A Poll:

Happy Friday!

It's a thing I say.

Anyway, I have to dash right now because I woke up late and then dawdled doing my makeup and such, so now I'm running behind. HOWEVER. I would like to ask my avid reader a poll question.

When I get home I want to post some fiction, but am having trouble deciding.

So:

Do you want me to continue with the Nolan\Zahra backstory? I have some cute things written for that.

OR

Do you want me to get back to present-ish with some Maggie and Grey? I didn't finish that 'long night' stuff, but I could just move on and maybe get back to that shit later, maybe...

OR

Is there something else you're in the mood for? I have little vignettes written for most every character at this point, so if you have a special request lemme know...

Ok, can't wait to see what you decide! I'll be home this evening.

LOVE!

Beth

The Longest Day

Yesterday was the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.  And it kinda felt like it too because my best friend was in labor all day!

We'd just finished the test-run from BHS to Heights Elementary in Sharon to see if I can make the drive between my morning job and my evening job (22 minutes bitches),  when Aaron got the text from Adam.  "We're at the hospital now.  It's baby time!"

He was so excited and overwhelmed that he couldn't even speak, he just held the phone out for me to read the screen.  He was so much more effected than he thought he'd be.  It was really very sweet to witness.

So we did our doggy god-parent duty and let the Chopsticks out in the afternoon.  Also we scooted over to BabiesRUs for a last minute item.  And we waited.

And waited.

And had wayy too much coffee.

And waited.

I was so nervous and worried and anxious I didn't know what to do with myself.

We went over in the PM and let Chops out again.  We watched some TV.  And waited.

Holy Moly.  And I know labor takes a long time, I understand that on an intellectual level, but on a gut-instinct level?  Every minute that dragged by without word of how she was doing made me increasingly nervous.

And it gave me alot of time to think.  Think about how absolutely and irrevocably life changing this event is in all our lives.  I mean, obviously theirs, but also for Me and Aaron too.  You wouldn't really think that, but it is.  Baby Pigeon is one hundred percent part of our family-- we weren't just waiting for our friends to have a baby, we were waiting for a new addition to our family; because I've decided, somewhere along the way, that family as I define it has nothing whatsoever to do with blood.  That's a starting off point and shouldn't be ignored, but real family is who you choose.  

In modern day we've moved well past the need for our tribe to be blood relatives.  And maybe I'm inclined to this line of thinking because I am a theatre person and we make our own tribes every time we begin a new project.  A cast and crew becomes as close as a family and you will often hear theatre people confess that their theatre troupe is, in fact, closer than their family at home.

In any case that's how I feel.  That we choose the members of our tribe.  And we are drawn to them for all kinds of reasons and there's fate involved and all kinds of beautiful magic, but we choose it.

Just as we choose our mates who become the cornerstone of our own small families.

And Adam and Danielle are most definitely as dear to me as my own brothers and sisters.  I love them.  I would do anything for them.  They are my tribe, my family, my dear friends.

Sometime after 2AM we got the first update we'd had in hours and hours.  It was a picture of a deleriously happy Pappa holding a baby girl.  

I called Aaron up to the loft and we just stared, grinning like fools, for several full minutes before either one of us could find words.  It was quite literally amazing to us.  It was real.  It happened.  Zoe Pigeon was now a real person in this world.  She's here!

Danielle is a mother.  Adam is a father.  

For whatever reason, and I really can't explain why, but for whatever reason this experience felt even more deeply moving and staggering than the birth of my blood nieces and nephews, (all of whom I love and adore!), and we were blown away by the impact of it.

Our friends are parents.  

Now it is morning and we've gotta go let Chops out again :)  And later?  We will meet this girl at last.  

Solstice Baby.  Born on the first day of summer.  How perfect for A&D!

I look forward to getting to know this incredible girl.

EXCITING!

FUCK YEAH!  BAM!  and WHAM-BAM!

