Bonnie Staring: December 2006

Buh-bye 2006!

Sunday, December 31, 2006

There are a ton of things still left on my many to-do lists of 2006, but I have vowed to place them all into a recycling bin so that I am able to start fresh with 2007.

As I've been ignoring Suds, my first saleable (I think) novel, for nearly a month now, my muse has returned in extremely demanding form, stomping her little feet and pouting like a true princess of prose. Hopefully this will make the revisions easier, as my self-imposed deadline of March 1 is quickly approaching.

And even though Michelle's list of goals for 2007 is overwhelming, I can't help but follow her lead. So here we go:

1. Revise Suds and start shopping it around. (Land an agent and selling the book are on the list too, but first things first, okay?)

2. Add another magazine column to my roster.

3. Submit one magazine article query letter a week. (I was able to do this for five months last year, let's try it for all 12 this time!)

4. Find a writing group that works for me.

5. Less TV and more living.

6. Write another book or two (I have the ideas, just need to get them out of my head).

7. Win some fabulous contests.

8. Travel more.

9. Try new things.

10. Eat more veggies - except the evil ones.

Whew! It all seems totally doable when I have 365 days spread out ahead of me. I'll have to keep my ability to procrastinate out of practice and take on a new mantra:

DO IT ANYWAY

I think I may have to put that on a T-shirt or shout it from the rooftops.

There, I'm ready for 2007 now. Bring it!

posted by Bonnie Staring at 5:59 PM 2 comments

Sloth alert

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

My body has finally convinced me that a continual diet of nuts and chocolate does not result in one feeling very well. Especially if the one in question is a lazy diabetic. ;) I can stay conscious for about eight hours max and then fall into a sugar-high slumber which has probably taken a few years off my overall life span.

Time to get off the couch and start wrapping up 2006! And maybe eat some fresh fruits and vegetables to get some nutrients into my system.

Too many presents arrived at Casa Staring. Now we must follow the "when something new comes in, then something old goes out" rule in order to keep the clutter at bay and try to keep the dining room in its current spiffy shape.

Nothing like having a clear dining room table when you're editing a book, I always say.

And with horrible holiday eating comes the ultimate in weird dreams. On Christmas Eve night I found myself playing the role of the psychic in Medium who had to stop a window from falling in order to save the life of a little boy. I think he survived, but the voice of the brainiac husband kept droning on and on, forcing me to wake up before I could confirm the crisis was over.

Another dream had me trying to rescue President Palmer from season two of 24 before he sampled the crab dip that was laced with anthrax...or cyanide...or artificial crabmeat. All turned out well since I had brought my friend Joanne's famous seven-layer dip in order to keep him out of danger.

Hey, Jack Bauer was impressed enough to let me use his computer to check my email. No new messages though. Sigh.

I've also been using the time between family gatherings to feed my appetite for great reading. Right now Meg Cabot's Size 12 Is Not Fat is keeping me entertained. I'll move on to something darker next...

As the New Year approaches, I'm getting a tad nervous. Mainly because 2007 is the year that things will happen. (Hey, did you hear that echo or is it just me?) Books will be revised. Yes, I said books with an s and everything. An agent will be found. :::crosses fingers and toes::: Another magazine column will be sold. And a 40th birthday will arrive without too much anxiety. :::wipes a bead of sweat from a furrowed brow:::

All is possible. I just have to find a place for all the stuff in the living room first.

posted by Bonnie Staring at 2:52 PM 4 comments

Merry Uglyfishmas!

Monday, December 25, 2006

Hope it's filled with oodles of joy!

posted by Bonnie Staring at 2:02 PM 0 comments

The countdown continues

Saturday, December 23, 2006

The gravy boat is still missing and, due to the cool new dishes, my tablecloth just doesn't meet the holiday standard anymore. It's too light; the white plates would disappear on it and some of the cranberry stains from last year never came out in the wash. (This year I have one of those Tide To Go pens on standby.) Ohmigawd, have I turned into Martha Stewart by some cruel twist of fate?

So instead of going out to the mall on a crazy shopping day, the DH went next door to one of our cool neighbours in search of a Christmas tablecloth miracle. He was even willing to make an exchange using the lamp of Disco Christmas, but I told him that Santa might set his gifts on fire if that happened.

