Author of the novel WHEN YOU LOSE CONTROL

I've loved Barry Williams since I was about five, watching returns of The Brady Bunch. He's meant a lot to me, especially as Greg Brady, and a few years ago via Cameo, he wished my novel well. That novel is due out in December, and so I would like to say thank you to a dear celebrity. 

Writers group means so much to me, and not only getting to feature my favorite poet the other night but to have the pleasure of introducing him was fantastic. I feel very fortunate to have found such lovely people in such a small town. When I cofounded WG, I wanted a writing community; I didn't know I was getting a life-change and upgrade. 

She had a large vein cut out of her leg.  She did it for love and not for any compensation.  She dearly missed her favorite cat each and every day. 

How much of my life have I spent in traffic?  I really feel like I belong on the West Coast.  Harsh, dreaded winter looms in the not-so-distant future. 

Tomorrow, I get to see Billy Joel in concert for the 14th time! I'm a little bummed I have to sit through Stevie Knicks; I've never liked her voice or music, but it's a small price to pay to enjoy another Billy show. It's strange to think this might be the last time I see him in person. I've been going to see him in concert since I was a sophomore in college. I don't want this era to end! 

I looked up at the thirty-foot tree where I once launched a ball into its lowest branches. 'My' kids had asked me to kick the ball across the driveway to them, so they could catch it and return it. They rolled me the ball, I tried to kick it into the air, but instead, due to my ghastly lack of coordination, somehow managed to get the ball nestled itself in a little thicket, about fifteen feet up. The kids laughed at my 'joke' and kept saying how funny I was. When the novelty of their assumption wore off, they asked me to end my silliness and get the ball down. I was torn between pretending I had the athletic ability to intentionally launch a ball like I just had, and the truth. The truth won, and we stared at that silly rubber egg, cozy in its nest, for the next day and a half. 

The world ended, and I was suspended from a zipline.  While driving, I broke the last of that bird's bones. At work again, selling hours of my life. For what?  

You're but my servant. Clean out my litter box- now. Fetch me some water. You cannot move me,  for this is my bed, not yours. The audacity! A killing machine  Many razors in their paws. Yet so squeezable. 

The Brady Bunch house in Studio City sold this week, and now Eve Plumb is auctioning off a bunch of Brady memorabilia from her personal collection. I'd love for the house to be moved (for practical reasons) to somewhere like Vegas so it could be turned into a museum. I'd pay A LOT to visit the inside of the Brady house, especially Greg's attic, which is in the basement in the 'real' home. And I would love to see the scripts and things Eve Plumb is selling, some with her annotations. What a great for us super fans. I guess if these silly dreams can't come true, we can hope for one more Brady reunion special? 

I notice I have an abundance of urgency I want final decisions and to move on from past things I need to care for you when you are sick I shoulder the cruelty that comes and shove it away I fill tires and unclog sinks I am undaunted by my masculinity  I don't know how to reckon with my lack of feminity I am always an extreme I notice there is so much to notice 

I wish I could reciprocate the warm, kind family who are inviting and lovely. I wish I came from a place to show off. I wish I could give you so much more, but all I can offer is me.

I'm tired of commuting a ridiculously long way to a job with no next to no hours. I'm tired of having to either ask for my check or correct it. I'm tired of inconsistency and now gaslighting in regard to the ends of shifts. I'm tired of not having a good and higher-paying job with perks and benefits, a job to feel proud of. I have a degree, and I'm essentially a laundress. Everyone I know seems to have no commute or an amazing, important job. I drive an hour to wash other people's clothes and sort of babysit. I'm tired. 

I finished a Buddy Holly bio I started reading last December (ADHD much?), and tomorrow would have been Buddy's 87th birthday. I've loved his music all my life, and I still marvel at how young he was when he died. His life and career were so incredibly short, and I'm perpetually astonished at what he was able to achieve and how talented he was. How many songs from the late 50s still have such an impact on current life? How many other 50s stars could people today still name? I suppose I haven't brought anything new to the table; all of this is quite obvious, and I'm sure the masses share these opinions, but anyway, RIP, Buddy. I'll be listening to That'll Be The Day tomorrow. 

I've applied for a writer-in-residency to take place for one week this March. I'd be paid to sit and sip coffee and write for an entire week. I desperately hope I get a slot, there are three, because I could really use a confidence boost regarding my writing. I'll find out in eleven weeks; let the waiting begin! 

I always struggle with what to put here since I have to save my best work to submit in case the entity insists on work that hasn't been published absolutely anywhere else. It's challenging to weed through my work due to self-esteem and confidence issues, but I guess any writer must sit and decide what's 'best.' Anyway, I've written a couple of short, silly, lighthearted poems about nanny life recently that I thought were somewhat cute. I didn't think either was my most extraordinary work, but I thought they were okay enough to share, and if nothing else, they were cheerful, and I thought they'd perhaps receive some small chuckles. This poem did not and rather bombed when I read it aloud. But, for the one (maybe two these days??) people and or bots who read this, enjoy.  Nanny Runaround  Arriving at work, the children yell This day will be fun; I can tell Why did I get an English degree Would law have better suited me? "We want to go to the library,