Mariposa Kisses (aka Dianne's Blog)

The start of CHAPTER ONE:

The pitch black night fed upon my terror as I sat motionless atop the belly of a mechanical red and gray spider that targeted my blood. Its relentless pull on my hair and feet drove me in two opposing directions. Icy cold numbness and boiling heat covered me at once. The howling wind and the uncanny stillness pressed uncomfortably into the back of my skull. Simultaneously, I could hear obnoxious steel drums in one ear and peaceful piano chords in the other. My heart and mind were one and yet, strangely, two contradictory forces fighting a battle that could not be won. The pain would soon cease. But for now my spirit wrestled stubbornly with the sun and the moon as the high and low tides battled for control of the night. My racing heart slowed to an incoherent hum. And then a bright light came out of nowhere blazing itself upon my eyelids forcing me to open them. A slow heart beat stubbornly pulsed through my veins. But then a piercing pain overpowered my neck and shoulders. And no longer conscious, I could neither see nor hear…

“Honey, wake up. It’s already seven in the morning. The kids have to get up. They’re going to be late for school. You must have pressed snooze like ten times. Up up up, Honey, get up,” Eric lovingly shouted into my aching ears.
“Okay, I’ll skip my shower. Don’t worry. We’ll make it. I’m getting up. Please start some strong coffee,” I whined as I flopped onto my back in the shape of a very sloppy X.
“The coffee is already on. I’ve been downstairs eating breakfast and making my lunch. I just figured you were already awake and headed upstairs to kiss you guys goodbye. Do you want me to take the big kids, Renee?” he asked sympathetically.
“Actually, that would be great Hon. I was having a really psychotic dream and I’m totally out of it. Thanks Eric,” I voiced with appreciation while reeling his blue and green tie toward my chest for a quick hug and kiss.

Labels: book excerpt from Stream of Consciousness, first 2 paragraphs

I must have been missed because Marlene and the gang asked how my cruise had been. Word must have gotten out that Jadan had gone on the cruise as well, which caused some minor confusion. I had to clear up some local gossip and inform everyone that Molly had also gone and that they were actually married now. You know how coffee-talk gets all out of proportion unless you clear the air as soon as you get wind of it? As I looked around, I saw Jadan hard at work, laptop open, already trading like crazy, but no Jen anywhere. She and Jared must be sleeping in today. Since she freelanced like I did, she set her own schedule and Jared’s salesman calendar was pretty open as well. They must be extending their honeymoon, how nice. I was happy for them, but just a wee-bit jealous. My life was back in full speed, no extended vow-renewal-honeymoon for me. Aw well, it felt good to be back in my own head drinking strong Starbucks coffee from my red tumbler. I needed to find a spot and noticed an open one next to Jadan. So I walked over and put my stuff down by his black, athletic looking wheelchair. After he got off of his phone-call, we started to chat.