I am so FUCKING EXCITED right now I can't even capitalize my text enough to properly express it!  No interrabang does it enough justice!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

So I started blogging, as you may have read, to help cultivate a voice and then actively encouraged others to do the same.  My friend D, for instance, has one of the most unique voices and perspectives that I know!  It tickles me pink everytime she posts another entry!  be it lengthy or succinct (my favorite shorty was probably the one entitled 'Wetty') it is always, always, pure Danielle and for that it is brilliance!

Anywhooooo.  I started this Cedar Falls bullshit and the idea was sort of a sand-box!  The only rule to come play is:  Everybody has a Secret (inspired by Frank Warren's Post Secrets, and also, I'm not gunna lie, a little by the House tagline: Everybody Lies... lol.  Oh, speaking of, is anyone going to watch that new show that looks awful\delicious, Pretty Little Liars?  I think I'mma give it a try this week!)

So I start with trash in a hot tub and high dudgeon and shit, and then one morning I visit Danielle at the Palace and she's all like:  "Hey, I had the craziest dream and now I have the best idea for a story for Cedar Falls..."  YUP!  How phenomenal is that?  She tells me her idea and I almost come in my pants I'm so excited!  She is a natural storyteller-- her story lines and plans for her characters are delicious and murky and full of intrigue and complexities that I never, never, never could have dreamed up and I am so fucking excited!

Right off the bat she was super encouraging about this endeavor, about my writing fiction or just blogging, and for that I can't thank her enough!  Then she starts talking about how some professional authors sort of do this thing where they'll write books in other authors' series.  I'm not familiar but Danielle reads all the time so I take her word for it.  Like, especially in mystery or murder series' I guess?

So together we birthed the notion that other people should try writing vignettes and stories for CF.  AWESOME SAUCE RIGHT?!?!?!

So she did and they rocked my fucking socks off!  Visit them here, here, and here!  BAM!

So then HER ENTHUSIASM and provocativeness encouraged others!!  What?!  Woot Woot!

And today I am super pleased as punch to have you peep Guest Author 'Papi's awesomely gritty, visceral crime fest, and another installment from D which literally had me squeeling with excitement!! 

PLUS  reading those two made Aaron want to write another vignette for the story line he started about the disturbingly wholesome father-daughter murderer duo Walt&Clancy!  So he started that last night and it is already delicious!  

AND Andrea and I have decided to do a writing activity which may or may not be Cedar Falls related, where we send each other a first-line story starter and then run with it.  I started mine last night and am excited to finish it because it takes me out of the Delaney web of intrigue and, well, when you see the first line I think you'll know why I was so excited to write it! LOL.  Mine will still take place in Cedar Falls because, well, why the fuck not?  I'll post it as soon as it is done!  And Andrea?  Well, that's up to her, though I must say her near-daily blog is wicked fun, so can she be persuaded to share her fiction??  We won't force her, it's great enough that she's trying this experiment, but let's all cross our fingers that she'll surrender the mpiece up into the blogosphere for our greedy eyes!! :)

So the other person who shuld be contributing is EMMY, because, I know she's busy, but that girl has got a fertile and fantastic imagination and what a story teller!  So let's all get on her case to get writing.  I liked the story about the creep who hangs out outside the movie theatre Emmy.  You know what I mean. LOL.

And JULIA!!  Who has enough hilarious and entertaining real-life stories to write her fucking memoirs NOW-- YOU should do this!  You are wildly creative, inventive, and your voice, be it in acting, choreographing, directing, song-writing, or through your passion\art of PHOTOGRAPHY, your voice is soulful, penetrating, wise and whimsical.  Know what?  If I had to tell you to start somehwere I'd tell you to go out and take photos of random people, go home, look through them, let your imagination run wild and then start writing for someone you've captured in a picture.  That's a drama activity I'd do with students.  Give it a try!  Hell, I want to write for that gorgeous couple at the airport.  damn- they are right out of a movie, especially the way you shot them!!

And KIM?  Are you out there?  Write, Woman. We both know you have stories BUSTIN to get out!!

And Kerry?  Part of your new life really must include blogging\live journalling again, and maybe for fun you could write some intrigue for CF?  Maybe a piano teacher who has a dark secret... lol  or a Massage Therapist with a romance plotline?  Who knows?