He returned with a very cool red kimono-like tablecloth that our neighbour didn't really like but didn't want to throw away. (Kind of like the squinty-eyed cherub ornaments we have that never quite make it to the curb each year. We think they're possessed.) Lucky for us we were in need of a colourful tablecloth so it's ours now. It is a bit bright but everyone will be distracted by the squinting cherubs, awesome turkey and wide open space in the dining room anyway.

We even took some time out last night to watch a few of our favourite holiday movies: While You We Sleeping ("these mashed potatoes are so creamy") and A Charlie Brown Christmas ("what I really want is real estate"). We have a bunch of others that we'll be squeezing in between visits with friends and family. Or we might even take them with us if things get scary.

How about you? Which holiday films are on your list to watch?

posted by Bonnie Staring at 6:56 PM 2 comments

Found: a dining room

Friday, December 22, 2006

Ohmigawd! We have a dining room in our house -- with a table and everything. The DH and I turned into Christmas elves and shoved all of our clutter into the basement for safekeeping while visions of a nice turkey dinner at a table danced in our heads.

Our next door neighbour even came over to see if everything was all right; they hadn't seen a light on in that room in about a year and were concerned that a CSI team was over to investigate a cold case.

Of course, whether or not the lamp of Disco Christmas or my new Zac Efron poster (kidding!) will make it into the room hasn't been decided yet. The DH had muttered something along the lines of "over my dead ghost-of-Christmas-presents body" but the song "I Believe in Father Christmas" by Greg Lake was being played very loudly at the time.

Now I just need to find my gravy boat and I'll be all set. Perhaps the pirates took it.

"Shiver me timbers! It's a wee ocean of gravy!"

posted by Bonnie Staring at 11:59 AM 2 comments

Two first names

Thursday, December 21, 2006

There's something about people with two first names, whether real or characters in a novel, that bugs me. If I could put it into words I would, but my spider sense tingles every time I come across a Mr. Jim Adam or Ms. Mary Eva.

It could be that one of the worst interviews I ever had was with a man named David David. At first I thought I had misheard the woman booking me for the interview. Then, when he introduced himself to me and handed me his business card, I kept on thinking:

What were his parent's smoking?

What kind of bet did he lose?

Was this the name he chose to replace Erkel Smiddymayer?

He was asking me questions, but I couldn't come up with any winning responses. The thought of what his middle name was had consumed me. Maybe it was Dave, just to mix things up.

And no, I'm not over it.

SPOILER ALERT: So when I went to see Dreamgirls last night (I won a double pass to the advance screening!) I knew that Curtis James Jr. would be up to no good sooner or later. Call it a hunch...or the fact that Jamie Foxx was playing the role.

And for those of you who were upset when America voted off Jennifer Hudson on Idol a few seasons ago, you've got nothing to worry about. That girl can sang, and now she's proven that she can act too. Awesome performance and, overall, a pretty good film.

Too bad Daniel Craig wasn't there. ;)

posted by Bonnie Staring at 12:27 PM 8 comments

The lamp of Disco Christmas

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

When exchanging gifts with one particular girlfriend, I am always excited and terrified at the same time. Why? Because she is the original owner of Mr. Uglyfish, the ceramic grouchy grouper that is now part of my living room decor. We even have a little Christmas tree that stands next to him during the holidays.

But when I opened my gift this year, I was convinced that Joanne had reused an old box. On it was a photo of a something that can only be described as the lamp of Disco Christmas. Here it is in action:

Pink plastic circles hang down from a metal frame, surrounding a swath of vivid orange fabric. It bathes any room in a warm glow while a streak of white light reaches for the ceiling. Talk about funky.

The fact that it doesn't go with any of the rooms in my home doesn't matter, as the Disco Christmas lamp is more than a decorative accent: it delivers holiday funkiness whenever it's turned on.

Can u dig it?

posted by Bonnie Staring at 1:21 PM 8 comments

When in doubt, ask Bob

Monday, December 18, 2006

Whenever I have a question that needs answering, I always find that the Mystical Smoking Head of Bob will give it to me straight.

As far as I can tell, he's been right on the money. Who needs a psychic hotline when this guy's around?

And no, this Bob is not my uncle. The third eye should have given that away.

posted by Bonnie Staring at 10:05 AM 5 comments

What's with Zac Efron?