“Long time no talk stranger,” I said reaching over for a quick hug.
“Back at ya, what’s it been, a whole twenty four hours?” he said laughing into his next sip of coffee.
“Or less, I can’t switch over to our time yet. I know we just cruised the Caribbean, so it’s not like we went to Europe or something, but I’m having a hard time adjusting. What about you and Molly? Are you guys glad we’re back?” I asked as I turned on my laptop while setting my tumbler onto the table next to the dark brown leather sofa.
“We’re doing great. It's so nice to be back and to see Ocean. She gave me the hugest hug when we got back. We were glad that Molly’s mom was able to watch her because we knew she was in good hands with her. And since we’re married now, which sounds so strange… they’re going to move into my house on the cliffs later this week. I mean, they already stayed with me last night but they’ll move their stuff over the next few weeks. Since Molly’s been living in my rental property just a few streets over, it’s not like we’ll have to get a moving truck. I’ve got some buddies who will help to move the big stuff since I’m a bit limited,” he said pointing down at his limp legs.
“Well, you know Eric and Jared can totally help as well. We’re family now,” I said punching him on his rock-hard left shoulder. It’s like the cruise and all of our fun outdoor activities helped him to bulk up even more. “Wow, you feel like the Hulk. What did you do, take some kind of special drink while we stopped over in Cozumel,” I asked jokingly with a hint of true curiosity.
“No, I just made time to work out every day while we were on the cruise and I think I just look bigger since I got so much sun. You got a lot of sun as well,” he said staring up at my rejuvenated face. It looked like I’d gotten a series of facials over the past week because my skin was clean, clear, tan, and energized.
“Yeah, I did get some sun. I decided to hit the pool-chairs rather than the stepper machine, most of the time. But I did bump into you once at the gym and up on the track, remember?” I laughed. I think the cruise was really good for all of us, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, it was great. I mean you should just go into match-making professionally. Your brilliant idea for a triple-date-cruise turned out to be a huge hit. Just think, you created two marriages, so imagine the lives you’ve impacted. That’s pretty amazing,” he said pointing to the cool platinum ring braided with copper snakes on his left ring finger.
“Yeah, I guess. If the writing thing doesn’t pick up a bit, I could look into that,” I mumbled, while opening up my inbox to investigate the morning’s new flood of junk-mail. “By the way, what’s with the snakes on your ring?” I asked inquisitively.
“Well, I saw it when we popped into those jewelry stores in Mexico. It reminded me of how sneaky Satan can be, trying to entice us out of the right choices. I think it will cause me to stick with the good stuff, you know, Molly and Ocean. Plus I just like snakes, if you want to know the truth. But it sounded so poetic. Must be from all of our hanging out. This is what happens when one of my best friends is a writer after all,” he teased.
“Ha ha. You’re funny. Looks like too much sun and relaxation got to your brain. Hopefully it won’t affect your numbers this week.”
“Hey, I got you something, just to say thanks, Renee,” Jadan said handing me a card.
“Aw, that’s sweet. You didn’t have to get me a card. We all just planned it together and I had a blast too.”
“Well, you are the one who initiated the plans and I can’t thank you enough for helping to put me and Molly back together. I know this means a whole new life for Ocean too. She’s been getting by seeing us on different days, but now I feel like she’s really going to thrive, with us together, all in one home. No more of the back-and-forth stuff,” he said wiping away a tear from his left eye with his right hand.
“You’re welcome Jadan, but I’m not really sure I can take credit for all of it. I have been praying for you guys ever since we met last month,” I said opening up the card. I couldn’t believe that it had a four hundred dollar gift card to the Charthouse. “Wow, this is too much, you didn’t have to do this,” I said feeling a bit awkward.
“It’s nothing really. I would have done more, but I knew you wouldn’t have accepted it,” he said closing the card over my right hand to ensure that I didn’t hand it back to him.
“Okay, well maybe we could double date there one night this week. We could even invite Jen and Jared too. You already know she loves their chocolate mud-pie,” I said trying to feel less indebted.
“That sounds fun. Let’s figure out which night works best,” he said feeling like he couldn’t win this one.
“Don’t you have some work to do or something?” I questioned pointing to his laptop.
“Yes, and don’t you have some to do as well? So stop talking to me already. Or I’m gonna have to roll my wheels over to a different spot,” he said teasing me like old times, well like the last five weeks anyways.

I felt really blessed as I sat there soaking in the noise around me. Within the past few months, Eric and I had made some really good friendships, had strengthened our existing one with Jen, and had really improved on our own marriage as well. We’d gotten a long break from our daily routine, but it felt so good and normal to be back to the grind, sitting here at Starbucks, writing, well mostly just talking, but about to get back to my writing. I got up for a refill when I noticed Jen walking through the double doors in her shortest pink mini-skirt ever with her long-sleeve button-up jean shirt and her black leather vest. She was looking hot, like usual. All that love-making must have put her into a sexy mood. I’d have to go over and tease her about it. I winked in her direction as I offered to get Jadan a refill on his coffee.

“No, I’m good, thanks. Maybe later,” he said as his gaze stayed fixed upon today’s NYSE and NASDAQ numbers.
“Okay, I’m gonna get a refill and go over to say hi to Jen. Watch my stuff, okay?” I requested though it was totally unnecessary.
“Sure thing. Tell Jen she can come and sit over here as well. I can move my bag and make room for her too,” he said very courteously.
“Oh cool, I’m sure she’d love that. I’ll mention the dinner thing to her as well.”

I walked over toward Jen, but didn’t realize my shoe wasn’t quite on all the way and ended up tripping over like three chairs, one after the other, assaulting two regulars who knew me pretty well. At least the last chair that caught my fall was empty so I could hang onto it and recapture my balance. Jen raced over to help me out but couldn’t stop from laughing aloud. Jadan rolled over to help me up as well. How come the rest of the planet was so much more graceful than myself? Even Jadan seemed to fall less than I did.

