On-My-Mind Monday

I'm about to dive into Siren 2 revisions, so before shifting into mono-focus, I thought I'd share a few things that have been occupying my non-writing thoughts lately.

First up: "Bachelor Pad." I'm not necessarily proud of it, but there's no denying the fact that I'm a "Bachelor"/"Bachelorette" fan. Although "fan" might not be the right word, considering how crazy the show drives me nearly every season. (Cases in point: Jason picking Melissa, then Molly, over Jillian, Jake picking Vienna, Brad picking no one, Frank realizing he still loved his ex after it was SO clear Ali was head-over-heels for him, etc.) I've watched almost every season, except for the first, when I didn't know what I was missing, and the Charlie season, when there must have been something else REALLY good on at the same time and we didn't have DVR. So I guess I'm more of a reluctant addict—I know it's not great for me, I know there are a million other more productive things I could be doing with that time...but I watch anyway. Because I can't NOT watch. But "Bachelor Pad?" I'm on the fence. Granted, only one episode has aired, but so far, I'm not hooked. Maybe there are too many of them, or maybe Tenley squealed too much for one episode, or maybe it was that nothing much happened besides an R-rated game of Twister. I'm not sure. Which means I should probably watch again tonight...you know, just to confirm that it's not worth spending two hours on every week.

Of course, if I didn't watch "Bachelor Pad" I'd have much more time to devote to my new BlackBerry Torch, which is oh-so pretty and shiny and entertaining. There's Word Mole, WiFi, and perhaps most exciting of all, a video camera! Which you can use to record videos that you can then post to YouTube—right from the phone! So watch out, Internet. A deluge of scintillating shih tzu performances may be headed your way.

I'd also have more time to watch old(ish) movies set in the Southwest. Thanks to Netflix, I've recently seen Tin Cup with Kevin Costner and Rene Russo, and Fools Rush In with Matthew Perry and Salma Hayek. Loved them both. The stories were great, but the settings were even better. For some reason, when it comes to movies, the desert is to me what George Clooney is to others.

Speaking of movies, is anyone else super excited for Going the Distance? I love Drew Barrymore, and Justin Long's growing on me. Plus, after the desert, San Franciso is my next favorite film setting. I think it's because I lived in SF for a year and still can't believe it every time I see the Golden Gate Bridge or Coit Tower or the Transamerica Pyramid on the big screen. It just seems so...far. And other-worldly. Kind of like my time there does.

On a completely unrelated note, my niece (and goddaughter!) turned four last week. FOUR. She was just born! We were just kissing her cute little nose in the hospital! I don't mean to sound like all of MY aunts, but come on. Let's slow it down a little. I won't be ready for kindergarten for, like, another four years.

What I am ready for? Fall. I don't want to hurry along summer for all those still on vacation, but fall is my FAVORITE. I love it so much I don't even mind trading flip-flops for socks and real shoes. And today, while driving through town, I noticed a few reddish-orange leaves mixed in with the green ones. They were so pretty I was tempted to whip out the Torch and take a picture.

But since I didn't, I'll leave you with this!


Hope you had a great weekend!