d think someone who spent 3 years implementing behavior modification techniques with children with autism would be able to apply those techniques to modify her own behavior. You would be wrong. Every time I come up with a system it will work for a while and then gradually fade away becoming useless. I’ve tried rewarding myself, punishing myself, withholding x until y is complete…none of it worked.

Until now.

I have finally learned a system that seems to be working. I love organization and list making. I have come up with a schedule that allots time for my book and my blog. The rules for the schedule are that I overestimate how long something will take so that I am less likely to run out of time before my tasks are complete, I take into account other obligations so that my daily tasks are feasible, and I leave open time for fun stuff. So far so good.

The Mancave

The other thing I have done – and it has made a HUGE difference – is that when it is time to work on writing I leave the house. Whether I go out somewhere like Barnes and Noble or simply go to my husband’s “mancave” which is in the barn I get out of the house. This helps limit the things available to distract me tremendously. Leaving also helps signal my brain that it is time to work so that I am in the right frame of mind.

These are just a few tricks I have come up with that are proving to work for the time being. I am sure that I will have to add and modify as time goes on, but I think I am on the right track for a system that works.

What about you? Are you a procrastinator or someone who does things ahead of time? What tricks do you use to avoid procrastinating? Let me know in the comments!