Labels: book excerpt from Stream of Consciousness

Okay, so I’ve got to work on this Alvin character in real life and then type it up. Maybe I should brainstorm first. Nah, I’m just gonna write what comes to mind. That seems to work well for me. I’m so glad Eric is getting some good sleep. He’s always running on low when we’re at home, like five hours a night if he’s lucky. Plus I’m getting to catch up on my writing as well, free of incessant interruptions: sticky fingers using my shirt as a napkin, whining about how someone stole someone else’s new toy, or a plethora of other urgent requests (which I do kind of miss in a mom-kind-of-way).

Next I had to gather my thoughts and figure out who this Alvin guy really was. I figured the easiest way to find his sister, if she was still alive, was to go back through the house’s history. If I could find out her last name and her forwarding address, then I could probably locate her as well. If I could discover her identity, then she could fill me in on the details of her brother, Alvin.

I decided to call my Realtor, who might be intrigued by the whole thing. She was so helpful and loved to shoot the breeze. Maybe she could just stop by for lunch. I decided to text her before jumping in the shower.

Hey Jessica. Wanna come by for lunch today? I have a few questions about one of the previous owners of our house. Thought u could help. Thx—dianne

I poured myself some more coffee and within seconds, my phone hummed about an incoming text.

Sure. How about 12:15? I happen to be in ur neck of the woods. C ya then—jessica

So I wrote back and asked if Caesar salad and pitas with hummus sounded okay. She said that it would be marvelous. And it reminded me of how much I enjoyed chatting with her. She was so light-hearted and yet so hardworking at the same time. I was really glad we were going to get a chance to catch up.

I did a few things to organize the downstairs area, took a super speedy shower, brushed my teeth (since I hadn’t even done that yet), and started preparing our lunches. And before I knew it, the doorbell rang and it was Jessica.

