Where the Hell is the Fountain of Youth?!?

So yesterday, I got the mail from the box and there was a flyer advertising family portraits. Thinking of Christmas card goodness, I put the flyer on the small desk in my kitchen. My kids come in and spy it, asking all sorts of questions. "Who are these people?" "Is this baby me?" "What are they doing?" Blah blah blah.

I, of course, only half-hear them as I'm in the middle of making dinner. I hear them "pretending" that the family in the portrait is our family. "Hannah, this baby was me," one of my daughters says. Then, I hear Hannah reply, "This is what Mommy looked like before she was OLD."

**crickets**

W-H-A-T?? Old? MEEE? When the hell did that happen, and why wasn't I given the memo? I turned on my own children, cursing the day I ever bore them forth, waving my cooking spoon about the kitchen like the Devil's own pitchfork. "You are not my daughter!" I cry, shocked that my own flesh and blood would stab me in the back so ruthlessly. She giggled with demonic glee, reveling in the fact she'd gotten under my skin, EVIL seven-year-old that she is.



I do not have children. I have DH's spawn. That's my story and I'm sticking too it. I refuse to believe I'm an old woman at 32.

As if that wasn't bad enough, my youngest daughter asked me a few minutes later if that baby on the portrait picture was my **get this** granddaughter. How old do my kids think I am?!?!?
Granted, 32 *is* old to a 7, 6, 5, & 3 year old. Might as well be Methuselah. But holy moly, people. I was ready to bust out my cane and start whacking people over the head with it.

I am NOT old, dammit. >:(



~~Becka

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for my husband.






Thankful for the four beautiful children he gave me.






Thankful for this house and the cars we drive.






Thankful for my cats, my dog and my lizard.






I am thankful for my friends, both in real life and online.






I'm thankful I'm able to do exactly what I love--writing books.





I'm thankful for my fans who read my books and love them. I'm thankful for even being published in the first place. I'm thankful to be with the publishers I am with, By Grace, Champagne, & Samhain.








I'm thankful to be an American, to live in the country I live in, thankful for the men and women who defend our country and give me the liberties I enjoy. I'm thankful for this life God has given me, and all the blessings I have.



Happy Thanksgiving!

~~Becka

Did You Know?

So I'm surfing tonight and I come across some random useless trivia. Usually stuff like this doesn't really shock me, but this kinda did. :P If you watch the same kinda TV I do, then you know who Clancy Brown is. He's been in a lot of great movies and TV shows. He was in the short lived but brilliant TV show "Earth 2" in the early '90's when the Sci Fi Channel was in its infancy:



And he also played the evil, but remarkably well-dressed Brother Justin on one of the coolest TV shows ever, Carnivale on HBO **until the bastages at HBO cancelled the series** (seriously, DH wants that sweet-ass "trenchcoat priest garb"):



He's one of those men that you can't decide whether he's hot--or not. :P I look at him sometimes and it's like "Hey baby" and other times, I go "eew". LOL Maybe it's the hair. :D I think he looks hot in both of the pictures above, however, he wasn't too enticing on LOST, I must say. He played the guy in the Swan hatch with Desmond. (mmm, Desmond **swoon**)

OK, I just gotta, folks. Random pic of Desmond. Let us all collectively drool together.



Now there's a man who should never ever EVER cut his hair. :P They showed him on LOST in a flashback with "shorter" hair. Just wasn't as yummilicious.

Okay, okay, so back to Clancy. So he's on the show I watch, Avatar: The Last Airbender. He plays Long Feng of the Earth Nation, enemy to the Earth King. I was searching through Wikipedia on Avatar the TV show and found Clancy's page. Did you know he plays the voice of Mr. Krabs on Spongebob??



Now this totally threw me for a loop, because although there are those out there in the world that absolutely HATE Spongeboob, as we affectionately call him in the Goings' household, we love ol' Squarepants here in the Pacific Northwest. Some people find the show annoying, but I think it's hilarious. It's got a lot of adult humor in it. Sometimes it's raunchy, and that's what I love about it. I even have Spongebob checks. Yes, I pay my bills on Spongebob checks. Conveniently, here's one with Mr. Krabs on it:



Stone me if you will, but I am not ashamed. Hi, my name is Becka, and I love Spongebob. **eyeballs crowd**

Anyhow, it shocked me that Clancy was the voice of Mr. Krabs, because I would have NEVER put two and two together. His voice is so deep and gravelly, that thinking of him as Mr. Krabs who laughs like a pirate-- "Ar ar ar!" --is kinda surreal.