So, YAY to taking the time to be creative, have fun and tell stories.  I feel like flying or jumping or skipping or orgasming!  LOL.  Sorry, how'd that last one slip in there?  whooopsie...

But really.  This is awesome and though I know Yelling and Papi will likely soon have to curtail their creative writing due to Baby's impending arrival, ( I lost my bet-- I was SURE she'd be born of Father's Day!) I hope they can still find some time to sneak off and get-out all their creative, disturbing, exciting, intruiging thoughts for all of us to read!

So to the writers out there and to those of you who think you aren't writers:  Get to writing bitches!  This shit is wicked fun and it's summer, for god's sake!  Get an idea and just START!  Remember, it isn't about perfection, DON'T get hung up on where the story will end up, just start TELLING IT!!

I still have no clue how my Jonah\Viola\Vaughan story is going to end, but that doesn't stop me from having a fucking blast with it!

Oh, and thanks again for being awesome!

Waiting...Wishing...Hoping

Spent most of the day on tenterhooks worried about my dear friend. Glad all is well. I guess yesterday just wasn't the day that little girl had in mind for her birthday.

But for real? I was a stressball all day thinking about her, getting myself into tizzies, and wishing I could be there for support or comic relief or whatever, or maybe to flip out Shirley Maclain style at a nurse or something. Anything. Instead I stayed glued to my phone and didn't accomplish much, lol.

So. Now that mama has some time... maybe she can get through this piece I'mma post. It could prolly be broken in half but Whatevvvs. I didn't post anything fiction yesterday, so enjoy your double dose today.

This is Grey & Maggie Strike Back, and there's some adorable Nolan Delaney too.

If you are interested in Back Story check out Meet-Cute for a link to all the fucking Grey & Maggie stuff.  Also the other day i posted "Mary help her" about how she likes kissing Grey, which I thought was pretty yummy, so make sure you gobble that up. 

This is also kinda nostaglic for me cuz I have to say goodbye to my own wine store job very soon and that makes me very sad and regretful.

I would also like to note, for posterity, that for the first time I didn't tune in to see what the President had to say this evening. I generally like to watch his entire speech before the pundits pull it apart. But not tonight. I wasn't feeling well so I took another bath, endured many chapters of a sub-par regency romance novel . . . (side note: lol, while looking to find the website of these awful books to share with you I stumbled upon this awesome site instead.  I can't wait to peruse it tomorrow!) ...

and then curled up with a tea to watch Hot Tub Time Machine, which surprised me by being adorable. Crispin Glover made me laugh every time he was on screen. And John Cusack? Can any girl from our generation resist his particular brand of john Cusackian charm?



You're most welcome for the Cusack montage, and thanks to the wonderful girl who took the time to create such a work.

Anyway, For a movie with pretty unfavorable reviews I sure had a good time with it. If you love old 80's pop flicks and time-travel and irreverant humor then HTTM is a fun night. I enjoyed the references to Back to the future and such, and because it took place at a ski lodge I couldn't shake comparisons to one of Cusack's most famous flicks- Better off Dead.

Wow. how did this blog devolve into a spiel about subpar but nevertheless enjoyable films?

Well, since I'll now be posting the piece separately I might as well mention that A and I got in a pretty wretched fight right when he came home. It wasn't pretty. I actually think that's why i didn't feel well all night-- I think it had less to do with anything I ate and more to do with my stress and anxiety.

I did, however, eat the double-stuff cream out of like 20 oreos for breakfast, so maybe it wasn't the fighting afterall... Though I am told Oreos are Vegan. Go fig.  Although I think I'd rather the milk and eggs than the crazy chemical poison that IS in oreos, though that poison is sweet, sweet deliciousness.  especially at breakfast.

We sorta made up and watched the film, so that was nice.

So. I'mma try to be super healthy tomorrow. Be kind to myself but also responsible. It is time to pull myself out of this funk and take better charge of my destiny... I might treat myself to some Lou's too.