E.T. & The Sloppy Joes

Was anyone looking for a band name? Because... YOU'RE WELCOME. I know this might seem a tad strange and random, but what is a blog for if not letting people in on the things that make you you?

E.T. phone home! (x)

So something you may not know about me is that my whole life I have had an aversion to the following things:

1. E.T.
2. sloppy joes

The story goes a little something like this: My mom, bless her, wanted to have a fun girl's night in when we were elementary school kiddos. She was going to introduce is us to the magical world of these two things and be a super cool mom while doing it. I mean, I remember being really excited that we got to sit on the floor. As we ate dinner! In the family room! This may well have been my first taste of rebellion, even if it was my mom's idea. But the thing is, I was so terrified of E.T. that I've never been able to eat sloppy joes since. 

Well now that I'm in my mid-twenties and currently facing zero time to stir up well-crikey-I-should-have-my-own-cooking-show wonders, I found myself asking, "What can I make that will last me a whole week, but takes barely any preparation?" I almost cringed when I heard my cool mom say the dreaded words... "Sloppy joes." (enter slow-mo mode) No!!!!!!!!! 

Then I asked myself how a girl who has started watching the series Hannibal is letting herself be defeated by a little alien from the 80s. How ridiculous! So I broke down and made them. But I didn't stop there. Oh no! I couldn't stop there. I'd gone too far. I rented E.T. too... 

With this hardwood floor as my table and 2/10 on plate presentation, I have no current plans to go into food blogging.

At first, it seemed like elementary school me- in her infinite wisdom, bowl cut, and horse shirts- had a very good point. E.T.'s fingers are creepy and he waddle-runs in a way that still strikes fear in my heart and then there's the whole extendable neck business, which is the very definition of terrifying. I have the heebie jeebies just thinking about it! But then there was baby-faced Henry Thomas (you may have heard me coo over him before) with his bad pizza delivery skills and frog-saving heroism. There was also an epic score, a little girl named Gertie, and scenes that really tugged on my heart-strings. And I eventually warmed up to E.T., perhaps due to the weird purring noise he makes or maybe, quite honestly, having a sheet thrown over his head... So this qualifies me as 'not entirely heartless,' right? Anyway, having previously blocked everything about this film except Reese's Pieces from my mind, I now completely understand why this is a classic and am glad to have it under my belt. That being said... it's still a no on the extendable neck business. No. No. No. No. No.

E.T. Sloppy joes. Maybe not your typical recipe for fear. But it was certainly one of mine and I'm glad I gave it another go! 15+ years later and, it turns out, I have a taste for it after all! Do you have any "haunting" memories from your childhood that keep you from doing certain things? Try them again! They just might become a new go-to years and years and years later!

Picture Book Update

You may remember that when Hurricane Sandy hit last October, I spent my days in a blanket fort scribbling away at my notes for the upcoming NaNoWriMo and a picture book that came out of nowhere. This little story about a rather unique dragon tickled me pink, but it seemed drastically different from everything I'd workshopped in my writing classes. I'd always submitted middle grade or YA pieces. So I was really nervous when we pulled our desks together for a critique circle. But when we finally did, I was bowled over by overwhelming positive feedback as well as a note from my teacher saying I should edit it and send it out for publishing. I was stunned.

Well finally! Five months after getting that note, I've finally let it sit long enough and tightened it up to the point where I feel comfortable sending it out. This is, in a way, really scary; putting a beloved character of mine in the hands of a professional with the power to tear it up like... well, a professional! But ultimately I do think this story is meant to be shared and whether it's a yes or no, I am happy to get feedback to make it even stronger. 

