Cold and Sad 2/12/12

     No, I haven't been on vacation.  Wish I had been.  The weather has been so screwy for the past few days that my wifi connection has been molasses slow or none at all.  No wifi, no blog.  I hope someone out there missed me.
     First, the cold.  I hate the beach when it's cold.  Never thought I'd say that.  Ever.  That I hate the beach.  But I've never been here when it's cold like this.  I'm trapped in three dinky rooms and the beachy decor is getting on my last nerve.  The wind has been howling like a hurricane, so I can't even find respite on the balcony.  Last night the wicked wind was blowing the lounge chairs around like matchsticks downstairs, white-capping the pool, and sometime during the night turned over a porta-john in Hurl Rocks Park next door.  Haven't heard anyone yelling, so I guess no one was in there when it turned over.  The icy wind was howling through my front door so bad last night, I had to seal myself in with masking tape.  I shouldn't complain.  Mama said it was eight degrees at her house in Missouri yesterday morning.  But I'm going to complain.  I can't beachwalk, so I've got to do something. 
     Now to the sad.  I am devastated by the loss of Whitney Houston.  She was a beautiful woman, a brilliant talent, and a true diva in the best sense of the word.  But beyond that, she felt like one of us.  A screwed-up sister that fell down, picked the wrong guy, made bad decisions, and embarrassed herself sometimes -- just like I've done, just like a lot of us have done -- but somehow had the courage and strength to stand up and go on.  And she faced all this with the media in her business 24/7.  Wish they would leave her and her family alone now.  I'm sorry, Whitney, for all the sadness in your life.  But that's over now.  Go in peace.  The rest of us screwed-up sisters will keep moving forward with the spirit in your music leading the way.  You won't be forgotten.  Ever.

Blessings 2/8/12

I have enjoyed several blessings today:

• Despite a mostly hazy day, I saw a dazzling sunrise and sunset backdropped by air-brushed clouds in intricate designs.
• Sitting on the balcony talking to my SGD this morning, Sunbella drenched me with full sunshine for a few wonderful minutes.
• Got out to Myrtle's Market for apples, oranges, pears (delish!) and tomatoes.  Fabulous to still get fresh produce this time of year.
• Worked hard and got three memoir pieces and a query to an agent completed today. 
• Will be blessed shortly with some well-deserved hot tub time!

Hope you have had blessings in your life today as well.    

Words weigh a ton 2/7/12

• A grueling day at the notebook.  Finished three pieces for my memoir today, and sent out a query packet to a new agent.  My memoir is titled Life Gone South (when I ran away to live at the beach and be a writer).  Coming soon to a book store near you.  I hope.  If I can ever get an agent interested in it, or the novel I wrote.  What I did today might not sound like a lot to you, but words must weigh a ton.  My body feels like I carried bricks all day.  This writing business is heavy duty work.  But I love it.  Want to keep on doing it as long as I can.
• Another gray day in Myrtle Beach, but there was a slice of diffuse sunshine enough to get me out walking.  Went to the mini mart to buy my Mega Millions tickets -- I'm ever the hopeful fool -- and walked back up the beach into the northeast wind slapping my face.  Mother Ocean kept me company.  She never quits, she is relentlessly pounding the sand.  And so will I.  I won't give up.  I've tasted this dream of being a writer, of words and thoughts pouring out of me like nectar from the holy grail, and I love it.  It's what makes me come alive.  Everyone needs that one thing that makes them come alive and keeps them getting up hopeful every day.  Writing is mine.  Hope you find yours.
• Now it's time for a little writer TLC in the hot tub.  Relax those muscles, tight and sore from writing a ton of words.

Bipolar? and the Super Bowl 2/6/12

• Mother Nature is bipolar or PMSing.  Bad.  Early yesterday afternoon I was beachwalking in bare feet, rolled-up jeans, and a t-shirt.  A balmy breeze was ruffling my hair, and Sunbella was peeking out from the clouds and giving me a sun blush.  Then by Super Bowl kick off, the wind was slapping the balcony chairs around and I could see my breath before I even lit up when I went out to smoke.  Today is just as frigid.  Somebody please slip Mother Nature a Lithium or a big old Midol and make it quick.  I need the sun back.  I'm jonesing for another sultry beachwalk.
• Spent my best Super Bowl ever with my special guy D!  From our couches 1200 miles apart, we snacked and sipped wine and yelled at the players for dropping the ball.  I turned him on to Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet (still can't believe he'd never seen it), and he schooled me on how to play the football squares betting game he does.  I snuck a few peeks at the Sex and the City marathon on E!, too.  OK, I flipped over to SATC a lot.  But we had a great time sharing the game on the phone.  And Madonna was awesome, even lip-syncing.  And best of all, the Patriots lost.  Don't care much for the Giants, but I really don't like the Patriots.
• Hope yall had a fantastic Super Bowl and Mother Nature is in a better mood where you live.