Sunday, December 17, 2006

While wandering around a book store with Michelle, we scoured the racks for new novels to add to the TBR pile (and checked to ensure that Bitten & Smitten and Angel with Attitude were on the shelves). When we reached the magazine section in search of the winter issue of Elevate magazine so that I could show off some of my recent articles, I wondered if Tiger Beat magazine was still being published.

Michelle pulled out a copy and waved it at me. On the cover was a fairly regular looking kid named Zac.

"Hey, isn't that the guy from High School Musical?" she asked.

"Think so," I said as I returned the mag to the rack.

Then we noticed that Zac Efron's face was on a lot of the covers of teen magazines. Actually, it looked like he was on all of them. Cover lines screamed at us:

Find out if Zac likes you!

Are you Zac's dream date?

Zac shares his secrets!

Free Zac poster inside!

"What's with Zac?" I asked aloud and flipped open one of the mags to read a bit about how Zac added 10 whole pounds to his burly 135-pound frame in preparation for his role in Hairspray.

"Maybe it's because most girls weigh more than him," Michelle snickered.

After reading a bit about his feelings about being labelled a heart throb (he doesn't know why girls are crazy about him, aw shucks) I felt the need to get away from all of those photos of Zac smiling at me. Within five feet of the rack, I felt the need to find out even more about him.

"Do you think he likes Diet Coke?" I asked my friend.

"Great. Now you're obsessed," Michelle said. "You're old enough to be his mother! Heck, even his grandmother."

And that's when I realized that it wasn't Zac I was obsessed with, but the reason for this craze for a relatively regular-looking 135-pound kid. Could it be that girls thought they'd have a chance with him? Better with him than with the hunky dudes out there?

Or am I just too old to get it?

posted by Bonnie Staring at 1:49 AM 2 comments

Making a grown woman cry

Saturday, December 16, 2006

I've been doing a lot of work for one particular client over the past month, so much so that I broke my golden rule of not working five days a week in an office that wasn't in my home. Especially if the contestants from So You Think You Can Dance aren't involved.

No worries, all will return to normal in January.

But in the meantime, I've become involved in holiday-type office activities. The lunch out. The dollar-store gift exchange (you should see the magic mirror I received, it makes me feel like a princess!). And then I ended up getting volunteered to find a family for us to adopt for Christmas. Lesson learned: keep mouth shut at meetings.

So I contacted a charitable organization and we were assigned a family. When I received the email containing what they wanted I almost wept: there were only five things listed, all necessities.

We all looked at the list and brainstormed on what else we could add. We even got some boxes and put them in a common area so people could have a place to put everything.

For three days it was empty.

Then some of us brought in a few things. A few more items trickled in and on Thursday I was beginning to panic. There wasn't that much there and we were still missing two of their wishes -- and the stuff needs to be wrapped and ready to go on the 18th.

On Friday morning, the donations spilled out over the boxes and into the area surrounding them. The mother lode had arrived! Oodles of necessities to give their budget a break and some toys to keep the kids busy.

But that's not what made me cry.

I lost it when some people outside of our department came to me with gift wrap, ribbons and bows. They had seen the stack of loot, asked one of the designers what we still needed and picked up the trimmings. This allows us to put more money towards a grocery store gift card for the family's Christmas dinner.

That's what made me get a little weepy. Because they didn't have to do anything, but they did it anyway. So forget about all I said earlier this week about not finding my holiday spirit.

It arrived at around 2:40 p.m. on Friday afternoon.

posted by Bonnie Staring at 1:58 AM 5 comments

Great holiday shopping

Friday, December 15, 2006

I discovered a really cool way to ensure exceptional customer service when shopping for Christmas gifts: get a great haircut.

After leaving Salon Fontana (the studio of Francesco, my personal hair god) I felt a new sensation travel through my veins. Gone were the nagging holiday humbugs; I suddenly felt that my impossible to-do list could actually be done.

I walked into a crowded store and had to wait only a nanosecond before four salespeople tripped over themselves to serve the Customer with Great Hair. I selected the older man in the group. Experience = knowledge.

"I need a Moroccan sea bass charm bracelet," I said.

The other three staff shrank away. The gentleman's smile faltered for a second.

"Oh, we don't carry those," he said. But before I could turn away, he added: "Two shops west of us. Ask for Stella." With a wink he was off to serve the next person.

At the recommended store, Stella was waiting for me.

"We also have Caspian ones, 40% off," she said.