“Hello darling. I love your fuschia pink shirt. That jean skirt makes you look so skinny,” I said as we embraced for a quick hug.
“Thank you Dianne. Your red tank is totally cute too. Have you been working out a ton like normal?” she asked walking straight for the coffee pot.”
“Help yourself Jess,” I said, even though the suggestion was totally unnecessary.
“This is good coffee Dianne. Is it Starbucks or fresh & easy?” she questioned.
“It’s Starbucks. I like their new organic blend. It’s pretty good, huh?”
“Yeah, totally good. How can I help with the lunch? Can I chop something or get anything out of the fridge for you?”
“Nope, I’ve got it all out here on the bar,” I said motioning toward the grey and white counter-top on the island in the middle of my newly remodeled kitchen.
“You guys redid your kitchen since I was here last. It looks awesome. Who did you use for the job?” she inquired like a true Realtor would do.
“My stepdad did it. He’s a contractor and things were slow over the holidays so he came out with a small crew and remodeled the kitchen for us. He also did our master bath. You’ll have to walk up and take a peek in a bit. He does great work, but he’s not close by, so he wouldn’t really be the best contact for your clients,” I informed her.
“Well, maybe I’ll have him come by and give me an estimate for my kitchen. It’s needed a facelift for years. We just haven’t had the cash to lay down for a job that big. After we put our pool in and got our new cars, we have been trying to be good with our spending,” she announced honestly.
“I hear ya Jess. We’re trying to keep up with paying for all of the kids’ activities with school, sports, and church. It adds up fast,” I said setting out some red tumblers for iced tea, which we would get to after our freshly filled mugs of coffee.
“So, what’s with the question about the previous owner? I did call the office and JoAnn forwarded me some docs electronically so I could get you some info fast.”
“Wow, that’s incredible. I’m really grateful for that,” I said with a soft smile.
“No problem. Anything for one of my best clients ever,” she said scratching her nose.
“Well, you won’t believe this, but there’s an elderly gentleman named Alvin staying with us up in my attic. You know, the apartment that we discovered when we were doing our final walk-through? I couldn’t believe how much stuff we found up there, do you remember?” I asked refreshing her about the facts.
“Yeah, I do remember. Did you ever go through any of that stuff?”
“No, in the eight years we’ve been here, we basically just left it as it was.”
“So, how’s Alvin related to the picture?”
“Well, I discovered him up there earlier this morning. It was the strangest thing. The kids were at school. He must have been up there for a few days cuz I’ve been hearing big thuds and crazy noises. I told Josh that I thought we had humongous rats climbing around up there, which was totally freaking me out. Anyways, I noticed some broken glass, so I walked up the white rickety wooden stairs and found him lying there on the ground, looking so helpless. He obviously has a drinking problem, but for now, I just see him as this lost soul, searching for someone to help him.”
“Are you kidding Dianne? You actually have a drunken homeless man up in your attic right now and you’re okay with that?” she said acting paranoid.
“Well, he appears to have Alzheimer’s and he is really adorable. I could tell he had busted through the glass just to get into the attic. You’ll see what I mean. He just reminds you of your own dad or grandpa. I saw the glass but what really caught my eye was an opening in the overgrown vines that blocks our view of the door up there. I saw something black and as I got closer, could see that it was some size thirteen black leather shoes on the front doormat. I knew they weren’t Josh’s so I had to go up and see what was going on.”
“You actually walked up there yourself without a clue about who was up there? What if it had been a murderer or a rapist? You could have gotten killed Dianne,” she warned dramatically.
“True, I could have, but I just didn’t feel that worried. I figured I had my cell phone so I could dial 911 pretty fast. I don’t know. I just felt okay about it for some reason. So, I checked and then I opened the doorknob and… just walked in. I saw him lying there looking so helpless and my instincts just kicked in,” I said tearing up.
“You’re crazy Dianne. I can’t believe you’re letting a complete stranger stay up in your external apartment. What if he’s crazy or something? I mean, he could hurt your kids… or you… or Josh. You have to think straight on this,” she advised with a professional edge.
“I am thinking straight Jessica. He’s like seventy-five years old. I don’t exactly feel all that threatened. But anyways, that’s why I called you. I know he returned here because this is where he used to live. His sister is one of the previous owners. You see, it’s not as mysterious and dangerous as you’re making it out to be.”
“Well, that does make a little bit of sense. Let me pull out my laptop and see what JoAnn found. Maybe we could google the sister’s name and contact her for some help here.”
“That sounds great Jessica. I really appreciate that,” I said crunching on a tasty crouton. I love this new fresh & easy Caesar salad kit. It tastes so gourmet and it’s less than three dollars for the whole bag.
“Okay, I found her name. She was two owners ago. Let’s see, she owned the house for most of its history, for like forty something years. Her name is Alice Godwin. So now I need to google some info on her.”
“Great! That’s so helpful. I’m so excited to share this info with Alvin. Can you find a forwarded address for her?”
“Yes, I show one in another state, let’s see. It looks like she moved back to Texas to live with family out there. And oh my goodness, this newspaper article shows a record of her funeral. She died two years ago and it says that she was survived by her only remaining family member, by her brother Alvin Culbertson, who served in the military and in World War II.”

Labels: book excerpt from Stream of Consciousness

I tried to hold the book up so I could at least finish the page, but my eyelids stubbornly closed shut like an iron box keeping a hold upon its secret treasures deep inside. Maybe my dreams would produce the next part of my book. But I’d probably spend a few minutes first dreaming about Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. They are just the sweetest couple of the early nineteenth century. Even though they are fictitious, I know they represent real stories, human longings, true love, and hope. Ah to dream.

I woke up the next morning with my dog licking my left cheek. I must have had a little bit of mint ice cream left on my face. Thankfully she recently had some doggie dental work done and her breath wasn’t too bad. Eric never returned to our room. I was sure he was still asleep in one of the kid’s rooms. I heard my phone beeping like there was a text message, so I got up to check. I couldn’t believe what I read:

Renee, we have to talk. Things are not going well with Jared. I don’t ever want to talk to him again. Skipping the piece of crap cruise. You can use my ticket. Not gonna make it to dinner tonight either. Call me—jen :(

“Nooooooooooooooooooooooo! Crap!” I yelled out loud. I was glad no-one else was awake yet, besides my canine companion. And glad I hadn’t yelled something worse than that. My mouth had a way of slipping out a few non-euphemisms from time to time, though I wasn’t generally proud of those. I texted back using all ten fingers at once.

