Category Archives: Uncategorized

Bookish Factoid #4

Posted on by

When we were 13 or so, my friend Cindi and I were both enamored with Richard Lester’s Three and Four Musketeers (movies he made in order to get the backing to make Superman, btw).  Cindi had a crush on Michael York’s D’artagnan, later transferring her affections to Richard Chamberlain’s suave Aramis (Richard was still in the closet as far as we were concerned), while I had the hots for Rochefort, Cardinal Richelieu’s wicked one-eyed henchman (played by a 50-something Christopher Lee, better known for his portrayal of Dracula in several Hammer horror films and as Bond villain Scaramanga, the Man with the Golden Gun).  We started our own musketeer fan fiction, creating our own characters and inserting them into the world of 17th Century France.  My character was Constance Du Vallon (bet you didn’t know Porthos had a sister, did you?) and Cindi’s was Roxanne Du Bois, wealthy young heiress and the object of desire amongst most of the young men of her acquaintance.  Of course Constance knew how to swordfight and Roxanne was happy-go-lucky and flirtatious.  As we grew older and matured, so did the little vignettes we would write for our own and each other’s characters.   Let’s just say that reading many bodice ripper romances influenced the direction our writing would take, although sans explicit descriptions.

I spent New Year’s Eve at Cindi’s house one year.  Her parents were out at their own party (or having one at the house; I can’t remember which) so we commandeered their mobile home parked in front of their house in Point Loma. We had alcohol.  I don’t remember how we got it, although I do believe we snuck it out of the house.  We had fudge and other food not meant to mix with booze. When the new year rolled around, Cindi was in the bathroom throwing up and I was happily stuffing my face with fudge.  I remember yelling “Happy New Year!” and Cindi responding with something along the lines of “Bleargh.” I don’t think I even had a hangover.  Ah, for the metabolism of my youth…

Cindi reminded me of this incident recently when we got together for a book meeting.  Cindi is the author of several books, including Red Hot Tantra, What Men Really Want in Bed and The Bedside Orgasm Book.  We are co-writing the sequel to What Men Really Want in Bed, not surprisingly named ‘What Women Really Want in Bed.”  Somehow it seems fitting that our little bodice ripperlettes have led us to this point.

Introducing Butterscotch and her family

Posted on by

This is Butterscotch and her newborn kittens.  We got a call yesterday for emergency feline fostering.  If they couldn’t find fosters, this lovely baby and her kittens, plus others, would be euthanized.  We agreed to take Butterscotch (my name for her) and the babies, figuring Momma Cat would do all the work.  No bottle feeding every three hours, just feed Momma and make sure things are kept clean and neat.  No bottle feeding means less chance of the uber bonding that always happens when I feed the babies every few hours and they look at me as their mom.   Butterscotch, on the other hand, is about as sweet and loving as a rescue cat could be.  We have them in a warm, cozy cage in the garage (the warmest room in our house).  It’s kept shut so Butterscotch won’t up and move the kittens to some nook or cranny where we can’t get to them.  But I’ve already let her out to roam a few times (supervised) and it’s so cute to watch – she’ll come out and let me pet her, then go back into the kittens.  Then back out again for pets and a little exploration…then back in.  She went to the far end of the garage for a bit; I called to her and she came trotting back, tail and ears perked up, straight to me.

Sigh…

We have them until the kittens are old enough to adopt (two months).  Then they go up for adoption via the cat rescue organization involved.  They are supposed to pay for all vet bills in the interim.  My only caveat is if the cats are supposed to go into a shelter environment during the adoption procedure.  I can’t stand the thought of giving them love and a comfy place and a place to play (we’ll be moving them when the kittens are old enough to start playing and need more room) only to back into steel cages full time.  So we’ll see.

But in the meantime, all of the fun of watching kittens and none of the work of bottle-feeding!

Third Bookish Factoid

Posted on by

I just like saying ‘bookish factoid.’

But that’s not number three.

When I was in grade school, third grade or thereabouts, I wrote a little book of poetry about animals, illustrated each poem and sent it off to a publisher after stapling it in the center into what I thought was proper book binding.   I don’t remember how I chose said publisher, but I DO remember the reply, which was ‘We’d be happy to publish your book for $$$.’

