The Opposite of Love Is ... ?

I get Redbook magazine, because you know, I follow all of the fashion and beauty advice on looking my best. I’m always trying to figure out the most up-to-date ways to keep my man wanting more, and you know, those quick-and-easy like 17 minute or less four-item recipes? Well, I'm all over those, right?

Nah, I get the mag somehow because some kid was selling it door-to-door one night and he caught me on a good day. So I subscribed.

And the first, absolute first thing I always flip to when I get my magazine is the Book Club section to see what book they have featured for the month because Redbook ALWAYS, WITHOUT A DOUBT picks a no-brainer-kickin' book every month.

So, I'm going through the February issue like a few weeks ago, or maybe it's the March one already, and I see the book featured is The Opposite of Love by up-and-coming debut author, Julie Buxbaum.

The cover of her book looks awesome--very simple, as you can see here:

Chick with her back to the reader, clean, not too pink, but a hint of girlish, which is what I dig.

Then I read this excerpt and it completely blew me away, like goosebumpy-gotta-read-the-rest-of-the-book-now kinda way, already loving the characters and feeling the compassion toward them both! That quickly!

So this is what I did. I ripped the page out of the magazine and ran downstairs and put the page next to my computer so I could Google the author, look up the book online, and then remind myself to go to B&N (the store) later and order it.

Because THIS.WAS.A.BOOK.I.NEEDED.TO.GET.

There are some books I'll read about and think, "Yeah, that one sounds good," or some I’ll hear about and say, "If I see that at the store when I’m out, maybe I’ll get that, if I don’t see anything I like better."

Not this one.

I wanted to get Julie’s book, The Opposite of Love like I want Emily Giffin’s Love The One You're With and Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner.

Of course, things were crazy over here at Manic Central. I was holding an impromptu six-week blood drive, so I didn’t get to the bookstore, and then, one day last week I get this email with a subject line: FROM A FELLOW WRITER.

From HER.

Julie Buxbaum.

The author.

Out of the blue!*

She wanted ME to read her book!

Me!

COULD I DIE!?!?

This was seriously better than being fifteen years old dreaming about the senior star football player asking you out and he finally does, takes you to the prom, and you’re hoping, and then he gives you his class ring and asks you to be his girlfriend.

Oh, and he kisses you, but it’s like that …

Oh, scratch all that football boy fantasy crap—this is like Jake Ryan kissing cross-legged, lilac-taffeta drenched Samantha Baker on the dining room table at the end of Sixteen Candles exciting. Yeah. That cool.

I was home alone when I read the email and what did I do? Well, I first yelled out loud: SHUT UP! Like all giggly and excited REALLY loud happy loud.

Cuz that’s what I do when I’m excited. I yell SHUT UP! And if someone was around, I'd probably hit 'em on the arm to demonstrate my excitement.

And of course, I Instant Messaged Swishy, cuz she would totally get my excitement, and she did. And we cyber-joyed about it for a while back and forth. With lots of exclamation points and bouncy yellow smiley faces, and a couple OMGs thrown in there.

Then, I very calmly and professionally emailed Julie back and told her I’d be delighted to read her book. Right Julie? Because come on, we all know that under all my false exterior (or would that be interior?), I am really a mature grown woman pretending to be a goofball for the pure enjoyment of the readership. Bwhahahah!

So, guess what? The BOOKS arrived last Friday.

Yep, you read that right! Julie sent TWO! One for me and ONE FOR YOU!

And they're signed.

Another CONTEST!

This is easy, ooooh, so easy! All you have to do is send Julie an email at juliebux@gmail.com and answer the following question. Think CLEVER and UNIQUE!:

What’s The Opposite of Love in FIVE words or less?

Again, in case you missed it the first time, like two seconds ago in your reading of this, Julie's email address is: juliebux@gmail.com.

And don't be shy; she's waiting for you to email her with your witty and winning answers!!!

Here's an idea just to get you started: The Opposite of Love is EVOL.

OK, not clever, but whatevah!

Make sure to go over to Julie’s website to find out where she'll be on her upcoming book tour...

FYI she'll be in my 'hood March 20 AND I GET TO MEET HER so if any of you Chicagoans wanna come be groupies, we can reenact events from Authorpalooza; just bring Truffles!