Over the past few months, I've been making a list of dream agents. You don't pitch your story to a publishing house, you pitch to an agent. They pitch it to the publishing house. So this week I sent it out to my first wave of agents. I'm querying them first because I especially admire their work, think we'd get along well, and would love to have fighting them my corner. It's so bizarre to think my story is now in their slush pile. It's so crazy!! Anyway, I just wanted to give you all a wee update that actually concerns writing. Now the long wait for replies begins... But there you go! You know, no big... AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

What's On My Nightstand

• Coco Before Chanel. It's very Twilight Zone using the English title... Anyway, I've been wanting to watch this exquisite film recently and yesterday I finally reached a point where I just need to calm a llama down. Maybe I fled to it because it has such an enchanting score (listen to it on a daily basis? moi?... oui!) or gorgeous scenery and costumes or the fact that the French language instantly puts me à l'aise or simply that I needed the kind of good yet devastating cry that only a period piece can deliver... But whatever it was, it did the trick. I'm just kidding. We all know it was Alessandro Nivola speaking French! I mean... bonjour!
• Elastic Hair Thingamabobs. I may not know what they're called, but I have pledged my allegiance to them for over a year now! This is all I use for working out these days. No more bands busting on me in the middle of a run, no sir! Sadly they can be a bit expensive in my local boutiques. But just when I was going to crack and splurge on another one, my friend Jennifer sent me a boatload! I shrieked. I shrieked over elastic hair thingamabobs! You want thingamabobs? I've got twenty!
• Macadamia Nut Hershey's Kisses. Did you know they had these? Did you? Did you?!?! Well I did. Just one of many perks of having a pilot for a dad! But I warn you-- a moment on the lips, forever in a daydreaming vortex of sunny days spent watching your exquisi-cute surfer boyfriend Kai out on the waves as you perfect impossible-to-shake-your-hips-that-fast hula dance moves on the beach.
• Play Date Essie Nail Polish. After months and months of holding the must-have-all-the-colors monster at bay, I finally broke down in Dallas the other weekend and snatched this up. I've been eying it for ages and I've got to say, I don't feel guilty for caving at all! This is just a fun springy shade and I'm going to be using it non-stop.
• Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil. I'd describe how wonderful this tinted balm is, but I'm too busy pursing my lips together... mmm...

Like I said, I've been in dire need of anything and everything that can get me to chill out this week. So I've been running with arms outstretched to my lullaby of the week, Needtobreathe's soulful "Washed By The Water." I'm talking on a constant loop. Whenever I start to FREAK OUT, I pull out this puppy like a good old-fashioned tranquilizer gun. Bam! Instant calm. I think I might need to have another listen right now, actually...

Sweet dreams, moonbeams!

mardi muse: Daenerys Stormborn

Not to keep harping on about kick-ass females in Game of Thrones, but I caught up on the most recent episode last night and... KHALEESI!!!!!!!!!! I swear, I never knew true fist pumping before that final scene. And by fist pumping, I mean FIST PUMPING!!!!!!!!!!

"I am Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen of the blood of old Valyria. Valyrian is my mother tongue." (x)

There has never been a single moment where I have not been rooting for her. Daenerys is not a queen. She's a khaleesi! Daenerys is not a slave. She's a dragon! Daenerys is not an outcast. She's the rightful heir to the Iron Throne! Daenerys is not a doormat. But you are if you cross her! That's what I love most about her, really. She's the fairest of them all, looking so vulnerable and being all quiet. But what's often interpreted as a natural reserve is really strategy in disguise. And yet despite having proof of this for the past two seasons-- having her manipulative cad of a brother killed, eating a horse's heart, walking through fire to dragon eggs-- she still manages to surprise. We all know what she's capable of, but then she's suppressed long enough that she can still shock you even if you're mentally preparing yourself for her to do something wicked awesome. Like when she makes this deal with monsieur shady guy to trade one of her baby dragons for an army, you're thinking, 'There's no way she's really going to give this name-calling monster a dragon!' but wondering how she was going to get away with it. And then she goes and gives you the best scene in the entire series so far...

DRAKARIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BURN!!!!! *FIST-PUMP* KHALEESIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *FIST-PUMP* My friends and I immediately rewound it and watched it again, looking like Jorah with hearts in our eyes! Blood of my blood! Mother of dragons! I want to be just. like. her. The girl is on fire and the absolute coolest! On the one hand it's unsettling, but on the other I am so happy to see the Dany we all know and love come blazing back. This is not the same person we found mourning her husband as she lead her people through the desert last season. This girl will have her way, her vengeance, her birthright, her dragons, period. She's a character I simply can't get enough of and I hope to be seeing much more of her (and much less of Theon and Varys) the rest of this season!

P.S. Who else is going to start yelling, "DRAKARIS!" when they're angry? Surely it's not just me...