Words, wOrds, WoRDS

I feel a little badly about making y'all do my blogging work for me. But not badly enough to write a more substantive post, so...how about a round of Words, wOrds, WoRDS?

Using the Random Word Generator at CreativityGames.net, I'm going to toss out a word and you're going to share the first thing that comes to your mind, in the comments section below.

Here it comes, y'all—today's random word is...

LOVER

To learn what came to my mind, select the darkened text between the asterisks.

***

Two things: Billy Idol's song "Got To Be a Lover" AND my desperate need for Carol and Daryl (from The Walking Dead) to resolve their sexual tension and do the horizontal mambo already, for fuck's sake. Literally. I mean, COME ON!!!

***

Go on, then. Reveal unto the world what that word inspired in your little gray cells.

If you dare...

Winners & Booty Rap!

And the three qualifying participants in my Resurrection Blogfest III, who were selected (via www.random.org) to win one of two prize options are:

Heather Gardner from The Waiting is the Hardest Part

Colleen Chen from Colleen's Write Brain

Hannah from Adventurous Tiger

Mazel tov! E-mail me at aoorooo at gmail dot com to let me know whether you prefer to receive a $20 Amazon Gift Card OR a copy of my book, That Fatal Kiss, + book swag, as pictured here (it's OK to go for the gift card, honest). ;-)

And thanks to all for participating, as well as the readers who supported, and continue to support, writers (and, indeed, artists of every stripe). Now, onto the Booty Rap...





I was an avid fan of Saturday Night Live through the 80s and a good portion of the 90s, then sort of dropped off watching regularly, at some point. This year, I happened to catch this season's premiere as I chillaxed in my hotel room (from some business trip or other) and just LURVED the "Couple's Booty Rap" sketch. If you need a laugh, check it out (but be careful if you're at work!). Note: it may take more than a few seconds to load, but it's totes worth it.

Iiiiiiit's BAAA-AAACK!!!!!!! (Resurrection Blogfest III)

Today is the day! My third bloggiversary! AND my...

RESURRECTION

BLOGFEST

III!

YES! Today, participants in this blogfest will BRING OUT THEIR DEAD!

Posts, that it. If you require further elucidation, clicketh hither.

But if you're ready for some reanimated blog posts, read on.

To celebrate my third year of blogging (!!!), I'm resurrecting my Valentine's Day post (published on 2/10/14), in which I wax poetic about "What love is." I was going to bring back a post in which I bitched about crimes against grammar but reckoned that, as an author of romance dark and whimsical, I might be best served by accentuating that which is warm and fuzzy. But if you'd rather read a rant, thither thou goest. Anyway, hope you enjoy, and please do be sure to check out the other participants' resurrected posts (see linky list all the way down). The three qualifying bloggers who'll be selected at random to win either a $20 Amazon Gift Card OR my book and some book swag will be announced on Monday, November 10, 2014 (God willing). (If you're just learning about this blogfest, it's not too late to sign up ~ you've got till 11:59pm on November 7 to do so and follow the rules to qualify!)

And now...onto the revivified post!

*          *          *

What love is...
 

By Durdana shoshe (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons

In a previous post, I bitched about how ruinous loving is. And it is.

But that's not all it is.

In my late 30s, I began to draw parallels between romantic and paternal love. Not in an Oedipus/Electra kinda way, 'cause that's gross. The love my parents (who are not perfect people) show me and my sis, and even more, the love I feel for my son, is straightforward and manifests in obvious ways:

1. Love looks out for you, as regards basic needs and comforts (food, rest, shelter, chocolate*).
2. Love needs to see you well and happy.
3. Love wants you to feel better ASAFP when you're not well, whether it's from physical, mental, or emotional trauma.
4. Love shares with you, without conditions or expectations.
5. Love laughs with you.
6. Love does for you.
7. Love accepts the feelings of anger, disappointment, and sadness you engender, but will always want to hold you close again (eventually; but the wait shouldn't be too long).
8. Love waits for you to get your head out of your ass and apologize for whatever heinous fuckery you've perpetrated.
9. Love understands that you may never apologize and forgives you anyway.
10. Love may hurt you, but it'll want to fix that hurt, too, even when it doesn't understand WTF your problem is (see #2).
11. Love wants to touch you (to the degrees appropriate to your relationship).
12. Love wants you to want its touch (see parenthetical statement in #11).
13. Love recognizes and respects that you are your own person.

But the critical factor of real Love: You don't have to work for it, you don't have to earn it; it's just always there for you. Always.

Now, in my early 40s, I feel that's what I should expect, when it comes to romantic love: obvious demonstrations of love that don't demand anything extraordinary of me, and a well of that same feeling within me for the other person, one that never runs dry.

And lots of exhausting, mind-annihilating, earth-shaking, God-revealing sex. Of course.

Maybe romantic love won't happen for me.

But I believe it happens.