Julie will pick a winner for the SIGNED copy of her book on Friday, March 7, so check back to see if you’ve won!

So how about that? And congrats to Julie for writing an awesome debut that I’m delving into each night, dying to get through, but it’s one of those books that I’m also prolonging the imminent ending because I can already tell I don’t want to let go of these characters.

Peace UP!



*Thanks AWS!

AUTHORPALOOZA Recap

The Answers:

Carnivorous Musical Gender-Specific Instruments.

Expired Carcass Fornication.

Female Self-Gratification. (Is there any other kind?)

Indulgences in literary genius, truffles that made their way to the floor, and then into Manic's mouth, and fine wine.

Whether or not our waiter looked more like Adam Duritz of Counting Crows (my thought) or the dude from Entourage (Swishy's), which clearly demonstrates our TREMENDOUS age gap.

The Question:

What are just a few of the Unpredictable Commentaries Discussed at Our Very Own Self-Titled Authorpalooza?

As you may know, Jess, Swish, and I have been waiting eons for the debut of our very good friend (it's official now, right? Cuz we actually met in real life!) Eileen Cook's novel. We met up with her last night to celebrate with dinner and drinks and then went to her reading and booksigning.

Dinner Group:


Eileen Signing Postcards. That's a prezzy we bought her! See what'll happen if you become our friend--we'll get you a big prezzy! (It's actually just a snazzy empty box--we had EVERYONE FOOLED!)


The evening was star-strikingly fabulosoloosy funtabuloso! Eileen is awesome, and generous, and humorous, with a cool accent that is neither a Midwesterny twang nor a Canadian "EH," although I did ask her to shoot me out one of those, and she did deliver!

She is very much eloquent and carries herself in a class in which I don't belong. Like Class A Classy Chick. Come to think of it, I probably could have been a slight embarrassment to her. Good thing I bought four of her books to make up for my lack of soivewafair. See, I can't even spell that fllaaaa fllasssss fllaaaaahhhh fllaaaaa fluffy phrase I'm trying to say. I could Google it but then it would make me look smart, and I'm too real for that.

So, after Eileen read from Unpredictable, which, if I'm not mistaken is climbing the book charts faster than... faster than... FASTER THAN THIS WOMAN CAN SPEAK! (Who, incidentally, we had the pleasure of dining with last night as well! Hi Ruth!)

Then there were more drinks and more authors, including a surprise cameo author visit from Jen Lancaster of Jennsylvania, author of Bitter is the New Black which completely rocked my world, because if you know Swish and me, being surrounded by authors is like being front and center at your favorite rock concert, with the lead singer oozing your favorite lyrics at you, sweat dripping from his brow onto you!

Except you can actually hear and have a conversation, but you can still get drunk if you want to (not that we did, cuz come on, it was like a Tuesday night!)

Eileen and Me:


Fast Talker/Actress/Author Ruth & Me Showing Off Eileen's Display:


Me, Swish, Jen Lancaster, Jess, Eileen, KB:


Cameo Surprise Author Jen Lancaster! Are you "Bitter" I got to meet her!? Ya Should Be!


So, we're all hanging out: Eileen, and Jen, who's upcoming book, Such a Pretty Fat, debuts in the spring, and Jess, who's FAB book Driving Sideways also debuts this spring; and then there's Chicago blogger pal, Kristabella, wine connoisseur, blood donor and witness to previous Swishy-Jess-Manic antics, and we cannot forget heiress awesomeness Jamie, the self-proclaimed lackey to Eileen, who is so very fun and cool, and Eileen's cousins are there, and Jess hottie bro stops by, and boy, if I wasn't happily lustfully married to Mr. Manic boy would I... ha, just kidding...

Anyway... A great night, with truffles!

And then, here's me, trying to make a nice first impression at the bar, hoping especially that Jen and Eileen won't hold it totally against me when I snatch up the last fallen mocha truffle from the floor and shove it into my mouth.

Just like that. From the floor.

I mean, yeah, it was the last one, and there is that five second rule isn't there? I don't care if I mortified Swish and Jess, and KB--they already know me--but the others there. God forbid if I embarrass myself by picking food off the floor, but come on, A MOCHA TRUFFLE.

Forgive me.