Jen, u can’t cancel. Let’s talk first. U guys have to come to dinner. Big surprise. What happened? Call me, now!—renee :(

Oh my gosh. I’m freaking. My one spontaneous and amazing plan in the past thirteen years and it’s not going to work out. I’ve got to do something. I have to find Jared. That’s what I’ve got to do. But how do I get his number. Maybe Jadan knows one of his friends from Starbucks. Ahhh… I’m panicking. This has to work.

I texted Jadan and amazingly he did have Jared’s last name, so I was able to look it up online. I got a hold of one of his old room-mates who lived with him before he moved out to buy his own townhome. I actually got it. So, I called and demanded to know what had happened.

“Hey Jared, this is Renee, Jen’s best friend. What the hell happened? Jen texted me and she’s pissed and freaking out. I need to know,” I ordered in a sharp tone.
“Wow, it’s still seven in the morning on a Saturday Renee. Don’t you think you might want to hear my side of the story first before you condemn me to the doghouse?” he patiently implored.
“Okay, sorry. I’m super stressed because, well… I’ll just come out and tell you. I planned this huge surprise that I was going to tell you and Jen about later tonight during dinner at my house. We were going to have a triple date cuz I bought tickets for me and my husband to join you guys on the cruise. And then, this new friend and his girlfriend planned to come too. And I’m usually not like this, I mean, we hardly travel since we’ve had kids, but I wanted it to work out so much. Now Jen’s acting crazy about something you did. What happened?” I questioned in a more civilized tone this time.
“Well, I’m not exactly sure Renee. Jen is a dramatic woman, let’s just say, I’m not totally sure. She was at my place and fell asleep out on the couch, but nothing happened. I mean, not that you care, but seriously we just had a nice dinner and watched a movie, so I covered her with a blanket and woke up to her yelling and acting ballistic. I’m as surprised as you are,” he said in a seriously perplexed tone.
“Wow, that is strange Jared. Sorry to accuse you like I did. That was truly rude of me. Maybe we can work this out. Can you tell me what you guys ate last night?”
“What we ate? Isn’t that a strange question? I mean, what the heck does that have to do with what happened?”
“Well, Jen is hypoglycemic. She gets imbalanced when her sugar gets off. When she starts wigging at me, I usually hand her a piece of candy and it gets us back on track. And the truth is, she’s totally PMSing too. She might just be having a panic attack about her decision to go on a cruise with someone she just met a few weeks ago,” I said trying to assuage his confusion.
“That’s a lot to take in. Okay, well things were going well. I was going to run out and get some bagels and coffee and return before she even woke up, but I ran out when I heard yelling and she was inconsolable. I didn’t have a fricking clue what to do, so if you can think of something, I’d love for this to work out somehow,” he said optimistically.
“No worries Jared. My family is still asleep but Eric’s home, so I’ll leave a note and then I’ll head over to her place to find her and calm her down,” I said convincingly.
“Okay, thanks Renee. That would be great. I’ll keep my phone on all day, so just text me or call when you figure anything out,” he begged.
“We’re like sisters so don’t worry. I’ll get this figured out,” I said comforting him over the phone.

I quickly changed my clothes, wrote a note for Eric, and grabbed my keys. And I was off like a speeding bullet over to Jen’s place. She had to be more settled down by this time. I was sure this would get worked out somehow. I basically ran through three orange, but technically red lights to get there as fast as I did. I barely locked my door as I sprinted to Jen’s door. I knocked like a Roman guard upon her navy blue door. The potted pink miniature roses sat peacefully next to me with their sweet aroma calming my nerves. I knew this would get resolved somehow. I heard footsteps and knew it had to be Jen.
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QUESTION FOR MY READERS:
QUICK VOTE, WHO THINKS JARED IS A GOOD GUY FOR JEN? SHOULD THEY STAY TOGETHER?

Labels: book excerpt from Stream of Consciousness

My gosh. Am I this pathetic? My single best friend is going to go skydiving with her new loser boyfriend and my new paraplegic friend is exploring the world without any functional legs while I, a grown woman, am still terrified of the dark. I mean, am I even alive? Or am I just hiding behind my writing? Is that what makes my existence real? If I don’t write, it’s like there’s no proof I was even here. I mean, my three kids, well they’re proof, right? I need another coffee. My gosh if I could just finish this damn nature piece, then I could move on and start writing my book.