Yes, my first try at publishing, I managed to pick a vanity press.

I sort of remember one of the poems:

“The lion is a kingly beast, but should you chance to tease him,

He’ll likely have you for his feast before you can appease him”

No surprise I gave up writing poetry for prose.

Another beloved childhood book was LITTLE WOMEN and yes, my favorite character was Jo, although I’m sure my sister thought of me more as the Amy type.  I’m watching the Katherine Hepburn version even as I type.

More Muni Musings and Second Bookish Factoid

Posted on by

Today while the L train didn’t pull magically up to greet me, an N-Judah train did.  In the game of Muni Roulette, today this means riding the N to the end of the line, which is the Great Highway, and walking home on the beach.  Sweet!  Especially since it’s a beautiful day, another ‘can’t quite decide between summer and autumn’ day.  The only down side is two noisy teenage boys just got on the train and sat behind me.  I confess to homicidal urges.  Or at least access to their volume switches.

So.  Another book related thing about me you may not know.  I read when I walk.  I have pretty much perfected the art of reading while walking, be it inside, outside on city streets, park paths or more rugged terrain. Lack of enough time to read forced me to hone this skill and I won’t say I didn’t walk headfirst into lamp posts or low hanging branches a few times. But you’d be surprised how easy it is to develop peripheral vision and awareness while engrossed in a book.  I used to walk Boska in Griffith Park while drinking coffee and reading at the same time.  This was back in the day I could trust her off leash and know she wouldn’t run away, unless a squirrel was involved.  Even then she’d come back when I used the Voice to call her name.  Paul Atreides had nothing on me.

My preferred reading while walking book is your basic paperback.  Compact, fairly light, easy to hold in one hand and flip the pages while manipulating leash or coffee cup in the other.  Trade paperbacks are a little more problematic, but still manageable.  Harry Potter hardbacks are nearly impossible, but I’ve done it.  No way I was gonna put it down without finishing and I needed my exercise!

Another Day, Another Muni Ride, Another Tag

Posted on by

   Ah…

One of my favorite things in the world is stepping off the down escalator at the Muni station and seeing an L train pull up to greet me. Yes, in my Danacentric world the L train is there just for me and the serendipitous timing occurs to make my day a happier one.  It always makes me smile, no matter how crabby I am.  Cheers me right up.  So my Monday workday has ended on a good note ’cause I just strolled onto my train (yes, MY train) and got my favorite seat without waiting or jockeying for position. If you think little old ladies in grocery stores are scary, wait till you’ve experienced a gaggle of Cantonese grandmas, all determined to board ahead of you even if you were the first in line. I’ll give up my seat to someone who needs it, but don’t shove me in line, fer crissake!

So. Monday so far is a good day. Several irritating financial issues have been resolved favorably. I made it through work on the first day of a detox program without attacking a co-worker for their food or snapping at anyone.  I’m going home to exercise, make a yummy detox approved dinner (tilapia, roasted potatoes and green beans) and then work on CHAMPAGNE.  What’s not to be happy about?

Tomorrow I start answering six writer/book related things about myself you might not know about.  Oh heck, I’ll give you one right now:

The first book I remember making an impression on me and started me on my path as an avid reader is THE SILVER CHAIR by C.S. Lewis.  I hadn’t a clue about the Christian subtext, btw.  I liked it ’cause it had the doorway to another world thing going for it and giants who wanted to eat the hero and heroine.  Evil witches, enchanted princes, and a giant lion.  I was totally into it.

I read the rest of the series in short order and then discovered Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain series (The Black Cauldron, for example), E. Nesbit’s works (5 Children and It and the Enchanted Castle, for example), the Oz books…the Point Loma public library was my favorite place in the world.

I was tagged, btw, by that Devil Woman Morgan Mandel!  I’m holding off tagging till tomorrow.  I am officially stymied on who to tag who won’t kill me.

And one more thing you don’t know about me…

Posted on by

I’m legally blind.  Or at least I was until I had Lasik done Thursday evening.

