Flogging Molly

If you do not know who Flogging Molly is, then you best just stop reading this blog right now. :P Flogging Molly is one of the best bands out there, an Irish rock band that never fails to bring the house down.

DH and I went to the Roseland Theater here in Portland, Oregon to see them perform (our second time seeing them live), and once again, they rocked the Kasbah. We were up on the mezzanine, but the ENTIRE floor was the mosh pit. Dang, it was so loud, obnoxious, and so fricken' cool, I just can't even describe it.

If Flogging Molly ever comes to your town, GO TO SEE THEM. You might have to put up with the crappy opening bands, but let me tell you, there is NOTHING like a Flogging Molly concert. Nothing in the world. And the audience participation at their concerts cannot be beat. I'm sorry, it just can't. When *everyone* knows the words to the songs, you know you've made it as a band.

Now go and buy one of their albums. You'll love them. And if you don't love them, well then, there's just something wrong with you. LOL

~~Becka

SPACEBALLS: THE CARTOON

Anyone who knows me knows I love all things Mel Brooks. I'm a sucker for the obvious lame gag. I have such a quirky personality that I don't find it stupid, I crack up, and I only laugh harder the more times I watch Mel's movies.

Well, believe it or not, Mel is coming out with, you guessed it, SPACEBALLS: THE CARTOON! LOL I'm not joking folks, follow the link!

Spaceballs, along with History of the World Part I are my two favorite Brooks movies. I can practically quote them both by heart. :P I really hope the cartoon can live up to the Brooks name. I'll give it a whirl. Ain't nothing wrong with comedy cartoons. It might actually be the perfect vehicle for Brooks's slapstick comedy.

As long as it's true to the movie with the same kind of gags/stunts, I'm sure I'll love it. :P



"How many assholes we got on this ship?!"

:P

~~Becka

I Just HAD to Blog This...

I know I'm on a self-imposed hiatus, but I just HAD to blog this...

So DH comes home early today from work (he'd worked ALL weekend long for a big move project as his company was moving to a different floor, basically, a big nightmare with all the servers and desks and phones and crap... but anyway, we're not talking about HIM). LOL

Anyhow, I have a turkey breast thawing for dinner tonight and DH looks at that and goes hmm.... tacos? (he frequently nixes my ideas for dinner, annoying tho it may be). I tell him the meat for tacos isn't defrosted yet and he offers to help me cook. Yay! I won't say no to that. But then getting the ingredients out, he looks at me and says, "How about Taco Time?"

For those who don't know, it's a fast food "Mexican" joint here in the Northwest. "Score!" I think to myself. I don't have to cook!

Of course, it's ME who has to go GET the food, so I get into my car (which is finally paid off YAY!) and drive the what, 5 blocks? to the Taco Time (it's really close) and of course, I have a big order... 4 kids meals and a bunch of tacos and burritos (DH is really hungry).

I'm waiting there while they get my order ready, and there's a bunch of guys who must have been a church group because there was really no reason for them to be together--AT ALL. Two white guys, one a tall middle-aged gentleman who was talking in Spanish to the people behind the counter with an atrocious American accent, and one younger white guy, along with two black guys, one a bigger guy and one a skinny guy in his early twenties.

Anyhow, so I'm standing there and the older guy who was speaking Spanish (but not to me) says "Excuse me" in my ear, and I, of course, think I'm in his way for something, so I move, and he's like, "No no, I just want to tell you something."

"What's that?" I say politely.

"You know that big guy I'm with? The guy who just went to the bathroom? He thinks you're cute. He thinks your good-looking. His name is Aaron. Just so you know."

Shocked doesn't even begin to explain the emotion I was overcome with in that moment. My first thought was Dear God, someone thinks I'm good-looking?? My second thought was WTF? Am I back in high school?!?

So I'm staring at the guy, my jaw hit the floor, and the guys who were waiting for their food behind me were looking at me, as if to see what I would do. Hell, *I* don't even know what I'm going to do at this point... The guy starts to walk away and I say, "Tell him thank you for the compliment, but I'm married. But I'm extreeeemly flattered."

The guy was like, "Oh, okay, I'm sorry," all repentent-like... And of course, the big guy comes out of the bathroom looking at me like expecting me to do something (clearly he'd talked to the other guy about approaching me before he went to the bathroom), but I ignored him for the most part, not wanting to cause any more of a scene than had already happened. The guys behind me were probably thinking "Good Gawd, he thinks SHE'S hot?? Get the man a pair of glasses!!!"

Lemme tell ya. Stained shirt. I hadn't showered today (eww, I know), hair back in a ponytail, no make-up (of course, I never *wear* make-up, so....) But I was Frump Queen 9,000 today.