The Plunge 2/4/12

     Went to my first polar plunge today.  No, I did not plunge, except into a can of Heineken while I watched.  And I don't know that you can really call it polar -- the sun was shining, the air temp was in the mid-60s, and the water was 55 degrees.  But it was fun to watch, the first fun I've had since I did karaoke and that was two weeks ago.
     Didn't hear how many plungers showed up, but there was a bunch in all shapes, sizes, ages, and manner of dress.  The best costume I saw was a big blond gal dressed as Wonder Woman -- swimsuit with the gold belt, head gear, cape, red stockings over her Birkenstocks.  She was getting her picture taken as much as J-Lo and loving it.  Even the Chick-fil-A cow did the plunge.  And once they got out in the ocean, a bunch of people stayed in and played.  The one that enjoyed it the most, though, was a blond Lab.  He would gallop into the water, hit the first wave, and dog paddle back to the beach.  Over and over he did the same maneuver, with a huge smile on his face.  Finally his owner had to leash him to make him stop.
     Gotta say a "good job, Guys" to the Horry County Police and Rescue dudes for staying out there in the cold water until the last plungers were safely on the beach.  And for providing eye candy to go with my Heineken.  It's not every day that I see buff bare-chested guys in wetsuits with the top half peeled down.  Hunkalicious!  I may have to become a regular plunge watcher.

The change-up 2/3/12

• Yesterday I was walking on the beach, barefooted and sweating.  Last night I was star-gazing from the balcony in PJs and no shoes.  Today I'm on the balcony in jeans, sweater, wool jacket, scarf, and my feet are freezing in my funky plaid sneakers.  I like yesterday's weather much better.
• Intense pre-sunrise this morning.  Not the typical tropical rainbow.  Sunbella, below the horizon, splashed up brush strokes of watercolors onto the fading contrail clouds -- cotton candy pink, virgin blush, harlot rouge, melting Push-up pop, Lifesaver tangerine.  With all that painting of the sky to watch, she snuck on me and had risen before I knew it.
• Bright sun now, but the wind is cold and whipping Mother Ocean into ripping waves and white caps.  Big crowds on the beach yesterday, even swimsuiters splashing in the ocean.  Not today.  Very few brave souls willing to battle the northern gusts. 
• Gotta get my Mega Millions tickets today.  Hope it warms up some before I have to venture out.  Happy Friday yall!

Joy 2/2/12

• Wow, how did it get to be Thursday already?  Can't believe it's been a few days since I last posted.  Today has been a doozy, so at least I've got something to blog about.
• Murky morning, no sunrise, felt achy, so I got on the treadmill the first thing.  Did stretches.  That helped.  Thought I would get cranking right away on writing my memoir since my body was warmed up.  Not so fast, my mind said.  I kept sitting at the table with pen and paper and all I got was mental constipation and grunts.  Nothing I wrote was worth keeping.
• Even though caffeine was pumping through me, my body said "rest."  So I napped.  Wasn't even noon yet.  Didn't sleep, but it felt good to relax my body even while my mind whirred at warp speed.  I just ignored it, like it was a dream I wasn't interested in having.
• When I got up, it was sunny outside.  Had a call from my sister with a funny story about a marshmallow hidden in a body part.  I won't share the story here, the details are too intimate for public consumption (ba-dum-bum), but I laughed.  First time in a while that something seemed really funny.  And when I started writing, the words flowed and I was funny, too.  First time in a while for that as well.
• Promised myself a beachwalk if I would finish the piece, and I did.  Low 70s, breezy but not cold, puff clouds drifting by.  Perfect.  Walked north 22 blocks to 2nd Ave Pier.  Stayed in the sun-warmed squishy sand near the dunes and beach grass.  Had it all to myself.  Hadn't been to that pier since my SGD was here back in December.  Brought back a nice memory of hanging out there with him.
• Came back walking south with my three besties -- my feet in Mother Ocean, Luna Linda hanging in the north sky, and Sunbella blazing in the south.  The spray from every crashing wave made the air tangy and lightly salted my lips.  Felt like summer out there, like vacation, like the most relaxed I ever feel.
• I only have 24 days until I'm heading back to MO.  So I'm not going to let this perfect day end.  I'm taking an ice cold Yuengling Black & Tan out to the ocean deck to watch the waves, drink in the sun, and stretch this day at least until sunset.  Then maybe I'll get back to work.  Maybe not.