The Scampering Horse

I work at the newspaper. The newspaper is a building in downtown. The buildings downtown have upstairs and downstairs. I don't know what the  upstairs look like. I have only seen the downstairs. The desk I sit at is the one closest to the windows, and next to the Christmas tree. I've been working there a month, and I work part-time. I get the mail, and take the newspaper to the post office where they weigh it and such. I also purchase stamps, occasionally make a deposit, and I write a little bit. I take a few pictures. Mostly, I work on The Legals section. I want to be a writer when I grow up, and I thought maybe this would be a great way to start. I have had a few articles published and a few more pictures. Rob is my publisher, and he is awesome. He moved in August from Las Vegas, Nevada. He always wanted to be a publisher when he grew up and now he is one. Dreams really do come true in Sidney, Nebraska. I do not want to be a publisher when I grow up. This is an add fro...

Christmas. It started awhile ago, as Christmas often does, with presents being tucked in the closet as I purchased them. The music. One song per hour on my local radio station, mostly old classics. Occasionally that one that I don't like would play. You know the one,"Last Christmas I give you my heart, but the very next day, you give it away, give it away." That one makes me cringe and sing along every single time. Then, the tree went up. Last year we purchased our first tree that has its own lights attached to the wiry branches. I got it at Hobby Lobby. While I put the tree up in my new home in Nebraska, I missed my Roberts Street house in Albuquerque. I missed my green chili in Albuquerque. I missed the zoo and the Aquarium in Albuquerque. When I say I miss Albuquerque, I don't mean that I don't love it here. I do. I love Nebraska. I also loved Albuquerque, and that stage of my kids life and the lifestyle. Things wouldn't be the same even if I lived ther...

I made a new friend recently. I say recently, but it she is one of those friends that I think, “What was life like before I knew Megan?” I don’t remember. It seems like she has always been here in Sidney, living on Glade Avenue, cutting and coloring my hair. She plans things and then makes fun, and classy. Megan makes me feel like I am living in Steel Magnolias, and it is a dream come true. She is Truvy, and I am Weezer, only she doesn't accessorize as much as I do. Maybe she is more Annelle, and I am Clairee. Maybe our parts will become more defined as we age.  Megan’s husband is a clothing designer at Cabela’s. It honestly makes me feel cooler to say I have a friend who is a designer. No exaggeration. It is the same feeling I have when saying I have a friend who was on Jeopardy. And I have a friend with a Phd who teaches creative writing. And I have married friends who were on Broadway before they had kids. These friends vicariously make me cooler. Oh, and I know Sharee St...

How did you get an artist to paint you? Well there are 5 easy breezy steps. Step 1: Meet an artist. Several would be better, because in my experience you have to ask three artists to get one to paint you. Meeting an artist who paints portraits would be even better. Step 2: Show admiration for the artists work. Step 3: Ask the artist if they would paint you. Step 4: They will say yes. But they might not actually mean yes. Step 5 : Show up at their door so they have pressure to get arting. It is a great question. I know kings and queens have portraits painted. But they are rich. So, how does a mere peasant in this great big world find an artist, and then get that artist to agree to paint them. How much does such a luxury even cost: 50 candy bars? One thousand candy bars? I have to admit, this is not the first artist I have asked to paint me. Ian has an aunt who is an artist, and I mentioned I would love to model for a painting. My aunt Karina is also an artist, and I have...

Hello bloggity readers. It is nice to chat with you this evening from my motel room. I am munching on sugar daddies, eating popcorn, and sipping on ice water. I am, you see, on vacation. I decided I needed vacation yesterday when my three year old took the can of hot chocolate from off the counter and spread it all over the basement. The basement has carpet. The can of hot chocolate was pretty much full. The vacuum cleaner tried hard, but that chocolate powder is probably going to live in my basement carpet forever. "Ian, I am getting a motel room tomorrow night and I am staying there by myself." That was what I said to Ian on the phone yesterday afternoon. "Ok. Sounds fun." That is how I know my husband loves me and gets me. So, here I am. At the Best Western in Sidney. I chose the Best Western because it has a hot tub. I decided to bring my 7 year old with me. Because even though I like to be alone, I like to be alone with people. We checked into our ho...

I went to this 7:00 o'clock movie with my 8 year old daughter as well as the movie gals. That was the best choice I made all day. The movie had Jennifer Gardner in it. I know she says her name is Jennifer Garner, but I prefer to think of her as a Gardener who grows lilies, and Gardner is pretty close. Jennifer is adorable. Ever since "13 Going On 30" she has captured a place in my heart. I watched "13 Going on 30" a lot when I was living in Beijing, and the people in the movies were the only people who spoke English, and they were my best friends. Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Gardner are dear friends of mine, but they don't know me. That is fine, because I don't know if I would like the reality as well as the fantasy people I've created in my head. Well, in Alexander and the Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (or is it Terrible, Horrible? which is a very, very long name for a movie. I actually think that movies should have names that peopl...