Me, KB, Kevin (aka Counting Crows/Entourage Boy), Swish:


Eileen's BFF Jamie (aka Lackey), Eileen, Jess:


Here's a really cute picture of my Tukey and Jess:


And another picture of Jess and me...


But where the hell is Swishy? Here's the scoop. Swishy had to excuse herself from the photo opp. Actually, she was busy elswhere.

Last I heard she was F#$KING MATT DAMON!

VIEWER BEWARE!



THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT!

AUTHORPALOOZA!

I'm sitting here, in my office, with Jess Riley and Swishy is typing away her own way better blog post and I'm feeling inadequate, and she just said, I'M DONE, like she needs someone to come and wipe her butt, or like we're in some freaking blog post race contest!

And now she's jealous beacause Jess and I are laughing at her because she says her post is not funny and she's getting back online to make some rude comments that I WILL JUST NOT ACCEPT!

And the countdown has begun to...

AUTHORPALOOZA!

We are going to see Eileen Cook tonight!

Photos and stories to follow...

Northern Illinois University

No Words ...














In Memory.
Forward, Together Forward.
Proud to be a Class of '91 Alum.

And The Winners Are! POSTED BELOW!

WE HAVE THE WINNERS BELOW!



REMEMBER, IF YOUR NAME IS PULLED, EMAIL MANICMOMMY@COMCAST.NET!

GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL!

9:24 PM Updated see below:

10:11 PM Slowly yanking my hair out over this.

11:10 PM FRUSTRATED BEYOND BELIEF! Due to circumstances beyond my control, we'll have to announce the winners tomorrow, and I can't tell you how disappointed I will be if I can't get this video up on youtube!




Here's the deal, I've got only a portion of the stuff uploaded on youtube so far since they're having some maintenance problems over there, and no one is MORE AGGRAVATED THAN I AM!

But we'll start this little Awards Show with what I do have:

This video did get uploaded and it's me naming all the contestants, looking ridiculous doing so, and I have to apologize because I said “Mom and Dad team” instead of “Mom and Daughter team” when I read off the names of the mom and daughter who donated—sorry! And PS, I look like a dork, but OH WELL!



OOPS, SEE, MY BATTERIES DIED DURING THAT VIDEO.

Here’s a photo of all the contestant’s names on cute little hearts for the drawing. I just thought it would be more fun than writing down everyone’s names, plus hearts = blood, and love and yanno…

And here’s a photo of my very good friend G, who is the last of our donors as of today, but she doesn’t qualify for the contest, well, cuz she’s my friend.

I finally came out of the Blog-Closet and told my closest friends in the ‘hood about my blog. Even though they could have all Googled me if they were bored and discovered it THREE YEARS AGO!

Thanks for bleeding today G! xoxoxo And isn’t she cute, everyone!?! Yeah, yeah, yeah, you’re all thinking, GET TO THE WINNERS, but I can't since stupid youtube is stalled! But as soon as it’s up and running, I will put up the video.

OH, and there are ELEVEN of you who have won something! MyLHIBug sent more CASH than I thought so we threw in some extra Target gift cards as gifts, so like one-third of you who donated will win something!

So, if you are a winner, and if your name is called on the video when it is posted below, please email me at manicmommy@comcast.net with your full name, address, city, state and zip code so I can send you your prize. If your prize is cash, I can either send you a gift card to Target or another well-named store of your choice or a Visa or MasterCard gift card. Just let me know in your email what you would prefer!

Check back please in a little bit!

9:24 PM, Wednesday night:

Still no youtube--drat! I need to go to bed but I feel an obligation to stay up and hope youtube gets their act together so I can post the winner video! Hey, when I joked previously about the Academy Awards and how they leave you hanging till the wee hours late at night, I WAS JUST KIDDING. How was I to know this bad karma youtube thing would happen.

In the meantime, check this out. This truly unexpectedly happened today with my stalker. Stalkerazzi Part III. I think it's time to get a new jacket. Maybe something a little less pink!

10:11 PM Slowly yanking my hair out over this.

11:10 PM Giving up for tonight. Only because Diva has an orthodontist appointment at 7:30 a.m.! I'm SORRY! I'm also very FRUSTRATED and ANGRY about this! There goes my career in planning major awards events.

