M’s grandma died in the past week and I just got a call from Grams today letting me know that Gramps has had a stroke. He’s conscious and able to speak clearly enough to be understood…they are sure how bad it is yet, but I’ll know more when I get home Friday.
So, I worked today. Whoopie. I’m so tired I think the bags under my eyes have bags. Ugh. People who have kids and work two jobs, I bow before you. A supplicant to your greater abilities. I must have been born with the slacker gene or something. I blame my mother. I don’t know why, except she’s convenient and not here to defend herself. Can’t blame dad, cuz the stepmom occasionally reads this blog and, well, she might tell on me.
What was the point of this random post? None.
I do believe I promised news of my trip to California. One: the interview went fairly well. I can’t say more until I know more, but they should get back to me this week. I’ll let you know. Other than that the family was awesome. They threw an inpromptu family reunion together for me. I was overwhelmed and really happy to see all my crazy peeps.
Good news: My uncle is getting married to a really nice lady and I might even be in the wedding. Why is that good? I only have to wear jeans and cowgirl boots. Note to self: buy cowgirl boots.
Spent quality time watching TV with the Mad Madam M. Always fun and enlightening. I found a new show to like. We’ll see how it goes.
Men are driving me crazy lately. Not that this is especially unusual, but they REALLY are making me nutty lately.
Exhibit A: Went on actual date with Stealth Date Guy and he made a move. I was so not interested by this point in our date (was VERY sure we were destined for nothing more than friendship) and now he won’t stop hanging around. Don’t get me wrong, I love male adoration, but Learn. To. Stop. Boys.
Exhibit B: Grandpa called. Now, I love my grandparents. Anyone who’s read any part of this blog knows I worship the ground they walk on. He calls at midnight my time (on a work day!) and just wants to talk about my day. Yeah. ‘Night Gramps. I need sleep. I know he was probably bored, but he couldn’t have called three hours earlier? It’s not like he’s not retired!
Exhibit C: Talked to younger stepbrother on the phone about trying to make it out to California for his high school graduation (he’s the baby of my family). He gives me this song and dance about how people are graduating all over the world on that day, so it’s no big deal. I have to give him the speech about how I hate graduations so I wouldn’t go to all those other people’s graduations if you paid me. I’m going to his. I get a totally bored “wow, I guess that makes me special.” GAAAHHH! Had to get off the phone before I said something he’d regret. Putz.
Okay, drama queen. Settle down.
My new cp liked the scenes that I sent her. Yeay! And her stuff was awesome, too. This might work out really well. Her comments totally gave me an inspiration for smoothing out the rest of that chapter.
Oh, no!
While I was typing the above I got word that my grandma’s in the hospital again. “Acute renal failure,” the doctor says. I think this means she’ll have to go on dialysis, but I think (hope, hope, hope) she’ll be okay. She says she feels fine and the doctors are doing more tests. We’ll see how it goes.
Yeay! I pass the quarter century mark today! Woo-hoo! I hit the road today with the Mad Madam M to visit the indomitable sqveege. (Her mom gave her that nickname. I claim no credit and plead the fifth on all knowledge) Fun, fun, FUN! The weather is supposed to get a bit nasty. I’m a tish bit worried, but I’ll hope for the best. If worse comes to worst, the Mad Madam M and I will just be camped out on the side of the highway in grams’ minivan eating Pringles. The storm will pass eventually (fingers, toes, and eye crossed!). Hope my birthday is great for everyone else, too!
Take the Crystalism Quiz! Test your knowledge of all things Crystal. Tell me what you got!
Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday to meeeeee, happy birthday to me!
Christmas to do list:
This week: spend time with grandparentals, breakfast with Tonya, Tonya’s sister, & Mad Madam M, get my hair cut and dyed (I’m going brunette), visit with mom again, go visit sqveege for my birthday, turn 25, go on a road trip, watch freakishly-talented-at-everything cousin win at wrestling tournament, visit older bro for his 26th birthday, go to New Years’ Eve party, fly home.
I want to see everyone, really, I do, but this week sounds like “Go, Crystal, go!” I wish I could say, “Go, go, Crystal time saving gadget!”
P.S. Dad apparently has some software where I can scan the stuff that I write (because I write my stories by hand) and he can transfer it into a word doc without me having to type it. Don’t know if it’ll work, but I’m definitely taking him up on it.
Shyeah! Go, go, Gadget Dad!
Today, I mentioned to Grandma that I knew of a few fantasy/sci-fi romances that she’d love. I told her Robin D. Owens had a “new” batch of books called The Summoning series. I also said I’d found a new author that she might want to check out, Gena Showalter. Here’s the Me & Grandma Show:
Me: “Robin’s Summoning books are supposed to be even better that her Heart books. And you know how much you looooved those.”
Grams: “Oh, yes. She’s the cat’s meow.”
