…I’m stumped by my lack of pop culture fodder.

Can’t someone get caught cross-dressing, shopping at Wal-Mart or using generic make-up? Something? Anyone???

I suppose I’ll get a glimpse of Nick Lachey tomorrow as the Steelers play the Bengals.
Gotta love a guy who loves his roots, but tomorrow better not be the day he sees his team overcome their decades long adversity.

While my agent is selling the manuscript that has hit a pothole or two, she suggested two projects she would be interested in seeing.

One is a good revision of my chick-litish NaNoWriMo book. Yeeha…I read through it once making notes, did a chapter outline and am now looking for the holes. Gaping holes are my specialty. But I feel good to know exactly what to work on.

Hope your weekends were great. I’ll find good post stuff soon. And stay tuned for the trainer…

That’s right.
I’m done moping.
And I decided that I only get one mope per book.
So, I’m back.

Jaye and Miss Snark are both doing this cute little thing:

1. pick up the book sitting beside you.
2. turn to page 123
3. blog the fifth sentence down.
4. don’t yinz guys go lookin’ for no stinkin’ smarty pants book in’at neither…

Number four is my little addition to the game.

Here’s my sentence.

Guess where it lives:

“The satisfaction derived from this act was all that the most ardent moralist could have desired.”

This was the fifth full sentence on the page…

Hope you’re all doing well tonight!

because God knows I’ll be blogging the crap out of the offers.
I almost feel as though I shouldn’t.
As though saying to the world that six out of eight of the submissions to editors were rejected so far would make it more real than it is. And bring me bad luck. Cause I’m not swirling in a vat of not so great fortune right now.

I feel like an idiot even though everyone in the world who wants to write something goes through this.
Perhaps I’ve been too lucky until now so the universe must pay me back.

I got my agent, who is wonderful, the first shot out. She is great to work with and maybe I’m now spoiled by it all.
Surprisingly, I don’t feel that bad. Not the way I thought I would anyway. Or maybe I’m still in shock. My brain not yet aware my fantasies of a three book deal and $100,000 advance have evaporated into thin air.

But then again, I have great friends telling me the editors must not have even read the manuscript (I’m not sure one of them did based on her comments) to have turned it down. They tell me it’s great. I’m great. And that makes life so nice.

Though, having an editor say she loved the shit out of the book wouldn’t be so bad, either.

…that’s right.
Just when you thought you’ve heard the most bizzare pop culture trivia known to man, one of my magazines comes out with something even whackier.

It was either Star or Us, but one of them reported Shar Jackson, the ex of Kevin Federline, is interested in or in the process of dating Jason Alexander (Brit’s ex-husband of thirty-six hours).

WTF? (I’m stealing Miss Snark’s famous reply to pure craziness)

I mean, do I need to comment further?
The list of things wrong with this scenario is widespread and deep as the ocean.
Do I need to even start?

Okay folks,

We’re getting our homes in shape with the help of the Frantic Woman’s Guide to Life so now we must “Ask the Trainer” how to get our bodies in tip top shape this year.

A new addition to the blog will be to give you a chance to query a personal trainer about the niggling health and exercise problems that seem to pick at you year after year.

The trainer is Maura Shoop, my sister-in-law. Look for her to introduce herself in the coming weeks and get your questions ready.

I hope some of you got this book since I started blogging about it…if not, no matter. I’ll highlight some of what’s in there each month.

One thing I really like about it is it gives me a chance to purchase a new journal.
A Frantic Journal, a place to map out all the steps to creating a less frantic home life.

Another thing I really like is that the authors encourage you to map out events and plans, months in advance, but always remind you again and again as though they know, at least half their audience will be slow to reduce the clutter of their frantic lives.

Well, to get things started this month, I’m working through the Getting Started section as well as the January section. I figure it will take me years to internalize the principals presented in just these sections, but that’s the beauty of the book, the journey.

On page 5 the section called Inch by Inch is especially helpful. It suggests you keep a running to do list for each room in your house. Love this…love lists…I feel a strong sense of success coming from this section. Especially for those of us who can’t entertain two thoughts in our heads for more than ten seconds. This list keeps you from dilly dallying when you have a few extra minutes to tackle some organization.

So, there’s my start for the year. How are you “getting started” this year?

On page 73 of the January section of the book, the authors suggest we take note of the white sales coming up and replenish and weed out our supplies of towels and sheets. This sounds like such a good idea. I never buy nice sheets. I can’t bear the thought of spending a lot of money on them when the sheets with three inches between the threads are just as cute, right?

Kidding. I know better, I’ve just ignored my judgement. So this year, I will weed and seed my sheet/towel supply. Bed, BAth and Beyond is having a sale, I think.
I wonder what it feels like to buy five hundred dollar sheets–ala Jessica Simpson.
Anyone know the answer to that?

Here’s a big one for me…Birthday Calendar…I must do this.

I have two friends who never miss a birthday. Never forget those of our friends or their kids. It’s amazing.
So there. That’s it for now. Even this level of commitment makes my head swim. How about you?

…My friend Lisa forwarded me this link www.pbs.org/previews/raisingcain/

It previews a PBS special which will air on January 12. It talks about all the ways the needs of boys aren’t being met in school…and other areas of life, I think.

Anyway. It seems good.