Wishing you all Love, now and forever.

*chocolate is totally a basic need.

*          *          *

Resurrection Blogfest III Participants!

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Resurrection Blogfest, the Third

So, like, as of November 7, 2014, I'll have been blogging for three years. That's some shit, huh? (Be a sport and pretend it is.)

Brace yourselves—it's time for...

RESURRECTION

BLOGFEST

III!

For this blogfest, participants will resurrect a blog post that they initially published between November 8, 2013 and November 6, 2014 (or, since my second Resurrection Blogfest, whether they participated or not) which they believe merits one more glance before it gives up the ghost for good. In addition to this being the easiest friggin' blogfest around...

...there will be PRIZES!!!

Here's the dealio, yo:

1. Sign up by entering your blog's name and URL on the linky-list, below. The linky-list will close after 11:59pm EST* on Friday, November 7, 2014.
2. Upload the blogfest badge in this post to the sidebar of your blog and link it back to this announcement post, to help spread the word. (It's not a "button" and there isn't a code for it; you'll have to download the image, upload to your blog's sidebar, and manually link it back to this post.)
3. Follow me on the Twitter (@GothMomLite) and re-tweet anything with this tag: #ResurrectionBlogfestIII. (Folks without Twitter accounts are welcome to participate, but must promote the blogfest on some other social media platform.)
4. On November 7, your blog post must feature the blogfest badge as well as your resurrected blog post. Be sure to include the date on which it was originally posted. (Do give the title of the original blog post but please do not make readers have to click back to the original post—copy/paste it into your November 7, 2014 post.)
5. I'll review all entries to make sure they fit the above criteria. Failure to have the badge on your sidebar, in your post, the resurrected post, and/or the date and title of the original post will disqualify you from the drawing (see #6 below).
6. Three qualifying participants (see #5 above) will be selected at random to win EITHER A) a $20 Amazon gift card OR B) a print copy of my book and some book swag (see image below). The three winners can take their pick of either prize A or B (and I won't be hurt if you opt for A). (Probably.)
7. Winners should be announced on or around Monday, November 10. (God willing.)

Prize Option B: Book and Swag!

Participants should know that:

• *All days/times are based on EST. 
• Subject matter is up to participants but whatever the topic, the post must have originally appeared on your blog on/since November 8, 2013 up to/including November 6, 2014.
• It's OK to sign up if you've just started blogging and have only a few posts in your bloggy repertoire.
• It's also OK for participants to enter more than one blog, however, in the spirit of Highlander—THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE prize per participant.
• Participants whose Resurrection Blogfest III posts are not up by 11:59pm EST on Nov. 7 will be removed from the linky-list.
• Topics/blogs with adult themes should have the appropriate preliminary warning before any participants or readers see your blog/post. Any participants' links that take the clicker to adult subject matter without warning will be removed at my discretion. And don't give me any crap about not knowing what I mean by "adult themes," 'cause you totally do.
• Participants are expected to read and comment on other participants' entries beginning November 7 and on through that weekend (based on previous years' sign-ups, this should not be an unmanageable number of blog posts to read through/comment on over the course of three days).
• Winners who opt for the $20 Amazon Gift Card will receive it via e-mail; those who choose the book/swag package will have to provide me with a mailing address (I'm happy to ship the book and swag-s-swag anywhere mail can be delivered).

Dudes, you don't have to come up with any new content for this blogfest, so whatareya waiting for? Sign up and Tweet the hell out of this blogfest already, gosh.

(Whether you choose to participate or not, please help me get the word out by sharing this post on the social media platform of your choice. You can do this easily by clicking one of the icons just above this post's tag: "Posted by Mina Lobo at 2:00 AM." THANKS!)

The image used for the Resurrection Blogfest III badge was taken from a pic snapped pour moi.

Remember to enter your blog's name on the linky list below!

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Art in Austin

I traveled to Austin, TX recently on business and extended my stay by one precious day to visit with a cousin and her family. The two things which stand out in my mind from this trip are:

1. Cemeteries seem to enjoy turning up in my life in October (through no fault of my own, the hotel at which my colleagues and I stayed was right next to a graveyard); and

2. Austin's chock-full of art.

I had no idea of the latter, and deeply regret that I didn't keep my camera phone at the ready to snap up the beauty all around me, though I did manage to capture a few things.

Dale Whistler's Nightwing (1998)

Whistler's sculpture pays tribute to the nearly one million bats which hang out beneath the Congress Avenue Bridge every summer. (Yes, I know—cemeteries and bats. I really do seem to belong in Austin, except I don't drive and would, thus, likely be screwed with regard to getting around and whatnot.)

Jen Beck’s Crow I (2013)

According to nearby plaque-type thing,

“This work is part of a series best described by the word saudade. (Ed. note: this is a uniquely Portuguese word/concept.) With no direct translation in English, saudade describes a nostalgic or melancholic longing for an absent something or someone that will never return. It is the complex and bittersweet recollection of feelings, experiences, and places that once brought excitement, pleasure, and well-being, and that now still trigger the senses and make one feel alive.”

