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Hello 2014. Glad to meet you. I knew you were a possibility but I was never sure you'd be a reality for me. Sooo, here I am, out here in the frigid heartland, snowed in and holed up in my woman cave, emerging briefly from the malaise of my cabin fever to marvel at the news that records may be broken when it comes to the winter weather besieging the Chicagoland area. Baby, it's cold outside, and somebody got the memo to let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. What to do, what to say?? My writer's block is descending into a deep freeze. Let's see; I ended up being locked out in the wee small hours of January 1, 2014. Having attended a small gathering at one of my daughter's houses, after drinking and eating and laughing and talking, once the clock struck midnight and mushy kisses exchanged, one by one the attendees gradually began to take their leave, glad we managed to survive the barrage of gun fire that exploded throughout the neighborhood. Everyone was going their different ways and my son, who I came with, entrusted me into the care of my granddaugher, who was to take me back to where I live with my other daughter. To make a long story short, when we got there, the house was locked and nobody was there to let me in. Phone calls only succeeded in pointing fingers at everyone who should've known better than to leave me stranded without a key. Whatever. I ended up spending the night with my grandaughter and her boyfriend at their place. I slept on the couch, keeping a wary eye on their adored pit terrier who they swear is the most gentle creature in the world and who seemed to be mistaking me for his nana, too, nuzzling and snuggling up to me. Anyway, when I woke up a few hours later from a restless sleep, since nobody else was aroused from their alcohol stupors, I proceeded to browse around, gravitating naturally to the book case, and what immediately caught my eye was what seemed to be laying there on a ledge waiting for me: a manual entitled "Christianity for Dummies". Dummy that I am, it seemed like a good idea to pick up this book and flip through it, which I did. Captivated by its chapter headings, I sat down and began to read. I was especially inspired to do this because one of my New Year's resolutions was to stop harassing people about their steadfast devotion to Jesus and his clone, Obama. I read just enough to know that I would take this book home and complete it in the leisure and quiet of my solitude. One should never stop learning and I need to be better enlightened about what it is that I am scoffing at. I doubt that I will become born-again, but I feel that mellowing out is an appropriate stance to take at this juncture in my life. I've refrained from classifying myself as an atheist because I'm still searching but I found this post on FaceBook an interesting one. These are also some interesting quotes that I have come across recently and found thought provoking. "Religion is belief in someone else's experience. Spirituality is having your own experience." Deepak Chopra "My brain is only a receiver. In the Universe there is a core from which we obtain knowledge, strength and inspiration. I have not penetrated into the secret of this core, but I know it is there". Nikola Testla "The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood were made in the interiors of collapsing stars...Because the cosmos is also within us...we're made of star stuff..." Carl Sagan

"Writing is a lonely profession", somebody who knew what they were talking about once said. Today, if you are an aspiring author, you are your brand and your words are your product. In current lingo that's the name of the game and its a tough game to make the cut for. In the economical world, there has to be a demand for the supply. And one has to keep up with the times. Original plots seem to be more important than good skills, and selling your manuscript can be equivalent to selling your soul, what with there always being a chance that the draft will be revised and adapted and transformed into what will make it more appealing to the mass reading audience. How else to explain the success of trash like 50 Shades of Gray? Make-believe sagas are holding their own because teenagers primed by computer games are receptive to reading fantasy fiction about wizards and mesmerizing vampires and futuristic adventures and dragon tales. But the competition posed by reality TV is tough because it offers up enough trash and melodrama and mushy romance to satisfy those more amenable to visual rather than printed entertainment. The future doesn't look bright for authors or hard cover books. This genre may be reduced to cult status. A new wave is sweeping us along in its tide and adjustment on many levels seems to be the only option. Change is inevitable.