By Popular Request

Okay all you anti-Facebook folks. Here are some photos from my trip back east. Enjoy!

Old City Hall is now a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse



















The Omni Parker Hotel--where I stayed and where JFK proposed to Jackie
Random guy who tried to pick up on me and bought a round of drinks for the bar when I suggested (successfully) that the bartenders might have a charger for his dead cell phone.

From the walkway between casinos.


Christmas trees!
Wedding venue!
Paul and Jenny--bride and groom!


Scene from wedding venue
Look at those beautiful windows!
Lindsay and father of the bride
Custom-made wedding topper

Cousin Lindsay and moi
Father of the bride (Dan), sister of the bride (Reagan), mother of the bride (Lindsay), best friend of mom (Elizabeth) and her friend Tom.
After wedding affair at Abigail's
Atlantic Restaurant at Wequasset Inn and Resort on Cape Cod
Marty, me, and Ali
Marty and girlfriend
Ali playing on the car thingy
Ali and Marty showing off their drunk driving skills
The pool at Wequasset
Cottages at Wequasset
More pool
Fire pit at Wequasset
Fog rolls in
Seal! (Not to be confused with Heidi Klum's husband)
The Chatham lighthouse where all the weather reporters set up cameras during Cape Cod storms
Ali and Marty's ADORABLE house!
Me demonstrating Marty's outdoor shower

Is this cute, or what?

Just Call Me A Sucker for Coffee Drink Extravaganzas!

What Does This Say About Me??

First, you need to know that I read the L.A. Times newspaper from cover to cover every day while eating lunch at the office. Very relaxing, very informative. Start with Part I (headline news stuff), then their new "breaking news" edition, followed by Business, Sports, and then Calendar (entertainment).

On Monday, I went through my daily routine, and when I got to the last page of Calendar (which is the TV guide), I paused at the description of that night's episode of The Bachelorette.

Um, huh? Hadn't I already seen this episode? Why would they be repeating it?

That was when I discovered I'd read a week-old newspaper I hadn't had time for the week before.

Shouldn't there have been an earlier clue??

Ah, Yes...Sunny Puerto Vallarta....

Writing? What's That?

Long-time blog readers know I'm one of those people who enjoys HAVING WRITTEN rather than, y'know...the actual process itself. Lately, though, I've been getting the itch again. Maybe 'cuz I got a comp copy in the mail with a story I wrote last year. Or maybe 'cuz I'm starting to get a teensy bit more free time, and I ain't doing nothing constructive with it! (Unless, of course, you count watching endless repeats of America's Next Top Model as a worthwhile endeavor, and hey--I could make the case, if pressed).

Then there's the whole RWA conference thing. MAN, I used to look forward to that every year. I'd come away all inspired and ready to bang out the next best seller--or, at the very least, the next DEBUT--every time. But this year?

Not so much.

Especially since it's in Or-friggin'-lando. Land of the kidlets and human cartoon characters. Do I really wanna spend a precious week of time in 200% humidity and screaming children?

Again. Not so much.

Meanwhile, though, I've been reading. Some pretty good stuff, too! (Although, puh-lease...shouldn't a famous author KNOW better than to include TWO THUNDERSTORMS--weeks apart--in a book set in HOLLYWOOD? HA! Those east coast people always get southern California wrong.

Anyway, so that's where I'm at right now, writing-wise. Mulling ideas over...wondering whether to go back to the WIP I was working on when Life so unceremoniously interrupted (or maybe ERUPTED is the more accurate term). Maybe something new.

Maybe nothing at all.

When does the new season of America's Top Model start...?

Father's Day

Hard to believe that this time last year, they were both still with us.

Welcome, Facebookers

Yes, I shamelessly sent my Facebook friends to my blog in order to answer the burning question: Did Randy Get Married?

HA!

You faithful blogreaders know better than that, right? No, the story's a bit more interesting. You see, that's my mother's wedding ring. My real mother--the one who died when I was nine. For some never-explained reason, my stepmom's been wearing it on her right hand for the past 40-something years. I never asked why. I mean, my father must've given it to her to wear, right? Was it an homage of some sort?

Anyway, Annie's hands have become too arthritic. It doesn't fit anymore. So during a conversation with sister-in-law Polly about jewlery, she suddenly disappeared into the bedroom, returning with The Ring. The one she'd probably planned to give me on the occasion I brought some nice young man home and announced my engagement.

Too bad it never happened, huh? Long wait!

According to Annie, the center diamond was my mom's engagement ring. The two smaller diamonds (not equal in size) on either side were from my grandmother's. (Maybe. I'm not sure she has that part of the story right.)

It fits better on my left hand, but don't worry. I'm not that stupid. When I'm out and about, I squeeze it onto my right lest I scare all those eligible bachelors away (although, yeah...I'm quite aware that married "cougars" are in hot demand).

Gee, ya think I need a manicure? Those nails aren't shaped that way--they're just so long, they're curving around. Hey, who has time for appointments? I'm too busy running the family business.

Only In Hidden Hills

Yes, my children. That's a golf cart in front of me, tooling along at the rate of one mile an hour as a miniature horse trots along on each side, tethered by a leash to the unseen occupants of the cart. Guess that's ONE way to exercise your animals....

Getting to Know Your Droid

Not sure I would've chosen "Droid" as the name for a phone. Just try putting a "hem" in front of it and you'll see what I mean.

Anyway, so naturally I haven't read the instructions. They might have come in handy when I tried taking pictures at the reunion last weekend. Oh, well. So what if they're a little yellow? Yellowed with age, I guess!
Me and Mike Miller (Class of '70)
Yvette Jespersen Robertson
Sean and Sally (Feeney) Conroy
Carol Copsey and Martha McGroarty
Carol Copsey, Jim Hagopian, Salley Powell
Anne Loftin, Melody Maddock

A Blur of Faces, Names...Shared Histories

As a service to those not on Facebook, I've shamelessly stolen photos to upload from last weekend's Agoura High School Reunion. Enjoy. (P.S. They're tiny--I guess because they're filched.)
Debi Williams, Randy Bruskrud
Gilbert Yablon, Carol Copsey, Jim Hagopian
John Votjek
Sally Feeny, Andi Horowitz
Melissa North, Tamy Hagy
Mr. Miller
Ann Loftin, Melody Maddock
Jim Hagopian, Sally Feeny
Martha McGroarty
Yvette Jespersen
Bonnie Chorney, Cathy Reuter, Cyndi Modlin, Sally Feeny, Tina Greggs, Melissa North
Jeff Chamberlain, Georgeann Nichol, Cyndi Modlin
Randy Bruskrud, Mike Miller

New Post, New Blog

Yeah, for someone who's posting infrequently at best, you may be wondering why I've created yet another blog.

It's the economy, stupid.

(Ha. A little crack at Hillary.)

Anyway, so Engineer Matt and I were discussing ways to drive more traffic to the company website, and you know me. The only thing I know how to do is create a blog. So, voila.

Besides, Matt knows more about the tech side of stuff than I. In fact, he can actually write about it. (Which he plans to do in the very near future.)

Not sure if he's posted yet, but check it out anyway. Click this link here.

Doesn't It Figure?

So after all of last year's traveling woes...cancellation upon cancellation...dollar upon dollar lost...I figured it was safe to come out and play again. Made a reservation for the upcoming RWA conference in July.

Um...maybe I'm some sort of curse??

Click here to see what I mean.