"I'll take two, gift wrapped please," I said as I crossed two names off of my list. "Now I just need a jade bust of Elvis."

She handed me my receipt and the wrapped items in a lovely shopping bag with soft rope handles. "Rudy's has them on sale. It's just east of the coffee shop."

And on it went. Salespeople met my gaze, offered helpful suggestions and one nice woman even confessed when an item was cheaper at another store. The power of being the Customer with Great Hair enabled me to get almost all of my Christmas shopping done.

I hope it still works for me tonight.

posted by Bonnie Staring at 10:01 AM 0 comments

Running with umbrellas

Thursday, December 14, 2006

That's my new band name. I play the electric triangle.

Today has been one of those hurry up and wait kind of days, which turned out to be just what I needed in order to deal with the strain of arranging upcoming dinner dates with friends.

Don't get me wrong; gathering with friends is one of my favourite things to do. Especially if food and drinks with paper umbrellas are involved. And, with it being the holiday season and all, some folks need to be booked way in advance, which reminds me of a woman I used to babysit for who would lock me in for New Year's Eve in late August. That kind of took the mystery out of wondering how I'd ring in the New Year.

Hey, for a 14 year-old girl, that was a major deal. A boy could have asked me out or something. The zit on my chin could have healed over by then. And maybe, just maybe, my parents would let me actually go on a date. Or wear eyeshadow.

Ah, the good old days.

But back to the preplanning ways of the holidays. I think all of this organizing and planning has turned this season into one of project management, not spreading holiday cheer.

Besides having kids, how do you recapture the holiday spirit when just the thought of gift wrapping makes you want to run off to the Bahamas?

Hey, there's an idea...

posted by Bonnie Staring at 1:08 AM 6 comments

Too good to be true

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

I had one of those moments yesterday. One where I was so into what I was doing that I had no idea of time passing or the fact that the hem had come undone on one of my pant legs. It lasted for at least 48 minutes before reality set in and I had to get back to what I "should" be doing.

Alexandra's suggestion from yesterday to substitute our shoe sizes for our ages makes perfect sense. So why not? When I think back, though I'm sure there were some horrific moments involving a pogo stick and a serving of spinach, I feel that life was pretty darn spectacular when I was 7-1/2. I had good friends in school, a really nice lunchbox with Snoopy on it and I hadn't consumed too many cans of Tab cola yet.

And I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up. Well, I gave myself three options:

an actress
an astronaut
a baseball player

Two of these options are hilarious when you combine them with my sedentary (even as a child) lifestyle and my distaste for being out in the sun too long (or closer to it). Still, these are pretty awesome goals to have as a child. While all have that "all or nothing" income appeal, I can't help but notice that, even at 7-1/2, I was a media whore. All of those careers put your picture in the newspaper, or have you appearing on television.

Obviously I had no idea that I'd have to master physics for my duties as an astronaut. For all I know, I probably made that choice so that I could have Tang, the powered orange drink that Mom refused to buy. The baseball player thing I blame on Dad, who would get so excited watching the games on television, I assumed that it would be even cooler playing than watching. Then I had a baseball hit me in the head and I discovered how hard the game is to play when you're ducking all the time.

And the goal of becoming an actress? Hey, over here in BonnieLand, I am the star of my own show. Sometimes it's a sitcom. Other times, a drama. And the best is when prizes appear at my doorstep.

Talk about things being too good to be true! ;)

posted by Bonnie Staring at 11:41 AM 2 comments

Fancy new duds

Monday, December 11, 2006

This is a belated shout-out to the ladies at Swank Web Style. I love what they've done for me and somehow they understood what I meant by "no whale shapes", "colourful, but not too colourful" and "add linkie-thingies". Thanks Heather and Laura, you gals rock!

Of course, now that the website is 98% complete, I have no more excuses for putting off getting out there and pitching new clients. The urge to nap instead is overwhelming; I blame the "testing" of some chocolates to ensure they're okay before I buy more for the holidays.

The promise of a new year always catches me by surprise. Kind of the same way the first blizzard does, even though I live in Canada.

What will I be able to do in 2007? What goals will I accomplish? Which game shows will I appear on? Will I survive turning 40? How will I make this coming year even more awesome than the one I'm about to finish off with fun, festivities and a whole bunch of coupons that expire on December 31?

And let's not forget the major goal of getting Suds thoroughly revised and ready to start shopping around for an agent. Shoot, maybe I should have that nap after all.