Me: “And! And! Gena’s got a series about Atlantis where the Gods stashed their mistakes. Then there’s the one about a warrior-turned-sex-genie-in-a-box. He’s got, you know, a very big knife. Or maybe you’ll like the one about the kick-a$$ alien huntress. I haven’t read all of them, but you should try one.”
Grams: “Okay, get on Amazon and put in an order.”
Me: “For which one?”
Grams: “All of them, of course.”
Me: “Um. Can we maybe get expedited shipping so I can read them while I’m home for Christmas?”
Grams: “Beg.”
I turned my completed rough draft into some of my readers and so far they like it! Woo-hoo! Doesn’t that just make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Obviously, it needs a lot of work, but I had (another) shower epiphany about how to make the world-building smoother. Why didn’t I think of this before? It seems so duh now.
I’m so excited! (And I just can’t hide it) I really want to dive into the book right this second, but I’m home for the holidays — duty calls (dangit!)
P.S. Grandma’s home from the hospital. I picked her up yesterday morning and she’s doing much better. Of course, she has to take it easy for a while and I intend to play “Nurse Nazi” until I leave. Mwah-ha-ha-ha!
Sound rude? Believe me, it was.
Yesterday, I flew from Knoxville, TN to Houston, TX on my way to Sacramento, CA. Did I get to Sacramento? Yeah, this afternoon! The airplane coming out of Knoxville was an hour and a half late because of a mechanical error during refueling. The gate attendant told us this, the pilot told us this when we finally got on the plane, and the flight attendant told us this when most of us missed our connecting flights. Including yours truly. We were told to see the ticket counter in Houston and they would get us on other flights to our destinations and put us up in a hotel for the night.
Two and a half hours of standing in line resulted in me getting booked on another flight for this morning and being informed that there had been no mechanical error — no, no, the weather had kept us sitting on the runway for an hour and a half. And weather is not their problem so I get no hotel room. Huh, that’s funny. I don’t recall sitting on the runway at all, but rather in the terminal. And weather? Not a drop of rain anywhere and not a wiggle of turbulence the whole flight.
When I protested, as did the entire line of people who were also on my airplane, I was given an 800 number to call and told they could help me. 45 minutes of my life was wasted on that call. I honestly thought a riot could ensue right there in the airport with all of the angry passengers. Now, not only was I exhausted, I was scared.
I met a girl, Amy, who was also trying to get to Sacramento and we bonded over shared delays. One call home to tell them to expect me the following day and my good, and extremely indignant, friend Tonya insisted on buying me and Amy a hotel room for the night (or what was left of it). Did I mention I love Tonya? Well, I do.
A half hour later a shuttle van pulls up to the terminal to take us to the hotel. Once inside the driver not only eyeballs the two of us lecherously (eeww), but he proceeds to blast unintelligible rap music. But we arrived and got a good 5 hour nap before checking out again. We bummed complimentary toiletries from the hotel because after refusing us a hotel room, Continental held our bags hostage for transfer onto our morning flight. *&^$%^$!!! One more ride in the ghetto hoopty mo-van and we make it safely back to the airport. Only to be selected for thorough security inspection. Yes, I really look suspicious.
“Maybe I can nap on the plane,” I thought.
Then the plane was delayed for a half an hour. Of course. When the plane finally showed up, I was in the very last row next to the toilets. Figures. I got seated next to an unaccompanied 9-year-old named Courtney who didn’t shut up the entire time and was obviously an unashamed attention hussy. I almost expected it at this point. She was afraid to fly, needed to get up exactly 15 times during the flight (I counted), was scared she’d be trapped in the toilet so I had to stand and hold the door closed so she wouldn’t have to lock it, she wanted a pillow, a blanket, more soda, some milk. And they wonder why I don’t want to breed. She finally fell asleep on my arm and I was so grateful for the silence I didn’t even mind that I couldn’t feel my arm from the bicep down. On the way out of the plane the flight attendants thanked me profusely for looking after Courtney. Apparently, a few thought she was actually with me because we both have blonde curly hair. Still, at this point I almost expected to find out my baggage had safely landed in Singapore instead of Sacramento, but that, at least, went well. I’m home now. Gotta run.
Here are some visuals of how this trip went down:
This is me when I arrived in Sacramento after dealing with 2 days of no sleep, little food, crabby holiday travelers, demanding children, and recycled airplane air.
And not only in my dreams, either!
I fly home today. California, here I come — right back where I started from! Yeay! By the time you read this post, I’ll be at my layover in Houston or maybe somewhere over Nevada, circling for a landing in Sacramento. Woo-hoo!
Plans for the holidays:
-Visit mom/step-dad on x-mas eve
-Have breakfast with grandparents on x-mas morning
-Visit dad/step-mom on x-mas (Hey, children of divorce have to multitask)
-Go on mini road trip with best buds for birthday (Dec. 28th, baby!)
-Sleep through New Year as I must fly out early Jan. 1
P.S. Grandma’s going to be okay! She’s not great, but we think she’ll be home from the hospital by Christmas. Yeay!!
The Novelty Girls