So Mr. Brown, wherever you may be, we lubs ya here in P-town. Word.

~~Becka

The Office

Anyone who wants to know what my sense of humor is like should watch The Office, both the British version and the American version. This show started off as a British show on the BBC, which DH and I watched until the show was cancelled.



Ricky Gervais, pictured in the back, is a comic genius. Dear God, anything that man puts out has me running to the bathroom lest I pee my pants. And that is no different with the American version of the show. It's in it's third season, and The Office here in the States is only getting better. The acting is superb and doesn't seem forced at all. It's "uncomfortable" comedy that only gets better the more you know the characters. Dwight is definately one of my favorites (pictured below on the left) because he's so extreme. And of course, how could you forget the pseudo-office-romance between Pam and Jim? :P *OR* the totally awesome practical jokes they play on Dwight? Stapler in the Jello anyone? LOL How about the "Gay-dar?" Wheee!



Seriously, folks, I've never laughed so damn hard at a TV series before. And anyone who knows me, knows that when I laugh, I laugh LOUD. LOL Ricky Gervais actually produces the American show, which is probably why it's such a great show. Just thinking about it makes me chuckle. I was laughing hard last night because DH and I watched a bunch of them we'd recorded. I was even laughing long after we'd gone to bed. DH asks me, "What's so funny?"

I reply, "Three hundred sixty-four days until the next Pretzel Day."

Chortle-Snort-Giggle-Wheeze-Cackle

:D

~~Becka

What's your 4400 Ability?

So DH and I are watching a really great show (we're Netflixing it, actually) called The 4400. Ultimately, it will probably get cancelled as all good TV shows do, but for now, it's still on the air. :) We're in the middle of season 2 so far.

I've taken the "4400 test" from the website, and I'm a Big Hearted Healer (echo echo), just like Shawn Farrell from the show. Click on Shawn to check it out. :D (Isn't he a hottie?? Whew, I knew there was a reason I LOVED this show... heheheh)




The basic premise of The 4400 is this: 4400 people are abducted in a bright flash of light over the span of 50 or so years. Then suddenly, they are ALL mysteriously return over the Pacific Northwest in a BIG white ball of light with strange abilities. Those who were taken in the 1940's are having trouble adjusting to present day, because NONE of them remember what happened to them, and it seems as if no time at all has passed. Now these abilities range from healing (as stated above), destruction, psychic, genetic, super-intelligence, etc...

Over the course of the show, you find out more and more about who abducted them and why, but it's a great little show and DH and I enjoy it a lot.




It apparently airs on the USA network (thank the TV gods it's NOT on Fox, or it would be cancelled for sure... Thank goodness "House" is still on the air... **knocks on wood** >>see Browncoat post below for details on the hated Fox network. LOL<<)

Anyhow, take the 10 question 4400 test and post here in the comments what YOUR 4400 ability is. Should be fun. And try to catch the show if you can. It really is a great show, and I wouldn't steer you wrong. :P I think.

~~Becka

Dude, I Got Sooo Wasted!

Yup, I went out last night and got drunker than a skunk. :P Me and my girlfriends had a ladies' night. We went wine tasting, bought said wine, and then proceeded to drink it. :P In fact, I was so far gone, I had to be driven home by my friend who was the DD. I tried to drink some water last night so I wouldn't have a hangover this morning, but I fell asleep too quickly. I'm still recovering. Gah.

But it was dang fun, lemme tell you. No kids + No DH = Good Times. Don't get me wrong, I love my family, but I love to have some "me" time too. The kids were shocked I was going out without Daddy, that's how often I go out by myself. LOL

Last time I got plastered was on my 30th birthday. That was a hoot. We went bar-hopping. I don't drink to get drunk. Mostly I drink on special occasions and only get a little buzzed. Last night, I had to hold my friend's arm going down the stairs. :P

I love that sign above. Awesome. Unfortunately, me and my friends didn't steal any traffic cones. Dammit.



~~Becka

I'm a Browncoat

If you don't know what I'm talking about, you are NOT a Browncoat.