What big plans do you have for 2007?

posted by Bonnie Staring at 10:32 AM 8 comments

Faux bold

Thursday, December 7, 2006

If you haven't been proofing layouts lately, this might be an alien term to you. A faux bold is when bolded text in a document appears chunkier than usual. Like Kristie Alley before Jenny Craig. Or Bonnie after one too many chocolate fountains.

Today, I came across a big honkin' faux bold in an urgently needed layout and showed it to my coworker.

"Whoa," he said. "That's really chunky. More than a faux bold."

We both stared at the item in question, and then I started to snicker.

"Yeah," I said. "That's a mo-fo bold!"

And yes, we got in trouble for laughing out loud instead of silently working through the pile of stuff to proof, but it was totally worth it.

Represent.

posted by Bonnie Staring at 10:30 PM 2 comments

Pot luck

Wednesday, December 6, 2006

These are two words, when used together. that can strike fear into the hearts of mere mortals. When apart, they make people happy. Or less aware of reality.

Having hosted and attended many a pot luck, I thought I'd help out those who have yet to experience the joie du pottage au luck with some helpful tips.

For hosts:
1. Suggest what people can bring - and keep track. Give people categories: appetizers, entrees, desserts or chocolate. Yes, chocolate gets its own category.

2. Ask them to bring their own serving utensils. No one has fun at a party with only one large spoon.

3. If any of your guests have a food allergy, let your other guests know so you won't send anyone to the hospital. We hosted one party with guests allergic to eggs, nuts, shellfish and -- get this -- citrus fruits and tomatoes. Some went home hungry.

For guests:

1. Bring what you said you were going to bring. Unless you have substituted your shrimp ring with a chocolate fountain.

2. Show up. Being a no-show at a par-tay is bad, but being a no-show at a pot luck is particularly heinous. Especially if you were assigned the entree category. One cannot live on shrimp and chocolate alone, though many have tried.

3. Think before you bring. This is not the time to try a new recipe or substitute ingredients. Butter and peanut butter are not interchangeable, even though the word 'butter' appears in both.

4. Bring utensils, extra plates and, if your dish is particularly messy, napkins. You'll earn brownie points from the hostess.

5. Take your stuff with you when you go home. Leaving a crusty lasagna dish in your host's kitchen sink is not cool. She may end up selling it on eBay, claiming you can see an image of Elvis near one corner.

Whether you're hosting or attending, have fun and drink responsibly.

posted by Bonnie Staring at 11:29 AM 3 comments

Satan's weed

Tuesday, December 5, 2006

That's my nickname for Brussels sprouts, the one vegetable that rises above the rest as the one that will have me running screaming from the room.

Okay, maybe not screaming.

But I don't think it was the taste of the shrunken cabbages (or green orbs of wrinkles) that has created my dysfunctional relationship with this particular vegetable. I blame Grandpa.

Don't get me wrong, Grandpa was awesome. He'd pull out his teeth at odd occasions to my utter delight, hold me when things got scary during episodes of Wild Kingdom and always encouraged me to try something at least once. The latter is what led to the whole anti-sprout situation.

During a family dinner, a dish containing things that appeared to be shrunken heads slowly made its way around the table. Somehow two of these items appeared on my plate; I carefully ate my way around them.

"Those green things are very good," Grandpa said.

"They smell funny," I said, using my knife to push them further away so as not to get the cooties.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Grandpa whispered into my ear.

I nodded. What five year-old doesn't want to hear a secret?

"There's chocolate in the middle of them."

Of course there wasn't, but he was really sneaky and had me try two of those horrible cootie-causing balls of damnation before I figured it out. Then I had a really big tantrum.

So those green suckers never had a chance, in my books.

And as Christmas approaches, so does my fear of a Brussels sprouts appearance at the dinner table, as my mother-in-law loves them. And she's not in the least bit evil.

When I was sharing my concerns with the DH over the weekend, he asked, "Why don't you try one?"