Word.

I deeply regret not making note of either the artist or the work's name, 'cause I heart it. It might be the work of Judith Simonds.

Sarah Collins’ Untitled (2013).

This work is composed of fabric, thread, old clothing, and old linens. Of the piece, the artist says, “My textile collages, which include old clothes and housewares, are based on abstract paintings and landscapes. Stitched artwork pieces were once supposed to be tidy, but these bring the process to the forefront and show the heavy mess of thread. By flipping the fabric and leaving edges unfinished, I am playing with ‘wrong’ versus ‘right’ sides of the fabric.”

I love this for its motion and colors. Love it.

I believe this sculpture is the work of Austin artist James Tisdale, but don't quote me on it. In any event, it's certainly doing its part to keep Austin weird. :-)

Dudes, I had the best time checking out all the groovy artwork and sorely wish I'd had more than just one free day in the fabulous city of Austin. I reckon my saudade for the place will take me back someday, se Deus quiser.

Words, wOrds, WoRDS

Time for another round of Words, wOrds, WoRDS, peeps.

Using the Random Word Generator at CreativityGames.net, I'm going to toss out a word and you're going to share the first thing that comes to your mind, in the comments section below.

Ready? OK!

Today's random word is...

EVIL

To learn what came to my mind, select the darkened text between the asterisks.

***

Completely closed minds, whether they're right- or left-leaning.

Also: Bubblegum pop.

***

Go on, then. Reveal unto the world what that word inspired in your little gray cells.

If you dare...

Zombie Apocalypse: Survival Kit & Crew Bloghop!

The end is nigh! And Jackie @Bouquet of Books, Dani @Entertaining Interests, and I want to know how you're going to survive it!

To welcome back one of our fave TV shows, The Walking Dead (season premiere's this coming Sunday, October 12!), we're building our respective zombie apocalypse dream teams and survival kits. Below are the folks and items this Goth Mom (Lite) wants around her when the shit hits the existential fan:

Crew:

1 The Walking Dead character

Michonne, because GIRL POWAH!!!!! Also, I really admire her no-nonsense demeanor (and since I'm all-nonsense, I think we'd make great foils for one another, n'est-ce pas?).

1 book character
Molly Michon from several Chis Moore books because 1. I dig the symmetry of her last name and my first crew member's name and 2. she's an absolute nutter whose wackadoodle ideas always seem to turn out right, whether she's on her meds or not. Also, she's a BAMF with a broadsword (or is it a katana? I forget).

1 movie character

Shaun from Shaun of the Dead, for his already proven zombie-killing skillz.

1 TV character (other than TWD)

Piper Halliwell from Charmed, 'cause she could freeze hordes of the walkers so we could snuff 'em out en masse.

1 loved one

My Kid, Balthazar, so he could wiseass the zombies to death. (To their second, more final deaths. obviously.)

1 friend

My Dear Friend Karen, because she'd so totally organize our sleep/work/slay schedules.

1 freebie

Satellite radio DJ Madison, from Sirius XM's Alt Nation, 'cause slaying soundtrack.

Backpack:

1 comfort item

My copy of Georgette Heyer's "The Convenient Marriage" because it's hilarious and I find the hero wonderfully dreamy.

1 weapon

My rapier sharp wit.

No? OK, then; Max Brooks, author of "The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead," commends the machete for being the ultimate zombie-stopper, so that.

1 luxury item
Moisturizer. Though it's less a luxury than a necessity, as my skin's hella dry, and dry/cracked skin leaves one susceptible to all sorts of infection!

1 food item

Nutella. (Because YUM.)

1 medicine/first aid item

Rum. (What, ain'tcha never heard of medicinal alcohol?)

1 hygiene item

Since I'm suspending my disbelief anyway, a magically renewable supply of Always sanitary pads. ('Cause I can't imagine it being easy to pick these up when one's on the run for one's life.)

1 freebie

Matches. Fire good!

Background:

Outpost
Montuak, Long Island (Me likey the ocean!)

Outbreak
Los Angeles, CA (Probably.) (It totally makes sense.)

Cause of it

Reality TV

Cure (if applicable)

An intrinsic sense of self-worth which isn't dependent upon others' adulation. (Haha...that's a toughy.)

1 item you NEED to find

Sturdy, water-proof, comfortable walking shoes with good arch support that come in a wide width. Oh, and they should be red, 'cause that's my fave color.

1 item you WANT to find

The Lindt chocolate factory.

Method of travel

Fire-breathing dragon, so we can fly high above the hoary dead while roasting them into oblivion!

And if you've a brief moment of respite from dodging the dead, be sure to pop 'round the other bloghop participants' sites to see how they plan to survive!