Long Legs and Spankies

I'm lucky that I'm an Auntie to three crazy awesome teenage girls. I'm unlucky they live 750 miles away from me. Which is a fifteen hour drive. Through some pretty boring scenery. So I don't get to see them often. Which makes me sad.

But. On the weekend Niece Number 1 came for a visit. Well, technically she didn't come to visit me, but I'll take credit for it anyhow. Actually she came because she's tall, has really long legs and can smash the poop out of a volleyball. Okay. Really she can set it in the air really well. And jump pretty darn high. She's a setter. And I am totally up on my volleyball jargon now.

There was a volleyball camp on for really tall girls with really long legs. Actually it was a scouting camp and scouts from schools across the States and Canada were there. Number 1 was there by invitation only. And she rocked the court. In her spankies.

I was amazed by the poise and skills of these high school girls who were being watched closely by coaches from all over North America. And so proud that people kept asking which one belonged to me. I had to admit to Auntie only status, but it was so fun to be involved for a short time.

I absorbed some teenage girl trivia, too. I saw how despite the fact that these girls are so amazing and grown up looking, in many ways they're just kids too. And how much they really do love their cell phones and texting! And cute snowboarders who are tall.

My niece is beautiful but she's also a blossoming smart young woman who despite her young age is really focused and looking forward to who she wants to be. I'm impressed. I'm cheering for her on the sidelines.

I'm also cheering for Number 2 and 3 and where their paths take them. Which probably isn't spankies or volleyball scholarships but promises to be amazing none the less. We all choose our paths, right?

Choose well 1, 2 and 3. Choose well.

Hip hip hooray.

Take Your Sexy Back

I hate to be a bitch, but what exactly is it about Justin Timberlake?
Is this really sexy? Is he?

I have a really hard time with that. Even his singing pretty much annoys me although after 65 million times of hearing Sexy Back on the radio it grew a little on me. Like mold maybe.

I'm older than him for sure, but to me he looks like a little boy. And he always will. Though this is a funny idea of what he might look like at 60. I think he looks better.

To each their own I suppose. If we all thought the same person was hot, I guess there'd be a lot of lonely people. And a lot with stalkers.

The reason JT's questionable sexiness came to mind was today I was watching a funny show while I was on the treadmill. The show is on MTV Canada and it was about celebrities gone bad. Forget what it's called but a bunch of comedians say things about celebs. I laughed my ass off. Well. Not true. I've been trying to run my ass off for a few weeks now, but it's still there. Big as ever. Any how. Every single one of the comedians, male and female, gay and straight thought JT was hot. I'm so not in that opinion poll. Lenny Kravitz. Hot. I think the other dark haired guy from Back Street Boys was hotter. Wait. Was JT in Back Street Boys or INSYNC.

Gah. Does it matter? Of course it doesn't.

Found It- Well Sort'a

A few weeks ago I wrote about the ads I love so much from Alberta Milk.

Well. I finally found them on Youtube. Definitely worth a peek.

For teens, for adults, for kids. Heck. Even my dog should watch them. Grr. Peppsy. Go in the basement, you know you want to.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKRH31DRRBM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVPIDDDHQX4

Pacey

I was working on my newest YA, Losing It and the MC, Jesse talks about his car. He calls her Bettsy. It brought back memories of my very own first car.

A car loved so much more than the one thousand hard earned dollars I was forced to fork over to possess her. Her name....Pacey. She was mocked. Abused. She had funny bucket seats. But to me, she was lovely.

She ran out of gas a lot, but that was the fault of the owner, not Pacey. Poor Pacey was named one of the ugliest cars ever made, not by me of course, but by people who could not appreciate her true beauty. Everyone else. My friends laughed at her and called her a fishbowl. I heard every joke. Did I park her sideways at the Drive Inn to watch movies? Because, yes, in my day we still had drive- ins. And we watched movies at them. Well. We did other bad things too, but that's a story for another day.

Pacey was my favorite car . I drove lots of new, fancy cars when I worked in sales, but I never had pride of ownership like I did with Pacey.

Nowadays I drive a Mini Van. Yes. I admit it. A mini van. It is practical, dammit. And good for driving around kids and their various car and booster seats. It holds hockey equipment and skiis. It can pull hubby's boat. I am well aware it is not cool. But. Neither am I anymore. And I am okay with that. Because. I am mature. So there.

But. Back to Pacey. She was a beautiful burgundy hue that conjured up images of. Er. Giant purple fishbowls. She was award winning, too. One year my brother dressed her up as a shark for his Grad, and won first place. A proud moment indeed. Award winning Pacey.

When she was forced to retire, my Dad took her apart and recyled many of her parts. She lived on in others. A giver. That was just the way Pacey was.

Birthdays and Horoscopes and Weird Stuff

For no reason at all I started thinking about birthdays. It's not even anyone I know's birthday or anything, so that's kind of....weird.


But. I started to think birthday thoughts and realized that the characters in my newest book don't have them. Birthdays. I don't know when their birthdays are. Hmm. So they're like. Unborn.


So now. I have to decide. Not that the information necessarily has to go into the manuscript, but I'd like to know....you know... Maybe I'll even relate it to the star signs. Yeah.


Zack, in Waiting To Score, I know his birthday.I can't say when, cause well, it's a secret for reasons that I hope never become clear. But, his birthday was chosen to makes him a little bit younger than his friends. He can't drive. Some of the friends can.


My sign is Scorpio. I use what I want from that of course. Take the qualities that suit me, call the rest crappy hocus pocus nonsense.


And guess who was born on the same day as J.E.??


Give up?



Julia Roberts.



We have so much in common, of course. Like. Um.
She's freakishly wealthy and has great teeth. And I'm not. And well, don't.

She's married to a camera man. I'm not. She has twins. Me. Not so much.

She's a famous movie star. I'm, uh, an unknown YA writer.
Okay. Nothing in common, but still we share the day you know? And that's a tiny bit cool.

The Cover!

Here it is. The final cover of Waiting to Score. I will swoon a little, so just ignore me.

What a handsome and cool looking Zack, no?

New Year.. Um A few days late

I'm a bit of a procrastinator sometimes. One of my traits I'd like to trade in but hope it's kind of a redeeming quirk. Like the old Auntie who is a little kooky and embarrasing but loveable non the less.

But Here It IS. 2008.

The year Waiting to Score will hit the book shelves. Can't wait.

J.E.