6:57 AM Woke up to find the video uploaded, so here are your blood donor winners, even though you're all winners; you're ALL LIFE SAVERS! THANK YOU!

Blood Drive Drawing on Wednesday!

Here are our fabulous DONORS!

(Please make sure to scroll down past the photos for prize and drawing details.)






























If I accidentally missed your photo, please email me right away! : )

Here are the names of the contestants:

Barb of Melbourne who got this whole thing rollin'!

Cathy of Orlando

Robin AbFabGeek

Valerie of Carrollton

Amy of Indianapolis

Kalynne PhD with Nine Kids

Tanya for President

Ryan - Katie Kat's Hubby

Karen - Suburban Correspondent

Sarah H.

Kay - Kay's Simple Life

Beverly - Sauntering Soul

Angie of Canvas

Michele B. - Ground Hog's Day Fan

Kelli H. - All K Names

Kevin H. - All K Names Hubby

Lastel - Unique Creations

Kristin - Kristabella

Jacqui - Dawsonville

Laura H. - Mom to Martha

Martha H. - Daughter to Laura

Stephanie - The Daily Grind

Lisa M. - Orlando

Kim Stag

Donald B. - Zolofan

Jules - Scared O' Needles

Ron R. - CANNOT PARTICIPATE-FRIEND

T. M. - CANNOT PARTICIPATE-FRIEND

Melisa Wells - DOESN'T WANNA WIN : )

Elizabeth W. - Madison

Mr. Manic - CANNOT PARTICIPATE, SOMETIME FRIEND, SOMETIME LUVAH

Me

Michelle M - CANNOT PARTICIPATE, BUT THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART FOR DONATING ANYWAY! You are a good soul! : )

Sammie Banks - Deserves special mention who lives in the UK. Sammie sent me a beautiful email a while back about her regular donations and I just wanted to say thank you to her and her beautiful family! And God bless your little angels!

Here's the prize breakdown:

We are going to be able to draw NINE names to win prizes! And tomorrow, I'm going to the Heartland Blood Center and the ladies there will choose the names, and if all goes well, it will be documented on camera and shown to you via a blog video on Wednesday!

The first name chosen will be the LAST prize winner, and we'll work our way UP to the grand prize winner, announcing that winner LAST! Just like they do that in the Academy Awards. You know, Best Picture, they always wait till your eyes are half glued shut from exhaustion and pure boredom from stupid acceptance speeches, and then at like 11:38 p.m. they'll say, "And now we have the nominees for Best Picture of the Year!"

Yeah, that's how we'll do that tomorrow, just for fun!

Here is the list of prizes --

To be clear, the first name drawn tomorrow will win:
Two movie tix and a coupon for a Baker's Square pie

Second name drawn will win:
Three movie tix and a coupon for a Baker's Square pie

Third name drawn will win:
$10 Target gift card and a coupon for a Baker's Square pie

Fourth name drawn will win:
$15 Target gift card

Fifth name drawn will win:
$15 McDonald's card

Sixth name drawn will win:
$25 Lonestar or Outback and a don8 bl%d t-shirt

Seventh name drawn and the third place prize:
$25 and a don8 bl%d t-shirt

Eighth name drawn and the second place prize:
$50 and a don8 bl%d t-shirt

Last and ninth name drawn and the Grand Prize winner will receive:
$75 and a don8 bl%d t-shirt

Some other lucky donors may receive ice cream, but that's for me to know and you to maybe find out.

MAJOR, MAJOR, MAJOR THANKS TO THE FIRST ANNUAL MANIC MOMMY VIRTUAL BLOOD DRIVE'S PRIZE COMMITTEE:

MyLHIBug because without this generous Cool-Dad Blogger, we wouldn't have half the awesome prizes we have! Originally, when this contest was conceived, I had thought I could donate $1 per donation. Well, that's not enough to thank you guys, so we decided to try to do one dollar per lives saved, and THEN SOME! So, between MyLHIBug we threw out some extra fun and cash your way so there are lots more prizes originally planned!

And also, Prize Committee Member (we just decided we had a committee like TODAY! LOL) Melissa at Hope for the Hopeless has been instrumental in this contest! She's held her own gig over on her site as well, and teamed up alongside to offer gift cards as prizes at her site and at Manic Mommy's!