Regardless of the fact that it put a smile on my face, I realized it made me uncomfortable as well. Not because I didn't find the poor guy attractive (well, there was that), but because I've never had that happen to me before. NO ONE, besides my husband, has ever approached me about being good-looking. I didn't know what the heck to do! Does that mean more men find me attractive and just don't say anything? Perhaps it's the ring or the kids that turn them off. LOL

This time I didn't have the kids with me, and I was driving the Maxima, not the big family van.

Today, I was a hottie. (in some weird Twilight Zone-ish kinda way).



Tomorrow, it's back to being Invisi-Mom.



Thank you, Aaron, wherever you may be, for giving this frumpy-housewife-mother-of-four-romance-author a thrill today. :D

~~Becka

New Posts Might Be Scarce in the Days to Come . . .

Hey gang, I just wanted my regular readers to know my posts to this blog might become few and far between in the next couple of weeks. I just found out one of my deadlines was dead wrong. LOL I thought my deadline for B*E*A*S*T* OF BURDEN (http://beastseries.blogspot.com) was December 1st, however, it's really OCTOBER 1st, and therefore, I've got to HAUL ASS to get this book done and out the door. I'm halfway through it right now. I think I can do this (lol--30K in two weeks), but it means I won't be able to do much else but work on this book until it's done.

So just an FYI, in case this Babble blog goes "dark" for awhile....

~~Becka

Beware the Uber-Bitch

I don't know about y'all, but I turn into UUUBERRR-BIIIITCH (echo echo echo) when I'm hungry. Everyone I know knows this simple fact to be true. Rarely do I have PMS. Rarely am I bitchy simply because I can BE.

But if I'm hungry, you best WATCH OUT!

Frequently I'll bite DH's head off, and from the smoking ruin that was once his body, he'll calmly hand me a ham sandwich. LOL Then all is right in the world. I'm a much nicer person with my belly full, so FYI, if you ever meet me in person, be warned.

Hopefully you'll be lucky and meet me after I've eaten--not before.

Otherwise, you might just get ripped a new one. If you know what I mean. LOL

~~Becka

9/11

My daughter is old enough now to start asking questions about 9/11. I knew it would come, but I never realized how hard it would be for me. It's one thing to talk about it in passing to someone who knows all about it, remembering that day, where you were, and how you felt. It's another altogether to reveal such hatred and violence to a young child, who only knows the world through rainbows and butterflies, who believes everyone is a good person, and who's day revolves around their next meal.

Going through the reports and the videos has been particularly hard for me this year, moreso than the other anniversaries of 9/11. My children don't quite grasp the enormity of what happened that day. And I can feel all the terror and fear I experienced that day when I watch the videos with them. I don't know if it will ever get easier to bear.

On a side note, DH and I watched the movie United 93. It was excellently done. The acting was phenomenal. It wasn't like a "movie" at all, more like you were a fly on the wall watching it all unfold. And even though you knew the outcome, it was still on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense. They didn't just detail what happened on flight 93, the one that crashed in Pennsylvania, but they also delved into the chaos the air traffic controllers went through. If you haven't seen this movie and were on the fence about it, take my word for it. It was an excellent movie.

For the victims, the families, and the entire nation, my flag flies for you today.

~~Becka

I'm a Loud Laugher

Let's face it, I'm a loud laugher. I don't know when or why this happened, but I just woke up one day and I'd been cursed with my mother's cackle. Yes, alas, I cackle.

All through school, I was known as "the girl with the laugh". People wouldn't know my name, but if they were told that, they'd know who I was. I'm not kidding. I've always been the loudest, especially when I think something is *really* funny. And God forbid you get some alcohol in me. Whew!

I've been frequently told to tone down my laugh, but it's nigh impossible. Apparently whilst I'm cackling away, my ears also close up, because I am not struck with the apparent eardrum-shattering decible that my fellow chucklers complain about. Is this the same law of physics that makes someone with earphones on yell at you when their music is turned up? I do not know.

But a while back, DH and I went to a comedy concert held by Steven Wright. If you know him, then you'll know his deadpan humor, with quips such as "Last night, someone broke into my house and stole everything, replacing it with an exact replica."

Ahem. So I guess you have to be there for his humor to work, but he's a funny, funny guy. Well, during one of his jokes, I'd had one or two too many, and I was just cackling my wee heart out. The man STOPPED his bit on stage and STARED at me in the audience until I was done laughing. Of course by this time, I was crying and trying hard not to pee, this is how hard I was cackling.

I know on more than one occasion, I've embarrassed my DH with my loud laughter, but that's what makes me ME. At one time, I was ashamed of my own cackling, as I didn't want to sound like Roseanne. But now, I've embraced it, become one with it.

My name is Becka, and I'm a cackler. Get over it.

~~Becka

I Don't Understand Clingy Wives

Can someone please explain them to me? 'Cause I don't get them.

What am I talking about?