Jadan rolled off to the other side of the lounge. But before he made it back to his table, he got stopped by a tall, thin business acquaintance to discuss an article from the Wall Street Journal. They chatted for a few minutes before he got back to his trades. Meanwhile, Jen couldn’t put her damn phone down because she was texting half of the planet, but mainly Jared. I could tell it was Jared because of the way she smiled and put her right pinky nail against the edge of her front tooth while she hit “send” every fifteen seconds.

“Seriously Jen, five thousand texts per month. You are going to get Carpal Tunnel,” I said with a tired tone.
“Whatever, it just gives me an edge and makes me a faster typist. What’s your problem Renee? Grumpy again today, are we? I swear you’re not having enough sex. That’s what’s making you so irritable,” she said still texting away.
“Ha ha, you Dork. I get plenty of sex by the way. I’m the one with the three kids remember?” I said laughing into my next sip of coffee.
“Well you seem all serious and pissy. You don’t have to tell me what’s bugging you though. I know I’ll hear it soon enough,” she sighed.
“Spoken like a true friend, Jen. Seriously, nothing’s bugging me… except that I can’t clear my mind and I’m totally confused about my life lately.”
“About what? You have three healthy and amazingly smart kids, a four bedroom house near the beach, a totally brilliant, hot husband, and an obedient Labrador to go jogging with. Pardon me, but what the heck do you have to feel confused about?”
“Jen, you are so shallow sometimes. It all looks great on the outside, but I’m not always as happy as everyone thinks. Then I meet Jadan, who is like the most joyful human being ever to walk the earth, even though he’s paralyzed. I don’t get it. Why can’t I be more positive about stuff like he is?” I asked.
“Well, I’m sure he has tough days too. We all do. And I didn’t mean to make it seem like you have a perfect life, but yours comes pretty damn close,” she said brushing her hand against mine.
“I do have a ton of blessings. I just wish I wasn’t such a stress-case. It’s hard to drop the kids off and not worry about them all day long. I swear Jen before having kids, I had almost nothing to worry about. I mean grad school was a ton of work, but if I died, oh well. As a mom, it’s different, you have to take really good care of yourself now so you can live to be a great grandma some day. Plus, you have to take care of three other human beings in every way, from their teeth to their hair, to their butts even. It’s literally exhausting,” I said rolling my head from side to side to get a few cracks and pops out.
“See Renee, this is why you don’t write. You just get inside your head and all you do is freak out most of the day. You know I love you so I’m just gonna say it: ‘Chill out!’”
“Thanks Jen. I love you too. So, how was your date with Mr. Sleaze-ball last night?”
“It was very sleazy, thank you.”
“You seriously slept with him already?”
“No, I did not, thank you very much. I think he’s actually all talk because he didn’t even kiss me, but it was okay. It was very romantic. After dinner, we walked along the harbor and stared at the million dollar boats. It was a bit breezy, so he gave me his black leather jacket to wear over my spaghetti strap black velvet dress. It was literally the most kosher and non physical date I’ve had since like junior high,” she said in an astonished tone.
“Nice. I’m impressed Jen. I mean, truly blown away. What a guy? I might even have to apologize to him next time I see him at our old Starbucks. So does Jared like Chinese food?” I inquired as my mind started thinking about the lunch specials across the Plaza at Mr. Kim’s.
“I don’t know. We’ve only dated for like a week. But I bet he does. He’s very open minded. And he’s such a gentleman. He paid for everything. Oh, did I mention the Espresso Comedy after dinner that he took me to? It was so funny. I laughed like a total nerd. But, he has a really snorty laugh too,” she said reminiscing about the memorable evening with her new heart throb.
“Well go Jen. I’m happy for you, like truly happy if this guy turns out to be a true prince charming,” I said flipping through various folders on my laptop.

PAUSE.

Opening up “Nature Article.” I hope I remembered to let Nugget out. Ugghhh, if I didn’t, then she’s gonna pee all over the red futon again. Oh, I hope Dianne and Danielle don’t get the stomach flu like Josh did earlier this week. I can’t even remember if I took that pot roast out of the freezer to dethaw. Well, if not, there’s always Little Caesar’s to the rescue. Thank goodness for pizza. Uggghhh, I totally forgot to eat breakfast this morning. I’m so hungry. I hated that nightmare last night. I can’t believe that friend of mine who shared that lame story about the woman who got abducted by aliens. Like that could really happen? Oh my gosh…BRAIN…YOU MUST SHUT UP SO I CAN WRITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Labels: book excerpt from Stream of Consciousness