Seriously, my left eye was 4.5 and my right 3.25.  Glasses off I could read up close.  Glasses on I could see far away, but anything too close was a blur.  Contact lenses at night, forget it.  I tried to read a map in the light of a dome light in the car and it was a big nothing.  That was five years ago and things deteriorated a bit every year.  My eye doctor told me Lasik was the best option, so…I finally bit the bullet (why does one bite a bullet, btw?) when I found out my insurance would cover part of it and I got to the point where I couldn’t see anything at night other than blurred images.

I went to Dr. Scott Hyver, who has made a name for himself in the Bay Area correcting the vision of the San Francisco 49ers.  The office staff and other doctors were courteous, friendly and efficient.  The procedure was explained in detail.  There were stuffed animals in the procedure room for those nervous patients needing something to hold.  I clutched a Beanie Tiger and a Beanie Rainbow bear to my chest during the entire thing.  It was weird, freaky and my eyes were held open with tape and metal holders that made me think of CLOCKWORK ORANGE during the procedure.  But it was also very quick and Dr. Hyver kept up a calm, running commentary during the entire procedure.  It was over in less than 10 minutes, possibly five.

I had to keep my eyes shut as much as possible for four hours after the surgery.  Dave set me up on the futon in the living room and put on A MIGHTY WIND and WAITING FOR GUFFMAN.  It hurt.  It felt like someone was going over my eyes with a cheesegrater for a couple of hours.  My eyes kept watering and my sinuses filled up.  I got a migraine.  But the next morning when I opened my eyes, I could see…well, I could see everything clearly.  I saw the trees outside the bedroom window, the leaves, a raven on one limb.  I could see which cat was perched on top of my jewelry box (bad cat!).  I had my follow up appointment that morning and could see distance with 20/20 vision.  I could read the smallest print closeup.  And my eyes are supposed to only improve for the next month.

Cool.

Number Three

Posted on by

 I was a weird toddler.  When I was two or three, I would take pretzel sticks, dip them in the water running down the sidewalk gutters and eat them.  University City, where we were living at the time, was an upscale neighborhood, but still…eeuwww!!!  Back then I thought it was the gourmet snack of the century.

And after my pretzelicious repast, I would go inside and ride my rocking horse, Blaize, for hours on end.  Mom has a picture of me on Blaize, a fierce, determined look on my face.  A mini Paula Revere on a mission.

My older sister Lisa and I used to play with this wooden block set.  We’d build these magnificent block edifices, homes for our collection of plastic animals.  The tiger was the ruler (I still have him, along with the blocks and the rest of the animals), harsh but just.  We would sacrifice my Barbie dolls to apease the animal gods.  Hey, their heads had to come off so easily for a reason!

For a short while I wanted to be a ballet dancer.  I would lock myself in my room, put on one of my mom’s old frothy chiffon nightgowns, play classical music and dance my little klutzy heart out.  For all the fact I grew into a mega ham bone, I never wanted anyone to see me dance.  It was my little secret fantasy.

My first crush was Roddy McDowell.  As Cornelius in PLANET OF THE APES.  I’ve come a long way since my fixation on gay chimps.

 

Second Thing You Might Not Know About Me.

Posted on by

And you might not care, but I’ve been tagged (see yesterday’s post) and by thunder, I’m gonna do my part!

#2.

I once stole a dollar’s worth of dimes from the Brownie dues box when my mom was the Brownie leader in Lakeside, California.  My sister was a Brownie, I was just a bratty younger sister.  Why did I steal these shiny tempting dimes?  Simple.  When my mom went to get her hair done, there was a soda machine that dispensed Coke in ice cold bottles for a dime apiece.  I figured if I had a good supply of dimes, I would always be assured if my icy old Coca Cola. It was a bit of an obsession.  Something about putting the dime in the slot, pushing the button and then almost instant gratification of that bottle… Coke never tasted so good.  So every time there was a Brownie meeting at our house, I’d sneak a couple of dimes out of it, figuring no one would ever be the wiser.  Until the day my sister caught me.  “Mom, Dana’s stealing from the Brownie box!” was immediately clarioned through the house in the clear self-righteous tones that only an older sister could muster.  I was grounded for a good long time.