If you only liked the movie and not the series, you are NOT a Browncoat.

If you only liked the series and not the movie, what the HELL is wrong with you??

I'm talking, of course, about Firefly the series and Serenity the movie. Stupid f#&ing Fox. I hate that station. With a purple passion.

But they did give us 11 episodes (out of order, mind) of one of the best space operas EVAR. (Buy the DVD's and you'll get a few unaired episodes along with the 2 hour pilot **which they didn't show until they knew the series was going to be cancelled. Idiots.**) What made it so cool? The "western in space" made it pretty damn awesome. But aside from that, it had Nathan Fillion, Captain "Tightpants". If you don't understand that reference, you are NOT a Browncoat. :P



I want that damn shirt. LOL

The reason why I'm giving you a Firefly rundown is because something awesome happened last night. Nathan Fillion was on LOST!!! :D:D But I'm still growling inside. He was only a guest star, not a regular. I'd be down with Nate as an "Other". Oh yes, btw, I'm a LOSTie as well. Too many hotties on that show NOT to watch. :P (Desmond!! **swoon**)

But no such luck. Nate was only the scorned hubby of Monica/Kate in her flash back. Bollocks.



Le sigh.

So now I'm going to boast. I have an AUTOGRAPHED picture of Nate. He wrote "Jim and Rebecca, Stay Shiny! Nathan Fillion". (If you don't know what "Stay shiny!" means, you are NOT a Browncoat.) It has a place of honor in our home theater. We also have an autographed picture of Morena Baccarin, the lady who is currently playing the Orisai on Stargate SG-1.

Don't be shocked, peeps. I told you I was a geek. I even LITERALLY have a Geek Card in my purse. I'm not lyin'. :P

But aside from Nathan Fillion being a hottie, why do I love him so? Because HE is also a card-carrying geek.

Regard:



Yup, that's Nate GAMING. I love this pic. See that cube of green D6's he's got in his left hand? (6 sided dice for you non-geeks). He's prolly playing Capt. Tightpants in the Serenity Role-Playing game at GenCon. :P Yup, along with D&D and the other role-playing games out there, you can have a game in Joss Whedon's Firefly 'Verse. Fricken' cool. DH and I were even playtesters for this system. Woohoo!

But Nate on LOST made my day. Just thought I'd shout out how much of a geek I really am. LOL

~~Becka

The Sun Will Come Out...Tooomoorroow!

And the Lord spake, saying, "Behold, I have set my bow in the clouds as my Covenant with you that never again shall I flood the Earth..."

...or something. Finally, we are seeing patches of blue sky over Oregon.

Dang, the past few days has been a deluge, worthy of Noah's flood here in the Pacific Northwest. Sure, it rains in Oregon, but lately, it's been RAINING like nobody's business. We're talking our gutters were overflowing, they were so full of rain. Our open trash can had about 3 inches of rain inside in less than a day. In fact, flooding in Washington is so bad, it has been on the news lately. Well, we in Portland have been waterlogged as well.

It's been raining cats and dogs. Why the hell can't it rain MEN for once?? Preach it, RuPaul!!



~~Becka

AVATAR - The Last Airbender

Anyone who regularly reads my blog knows I'm a geek. We're talking gunner's-mate, 1st class, Uber-Geek (get the reference, and you're one too. LOL)

Well, Dh and I stumbled upon a new vice: AVATAR: The Last Airbender.



You might have seen this cartoon on Nickelodeon every now and again and thought it was weird. True enough. But what Anime "isn't" weird? Now, let me be the first to tell you that even though I'm an Uber Geek (echo echo), I don't like much Anime. It's all gritty looking, and the animation kinda sucks. But hey, that's the genre, right?

AVATAR is an awesome show (yes, it's a cartoon) because the art is EXCELLENT. Not only that, but it's so original from other anime stories. Sure, you're thinking to yourself, "But Becka, most Anime *is* original." Princess Mononoke comes to mind. Another is Castle in the Sky. True, while these were original, they were also extremely WEIRD. Crazy spirits floating around leaving you thinking WTF? LOL Don't get me wrong, AVATAR has spirits in it as well (most Anime seems to have a spiritual side), but it's nothing that's really strange, leaving you to wonder if something was lost in translation. :P In fact, AVATAR was animated in English, so it's not originally *from* Japan. I believe it was created by a couple of American dudes.