And that's when I realized he had fallen under the spell of Satan's weed. He probably has a bushel of them somewhere in the house, just waiting to sneak them into a meal when I'm not looking.

posted by Bonnie Staring at 12:48 PM 3 comments

Weekly horoscope

Monday, December 4, 2006

Here's what Georgia Nicols has to say for this week:

Cancer (June 21 - July 22)
As this gaggle of planets clusters in Sagittarius, it triggers major issues about work for you. Suddenly, you're super focused on your job. You either need to find work, or find a different job, or change the way you do your current job. Alternatively, you might be hung up with issues with coworkers, or what to do about an unexpected job offer out of the blue? Some of you are also focused on health issues; while others are dealing with small pets. (Curious but true.) One thing is certain: all these areas offer huge improvement for you in the year to come. If you're unhappy with your job, you can fix this. Expect a miracle.

Okay, not only am I spending all of my time watching that cute puppy in the pet store commercial, I was also speaking with Carolyn Wilman, Canada's contest queen yesterday morning on attracting luck in life as opposed to just contests. Her words to me were "expect miracles", which I have taken on as my new mantra. I think the old one, "everybody Wang Chung tonight", has outlived its usefulness.

And yes, the package arrived. I can now obsess about something else...like finding the dining room.

posted by Bonnie Staring at 12:43 PM 1 comments

The Golden Heart journey

Sunday, December 3, 2006

Dec 2, 2006 - 11:43 AM
Picked up - MISSISSAUGA, ON

Dec 2, 2006 - 11:44 AM
Left origin - MISSISSAUGA, ON

Dec 3, 2006 - 3:58 AM
Departed FedEx location - NEWARK, NJ

Dec 3, 2006 - 9:46 AM
Int'l shipment release - MEMPHIS, TN

Dec 3, 2006 - 12:50 PM
Arrived at FedEx location - MEMPHIS, TN

Dec 3, 2006 - 3:16 PM
Departed FedEx location - MEMPHIS, TN

Dec 3, 2006 - 5:46 PM
At local FedEx facility - HOUSTON, TX

posted by Bonnie Staring at 8:52 PM 2 comments

Howie doesn't want me

When they say "don't call us, we'll call you" and then never call, it's safe to assume that they've selected some other cool people for Deal or No Deal.

And I'm okay with it. I've even turned this experience into a movie. Click here to see it.

posted by Bonnie Staring at 4:13 PM 1 comments

It has been sent

Saturday, December 2, 2006

The past 48 hours have been brutal. I have never felt so many emotions at the same time. Excitement. Fear. Confidence. Panic. Joy. Dread. And I've discovered how much I love sleeping.

My entry to RWA's Golden Heart has been sent. HOORAY!

Of course, I meant to send it on Friday, but then things got crazy-busy for my main client, so I ended up having to work for five days instead of my usual three. I heart FedEx.

Then two more of my clients came calling on Wednesday, needing stuff right away or, if possible, for this coming Monday. And I got the go-ahead on another magazine article - due December 15. Did I mention that we took my parents to see Wicked on Tuesday too? Yeah, it's been bih-zay.

While I'm very excited about all of these projects and happenings, I'm feeling a little, um, FREAKED OUT.

The cool thing is that I'm doing what I love to do: write, generate ideas and all that fun stuff. I just have to remember that it can't all be done at once, or in one day.

I think that's where I really get stuck; not being able to say no or ask for an extension on a deadline. And that wreaks havoc on trying to lead a normal life where the dishes get done, meals get prepared and, just maybe, quality time is spent with family and friends.

Juggling is fine until someone throws you a flaming torch or bowling ball. As I'm getting older (OMG did I just write that? Somebody shoot me!) my ability to multitask is slowly diminishing. Or perhaps it's my ability to fake it that's letting me down. ;)

I've met a lot of people who claim they can watch TV, read a book, write a novel, learn Latvian and bake cookies from scratch all at the same time. Of course, I know they're lying, but that puts the idea into my head that it could be possible. And then I start thinking that if I could multitask like that, life would be so much easier. Here are just a few of the things I thought I'd try this holiday season:

1. Stuff turkey while recording revised outgoing answering machine message
2. Bring laundry to holiday parties and ask the hosts if I can use their machines (I'll bring my own detergent of course)
3. Carry spare gifts and pot-luck food items with me everywhere I go just in case I need them
4. Learn the customary greetings that represent different holidays (and their sign language equivalents) while ordering gifts online
5. Bake 17 types of cookies and lose 20 pounds

AND

6. Write Christmas cards for the next three years while directing a Broadway musical

Everything's possible...as long as I can find those Anthony Robbins tapes.

posted by Bonnie Staring at 11:46 PM 1 comments