Oddly enough, during this same period I also stole a box of Milk Duds from a local market.  I didn’t get caught, but I felt so guilty that after I ate the candy, I buried the incriminating box under a pile of horse manure.

Go figure…

And today I tag… Dani!!!!

And we’re off!

Posted on by

As mentioned in my last post, I have been tagged by Marvelous Marvin (henceforth known as MM) to spill the beans on six things my readers might not know about me.  Six unusual things.  This is kind of a toughie ‘cause most of the off the wall things about me are in my bios on whatever social network or blog I’ve joined or written. I actually spent some time thinking about this between 4 and 6am when I couldn’t sleep this morning, figuring it was a better way to entertain my brain than worry about finances.  But I’m still having trouble, so I’m gonna start with one and see where it leads me.  In fact, I’m going to cheat a bit and blog on one new and fascinating Dana factoid a day.  I’m also supposed to tag six people so in keeping with my one a day (just like a vitamin!) revelation, I’ll tag one person at a time. This will also give me a chance to figure out who Marvin has not already tagged.  J

 

Okay, number one:

 

 Sword fighting is unusual (at least it was when I started; it’s become a lot more common as more renaissance faires and live gaming groups have sprung up over the years. Most of you know that I do theatrical combat, but most people don’t know how I got started on this swashbuckling past, so I’ll make this number one:

 

My first sword fight was actually a short sword fight at the San Diego Renaissance Faire the very first year it was held in the Balboa Park Organ Pavilion. I dressed as a gypsy in a full circle red skirt, cinch belt and off the shoulder white blouse and sauntered around the faire with all the confidence of an 18 year old having a good skin day.  As I waited in line for some food (probably the ubiquitous turkey leg), I overheard a conversation between a two guys in breeches, puffy white shirts and boots.  One of the guys was complaining that his fight partner had backed out at the last minute and he wasn’t going to be able to do his swordfight.  The fellow talking was in his ‘20s, had a mane of thick black hair, shot with silver, smooth olive skin and nice features.  Dashing.  Cute.  Puffy white shirt. 

 

Without a second thought, I stepped forward and said, “I’ll do it!” 

And thus begun my checkered career in theatrical combat and my introduction to Chris Villa, my first combat teacher. Chris took me up on my offer with an equal lack of hesitation, taught me the basic parry/cut/thrust positions as taught by SAFD (Society of American Fight Directors) in an hour and we performed the fight, complete with appropriately cheesy and sexist dialogue shortly thereafter.  It went well and I soon became totally enamored with everything about sword fighting, including my teacher.  

 

Chris started my predilection for men who swordfight.  Something about the musculature of swordsmen, all smooth, subtle ripples under the skin instead of big old bulky Ah-nold type guns.  And I’m sucker for the breeches and boots.  Oh heck, it’s all about the romance that goes with the entire package.  While I’ve met plenty of total assholes in the world of theatrical combat, I have never met one who lacked romance in his soul. 

 

Chris was my first real boyfriend and we eventually became engaged. Things didn’t work out – I was SO not emotionally mature enough to settle down, but Chris had a huge impact on my life and was responsible for giving me the gift of what became an integral part of my life.  He also got my cat high, but that’s another story.

 

Eventually I’m going to dig out my old photos and scan them so I can share a pictorial history as well.

 

And for my first tag, I tag Other Lisa! 

Tagged Again…

Posted on by

…but too tired to tag along tonight.  I’m supposed to tell you all six things you might not know about me.  Six interesting and unusual things.  Tonight I feel about as unusual and interesting as a cardboard box.  A plain, boring cardboard box, with nothing written on the sides.  So I’m going to save the Tag challenge until tomorrow, by which time I will have recovered from a weekend writing binge to meet today’s deadline and will hopefully remember all those fascinating factoids that make me a unique and interesting person

In the meantime, go check out Free Spirit, my friend and fellow author, Marvin’s blog.  Marvin.  He who tagged  me and who has already spilled the beans on no less than 12 interesting factoids about himself.  And in the meantime, I will get a good night’s sleep, bask in the glow of having written almost 3,000 word today and having successfully met my latest deadline.