The wives that don't want the DH out "with the guys" later than 10-11pm. The wives that "forbid" DH from going to watch certain movies without them. The wives that demand every Saturday be free so they can make plans with their own friends. The wives that CONSTANTLY call DH on their cell phone either just to "talk" or to ask them questions that really could wait, even if their DH is in a life-or-death hand of Texas Hold 'Em. The wives who resent their DH's friends because he spends too much time with them instead of her, even when she's clearly invited to group gatherings.

Now, admittedly, if you have an insensitive man, I could see how some of the above might be his fault. The man who tries at every opportunity to get out of the house to "get away" from his wife, as it were. But I'm not talking about these men.

I'm talking about the men who are joked about in their circle of friends as being "whipped".

What's wrong with these women? Are they so co-dependent that they can't last one night by themselves? Are they *that* jealous of DH's friends?

I just don't get it. I REJOICE when my DH goes out to be with his friends. I love my alone time. Why? Because I can sit on my computer with no interruptions. LOL I can write to my heart's content and be off in my own little world. Now I'm not saying I don't love my husband or that I don't want to spend time with him, but I would never even consider being a clingy wife. Let him go see whatever movie he wants to see. Not like I can go with him anyway, since I've got 4 kids to take care of. But there's the thing. He's totally cool with me going to see movies with my friends and staying home with the kids as well. So there's no "taking advantage" of me because he knows I'll be staying home with the kids.

I don't care if he goes out to dinner with the guys... GREAT! That means I don't have to cook. No dishes in the sink. My kids are easy. Fix some Easy Mac and their good to go. Woohoo!

He wants to go to the lake for the day? See ya! I have a deadline to meet anyway. Have fun. LOL

Maybe it's just my personality. I've always been somewhat of a loner. I don't care if people spend time with me or not. Obviously if DH was spending ALL of his free time with the guys, I'd get preturbed, but he doesn't. Which is why I don't understand the wives that need to know where their DH is every moment of every day.

Give the guy a break. And treat yourself to some alone time. He married you because he loved you, not because you're his mom.

/end of rant

:P

~~Becka

What the Hell Do I Blog About??

I could blog about Steve Irwin, but I'll just get depressed. :(

I could blog about seeing my book on the bookstore shelf, but I covered that on my website.

I could blog about how messy my house is, but again, that would make me depressed.

Actually, things are going good for me right now. Summer is winding down, and I'm kind of getting melancholy. I'm glad that the temperatures aren't so hot any more, but I usually get kind of "blah" at the end of the year. I can't believe my youngest daughter is going to be *5* on November 1st and that Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner.

And dear Lord, my birthday is coming up. For those of you who don't know, my birthday is October 9th. I'm going to be 32. Wow. I remember when I was a young kid, thinking people in their thirties were OOOLLLDDD. LOL Of course, I have a lot of online friends who would smack me upside the head for thinking I was a fogey. hehehe

But for two years into this publishing gig, I think I'm doing pretty well for myself. I got my first contract a few weeks after my 30th birthday, so it might SEEM like I've been around forever, but just a couple of years, really. :P I remember signing that contract thinking what the next decade would bring. Well, in 2007, all of my books are going to print. If each consecutive year sees more of my books in the bookstores, I'm hoping (fingers tightly crossed) that I'll be somewhat popular beyond the e-publishing world. By my 40th birthday, I want to be a recognizable name on the bookstore shelves. We'll see if that will happen.

But I'm on my way! :D

~~Becka

Ignorance is Bliss?

So I'm on this website called Gather.com and I posted an article about my newsletter contest (details on my website). Anyhow, I posted this article to a few of my groups on Gather, including the Christian Writers group.

I got a comment on my article today about this woman who was seriously upset that I'd posted it there, because she'd joined my newsletter and read about me talking about my publisher, Samhain. She didn't understand how I could be writing for "Samhain" and then post the article in the Christian Writer's group.

Obviously this woman has no idea I write Inspirational romance.

She made mention that my group was into "witchcraft" and the like, simply because I mentioned I was published by Samhain Publishing!

At first I was upset, then I was amused, and now I'm shaking my head at this woman's ignorance.

I am a Christian as well, but I know that the people at Samhain aren't all into witchcraft. Perhaps some of them are pagans, I really have no idea. But according to the website, it says they were named "Samhain" after the Celtic new year, to signify "new beginnings" and also after the Irish word for "November", which also happens to be Samhain, the month in which this publishing company began doing business.

As I thought more and more about what this woman was saying, that I must be into witchcraft because I was pubbed with Samhain, then I must also be an alcoholic for being published with Champagne Books.

It's not only silly to think this way, it's very ignorant of the world around you. In this instance, ignorance is NOT bliss.

What's better than being a drunk and being a witch?

Why, being a drunk witch of course!

"Don make muh cash a shpellll on yoooo..."

**hic**

**stumbles and falls over the table**

LOL

~~Becka