Everybody has watched the Wizard of Oz, right? So we’ve all had plenty of chances to check out the floating head that was supposed to be the All Powerful himself. I just gotta ask (being a huge fan of wizards in general) was anybody else disappointed? Because I wanted a Merlin type with sparkly robes and an impossibly tall and gnarly hat that could only have stayed on by magic. Also–fess up now–did anyone else think Toto was annoying? I would’ve much preferred a cat. Or maybe a talking ferret. Thoughts?

One of the most hilarious lines in movie history is in the Princess Bride when the speech impaired priest intones about “Wuv, twue wuv,” to the princess and Humperdink as they stand at the altar. The first time I heard that I nearly hit the floor it was just…so…perfect. Of coure, the true love in that story, between Wesley and the princess, was pretty dern heartwarming, I hope you’ll agree. In fact, they’re among my favorite fictional couples. What lovers do you look back upon with a happy sigh?

…let’s even say it was on fire, so you have very little time. And you could only take a few treasures along with. I’d pop out the SanDisk that has all my writing saved on it (the laptop’s toast anyway, so it could stay). Take the photo frame with our digital pictures inside. And try to nab at least one of the afghans my grandma made for us before she passed away. What would you grab to take with you?

Okay, so my kid’s wedding is over nine months away and I’m already starting to fixate a little bit. It’s not just that she’s getting married to this awesome young man who, I know, will make her deliriously happy and take wonderful care of her. It’s that hubby’s starting to get into the planning as well. And when hubby sticks his ideas in, and they mix well with daughter’s plans, things begin to get really fun. Especially if I learn how to chill out and enjoy.

So I’m trying to do that, although I have to admit, the whole mother-of-the-bride dress is still looming out there, making me intensely nervous. I should go shopping soon. But I won’t. And the longer I put it off, the harder it will be to find the perfect outfit in jade green that will make the bride nod with approval. Glarg!

So help me relax, won’t you? Share with me some funny wedding stories from your own experiences or ones you’ve heard through the family grapevine. My personal favorite was one I didn’t see myself because I’d already left the church for the reception hall. Luckily my brother-in-law caught it on video. . .

There she was, hubby’s great-Aunt Opal, walking down the aisle after the wedding was over. She wore her dyed black hair in neat waves, and it matched the rims of her big black glasses, which I enjoyed quite a bit because they accentuated the sparkle in her eyes. Don’t remember what outfit she was wearing, but it allowed for quite a bit of movement in a seventy-year-old woman, because as soon as she saw she had centerstage she leaped into the air and clicked her heels together! Later she told us ours was the happiest wedding she’d ever attended, which I still take as an enormous compliment. (I still kinda think it was the heel-click that got us all in the mood!)

Now you!

How cool is this? The creature(s) Jaz & Vayl will encounter during their in-between adventure is going to be something entirely new and unique to the world. Love it! Thanks to everyone for voting! And to those of you who added your suggestions, I will definitely take them into consideration. Don’t be surprised if the monster has several of the following characteristics:

–Small.
–A monster who responds fiercely to the rock music, wreaks all sorts of havoc, and destroys everything in sight! Like a human, but magnified; strong, powerful. and its rage something to be wary of.
–Cute.
–The size of a small water-bottle, shaped like an insect, and purple.
–Small, flexible, deft and light on its feet. Multiple eyes, and a large lid-less vertically aligned eyeball on the belly or the backside.
–Small, purple, insect.
–Small with the vulnerability in a weird place.
–Small, furry, & cute; it changes color like a mood ring.
–Able to disappear at will, ghost-like, or magician-style with a pouff of smoke.
–A radioactive platypus.

And now for my question of the day. What’s for dinner?

Okay, here is the skeleton of the new Jaz & Vayl short as you have voted so far: the adventure will occur between their Australian and Marrakech missions, during which time something “interesting” will happen. The spotlight will be on both their romance and adventure (leaning a little harder toward the romance), and the action will take place backstage at a rock concert. Too fun! Okay, here’s your last chance to vote, and then we’ll move on to other interesting discussions while I begin the plotting. All I’m giving you is the monster’s name. The details I will leave to my own vivid and slightly weird imagination…(yeah, you can look it up online, but I promise my version won’t resemble anything you’ll find on the web). So what do you wanna see Jaz & Vayl deal with down under?

A. Yowie
B. Bunyip
C. Drop Bear
D. Wandjina
E. Jen’s Original Creation (add your own suggestion re: size/shape/color)

This should be fun! Now that you have decided, by a pretty massive margin, that the new Jaz & Vayl short should take place between their Australian and Marrakech missions, during which time something “interesting” will happen, and that it will focus on both their romance and adventure (leaning a little harder toward the romance since so many of you requested it), here’s my next question. Uh. Where the hell should the dern thing start?

A. Backstage at a rock concert
B. In the kitchen of a busy, upscale restaurant
C. In a crypt that stands in an ancient cemetery

P.S. Thanks a trillion for showing up to vote. You are making this so great for me!

Okay, mah dears, you have spoken! The vote was pretty close, at times even tied, but the Bs have it. Our new Jaz & Vayl short story will take place between their Australian and Marrakech missions, during which time something “interesting” will happen. Now. This choice may be a little tougher, but I trust you will guide me in the right direction. Tell me, do you want the story to focus most directly on their:

A. Romance
B. Adventure
C. Both

You have until Thursday morning, August 12th, to decide. I can’t wait to see what you think!!!

I do that a lot you know. Probably too much, because it causes me to keep missing details of the real world. Like the fact that hubby got rid of an entire section of ground cover that had been bothering us both for months. I’d been pondering how tall the weeds were going to get in another section of my garden before I finally gave up, turned the sucker over, and planted something else there.

I have been getting behind in my garden. Because I have been getting ahead in my writing. In fact, I have been considering what short story to write for you leading up to Jaz and Vayl’s Marrakech adventure. At this point, having stewed over it for at least a month, all I’m sure about is that you should have a say.

So what do you want? Let’s start with a simple vote…

A. Early mission, when the relationship is beginning to heat up

B. Something interesting that happens between Australia and Marrakech

I am too comfy. Here I sit, laptop snug on my thighs, cuddled into my favorite spot on the couch. Writing. I’m into it, man. The dialogue is popping. The action is moving in exactly the right direction. The single lame character I’ve been trying to expand has finally revealed himself to me and he is, at last, becoming a man.

And then my body kinda sinks into the fake suede of my chocolate brown sofa. The laptop is warm and so am I. Just enough that my eyelids start to flutter, because I only got six hours of sleep last night. (But that never matters. I could’ve stocked up like a hibernating bear and I’d still be feeling nappish.) Because it’s after lunch. And I’m over forty. And I’ve read this story, now, at least twenty frigging times.

I have all kinds of tricks to keep myself awake. Moving to the dining room table. Listening to my iPod while working. Taking my laptop outside. How do you guys stay awake when your brains want to hit the sack?