My kids bring home these wonderful, dangerous, delightful things in their backpacks every month. I've loved them ever since I was a kid. Scholastic Bookorder forms. They say "Open a world of possible." I think it should be possibility, but I appreciate the brevity. I get 3 of them. Bookorder forms. Paper that crinkles, a coupon stapled to the front-one for each child in school. Each order is a colorful wonderland holding age appropriate delights. One month, I spent $50 on the complete collection of Junie B. Jones. That girl is FUNNY.  $50 would buy several candy bars, the true representation of a dollar. When I was little 50 cents would buy a candy bar. That was a luxury I took for granted. When people talk about inflation, I see it in chocolate candy bars. Right now I am looking through the preschool books. I am thinking, How many "David" books are there? I don't know, but I want them all! I want the books where he is in trouble, and where he is st...

This is not a tidy movie that ends with a bow on top. It ends with a crane shot of a woman alone on a bench. This is a very untidy movie, not based on a true story, that breaks all the rules of chick-flickery and made me angry. Apparently there is a book. "The Best of Me" Nicholas Sparks wrote the thing, and then someone made a movie based on it, but apparently took some liberties. My friend Meg had read the book, and there in her hoody, shook her head at me when the movie veered from the original story line. Her head shook many times. I am not holding back on spoilers, so read no more if you wish to get angry all by yourself later. Here's the deal. I was into this movie. I was right there with them as they lived their star-crossed lives. The actors were good. The music was well done, and the story line moved along at a pleasant pace. The were was a break-up scene that was the most torturous break-up I've ever beheld. There was a good location that grounded th...

Tis the season for family and school pictures. With the season comes the need for posing for those pictures. We spend a lot of time thinking about location and outfits. That is great. But, also think about your poses. Photographers will help you, but what is it that you want to say about you? I have a lot of opinions on this subject. And they are just that, opinions. I will present them to you in an entertaining manner. They are not based on science. But, I tend to agree with them.  I am not going into posing the family, but I will give you some suggestions for your individual shots. I highly encourage you to get some individuals. Even if you are the mom or the dad. You are somebody's daughter or son, you are somebody's mother or father, and you are somebody's aunt or uncle. Those people love you as an individual, and you will never be this same age again. Capture this moment and do it without being bashful. YOU are amazing! Also, it is fun. If you let it be fun. ...

I have got to get this movie reviewed. The two of you who read the movie reviews (Brittany and someone else) are really counting on me. I don't want to let you down. Here's the scoop. I usually go into these movies without knowing anything about them. I get a text saying it is movie night, and then I go to the movie. However, this movie was a little different. Rose told me she watched the trailer and it looked freaky. FREAKY. That didn't sound good. I don't do most scary movies, so I had to see the trailer and determine if it was indeed freaky. The trailer shows a boy in a metal elevator. He is being pushed up into the light. He is greeted by some teenage male models who have apparently been stranded in a strange new world. There is a labyrinth surrounding them-a labyrinth that squishes people in its walls. I also get the impression from the trailer that nobody can remember where they came from, or why they are in labyrinth world. I determined it wasn't m...

I was going to review the movie I saw on Thursday, but I couldn't remember what it was. A lot has happened to me since then. I went to a training in Omaha on after school programs, which are now referred to as After School Enrichment programs. It was awesome. I took a class on performing arts, where I learned about programs that will allow for stop animation, as well as circle time, theater games, visual arts and storytelling. Sidney doesn't have a performing arts after school program, but I can incorporate a lot of the ideas into the programs already existing.  I also accidently went to a poetry class, where we talked about how to teach poetry. I loved it, but I love poetry. So maybe my accident was very intentional. Here is my poem: I'm From Green chili roasting and scrambled eggs steam  wafting thorugh my bedroom keyhole- the door without a knob. The morning sun streaming through cracked windows that won't  exactly open, and won't exactly close ...

I went to a movie again. 9pm showing of "If I Stay..." or is it "Should I Stay?" The internet confirms "If I stay." My group of 7 gals were the only ones in the theater. We had 6 buckets of popcorn between us. It was a bit much, but when a popcorn and soda refill are only $3.00, you don't argue. You just buy it, and have leftovers. I missed most of the previews. There was a football one that looked fun. "When the Game Stands Tall." I always like football movies. Something about those lights on the field and all the locker-room talks. It is just beautiful. I like football movies better than football. I like baseball movies even more than football movies. But, I digress. "If I Stay" has a girl named Mia. She is very beautiful, and very cello-y. As in, she plays the cello-that wondrous instrument that pretty much sings perfection.  If I were going to rename this movie I would call it "Cellist Choices" "The Rocker...