Now, even though it is a cartoon and marketed to children, the show RULES. The "benders" in the show can "bend" the elements, so there's air, water, earth & fire. And they bend them by using various Kung Fu moves. They actually hired masters in martial arts to come in and help them not only animate the charactes, but to also help them figure out what moves would logically do what action.

Because of this, the show is given an "epic" feel, even though it's silly at times. It's still for kids, after all.



I highly recommend watching this show. Either rent it, Netflix it, watch it on You Tube (yup, it's on You Tube) or buy the DVD set off of Amazon.com. If you try to buy it in stores, they'll rake you over the coals in price, because they only sell a pack of 3 DVD's, instead of the whole set. Whose craptastic idea was THAT, anyway? GRRR Anyhow, if you buy it off of Amazon, you can get the full set. They're almost done with season 2 on Nickelodeon, and their cleared for season 3. DH and I just watched the first season this past week and finished it this weekend. We're going to start season 2 tonight with some friends, as we have it all recorded, that's how awesome this show is.

I'm really into it. An anime cartoon might not be for you, but I'm telling you the art is fantastic, the story is original and more importantly, understandable, and the Kung Fu and imagination behind the benders is just awesome. I wish *I* had an imagination as rich as the writers of this show. If I could write children's books, THIS series would be it.

Check it out for yourself. :)



~~Becka

The Simple Truth

This picture was too good not to blog. LOL I thought I would share it with you. It's so funny because it's so true. Heheheh I want this design on a t-shirt. :P





~~Becka

Dear Gawd, Is It Over?

Halloween is such a fun holiday. Kids get to dress up, you wander around the neighborhood and get free candy. What could be more fun? Ah, I remember the days I used to go trick-or-treating, back when I was a junior in high school, throwing on a smoking jacket, a pair of sunglasses and leashing my German Shephard "seeing-eye dog", driving from house to house..... in my own car....

You scoff, but I did this!! lol I'd just turned 17 on Oct. 9th (yes, I was 17. :- ), and my friend and I decided to go trick-or-treating. Hey, we weren't "too cool" or "too old". Those were the days when taking advantage of your childhood was actually fun. :P And yes, we did drive ourselves around the neighborhoods

Anyhow, we're not talking about ME.

Saturday, Oct. 28th, we had a birthday party for my youngest daughter. Her birthday is actually today (November 1st), but we celebrated it early. I decided to let the kids dress up in their costumes (since I paid $20 EACH for them, figured they should get their fun's worth). Here is a pic of them in all their adorable cuteness:



Princess Belle, Tinkerbell, & Little Red Riding Hood

It was Little Red's birthday party, but thankfully, we didn't see any wolves in Grandma's clothing.



My son Batman, with his cousin, Mr. Incredible

And of course, my daughter made out with quite the haul for her birthday. We took her out to the family's most favorite restaurant on the face of Planet Earth; Juan Colorado's:



She was serenaded by a troupe of good-looking Mexican men while the entire restaurant looked on. She enjoyed her cheese nachos and vanilla ice cream. :) We found out that kids get the ice cream. If an adult has a birthday at Juan Colorado's, you get a liquor shot. Of what, I have no idea. But does it matter?

Damn. My birthday already came and went. LOL However, I must weigh the benefit of the liquor shot against the embarrassment of wearing the Official Ridiculous Birthday Sombrero.

Depends on how drunk I was already, I suppose. Heheheh

So we went trick-or-treating in our friend's neighborhood, and the kids made out like bandits. Each child's bag was loaded with loot. Now multiply that by four. Yeah. At least we didn't get jipped on the Halloween candy this year. All quality, name-brand candy. But you know what I mean about the jippage: houses that give out candy corn (gag) or those Dum Dum suckers (wtf?). If you're gonna "sucker" it, please, people, go for the Tootsie Roll Pops. Or those suckers with gum inside. If you don't, yer just a cheap bastard. LOL

I happen to know the Tootsie Roll Pops are NOT expensive. There really is no excuse for the Dum Dums. Dum Dums are just a cruel wannabe sucker. Is the old saying "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Dum Dum"? NO. The prosecution rests, Your Honor.



Next year, make Mr. Owl proud. "Ah-one, ah-two, ah-thrrrree." **CRUNCH**

~~Becka