We're already dedicated to making this an annual Blog event with major sponsors for next year with loads of fabulous prizes and more fun beginning next January so keep track of what's going on! You won't want to miss out, and what's a pint of blood anyway?

Check back tomorrow for a video featuring the drawing of our nine winners!

And you know, even though this little Manic Contest has rolled to an almost close, there's nothing stopping you but the sleeve that's covering up that arm of yours...

Go out and donate!

You won't believe how good it'll make YOU feel.

More so than that, you won't believe how good it'll make SOMEONE ELSE FEEL!

Catch you all tomorrow!

Peace UP!

Sunday Bloody Sunday V

Grab a coffee or a beer (depending of course, on what time of day it is!), this one'll take a while ... or perhaps, more appropriately, your drink of choice might be a BLOODY MARY! Bwhahahahahaah! ...

I am totally blown away!

Through our combined efforts, guess how many lives we've saved?

If one pint saves three lives, then it's absolutely safe to say there are 99 more people out there today that are alive because of this blood drive!

THANK YOU!

TOTAL DONATORS: 33

What an amazing FINAL week for BLOOD DONATIONS!!!!

Before I even get to the Blog entries, I had real-life friends who donated this week too! Tuesday, I got a call from a MALE friend who said, "Hey, I was walking through a crappy part of town and looked up and saw we had a blood center. I had time to kill so I walked in and donated!"

And when I was at MY Blood Center, which I am calling it MINE now after Tuesday's escapades with Melisa, (AND my Valentine date with Mr. Manic!) we were leaving, and a friend walked in to donate, after she had received an email I sent to anyone and everyone I knew coaxing peole to donate!

I guess talking it up and bugging people and annoying friends and family does pay off! Thanks to friends Tracy and Ron for donating also this week, spur of the moment, and sorry, but you don't qualify for the contest!

But here are those who do:

Kim Stagliano ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY ROCKS. NEED I SAY MORE? Check her cute little self out on her little cot:



Kim is an amazing mother to three beautiful girls, a writer and friend of mine, and I can't tell you how hard I laughed when I opened up the photo of her donating and saw the sign she held up! Thanks Kim! And FYI everyone, Kim is going to be a best-selling author someday! (And that's the truth whether she gave me a pint of blood or not!)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

AND WE'VE GOT ANOTHER MAN-DONOR!!! They must make 'em Manly Men in Texas cuz Ryan, our only other male donor (aside from Mr. Manic) was from Texas too. Either that, or they're just MORE GIVING in TEXAS! Thank YOU Donald!



Here's Donald, who's a friend of Kate's! You can read about his blood-donating experience here at his blog:

Zolafan

At least go over and thank him for saving some lives for crying out loud! : )

THANK YOU DONALD!!!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~

OH! And we have ANOTHER Manly Man! Kelli at All K Names, who previously donated, used her charming womanly ways and coaxed her hubby, Kevin, to donate! And they are from Washington, so there are Manly Men in Washington too!



What a cool thing to do! Doesn't Kevin look completely at ease and manly donating blood?

Doesn't Kevin look like he wants to do this again in eight more weeks?

Doesn't Kevin look like he would do this again in eight weeks along with Kelli, and then take Kelli out to a nice dinner afterward? (wink-wink!)

Or wait! Maybe they'll skip dinner and just go for dessert--maybe out for donuts at, I don't know... KRISPY KREME! Get it... KKKKKK... All K Names!!!! I kill me!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~

This here is Jules!

She's getting ready to donate! Doesn't she look beautiful!



Jules is going to donate for the first time ever! Doesn't she look so relaxed? Well, let me tell you a little secret about Jules...

Jules is soooo frightened of needles she went through childbirth TWICE WITHOUT drugs because she feared the needles more than the actual pain. Yet because of my guerrila blood drive marketing tactics gentle persuasions, I convinced her that donating blood would be a selfless, generous, kind, and giving act of goodness that she would benefit from.

So, she faced her fears this week, and took one for the Manic Blood Team! And I have been bragging about HER all week! Cuz how brave is she?

Don't you agree she felt selfless, generous, kind AND BRAVE as she was donating?


THANK YOU JULES! I know that was a scary thing to do, but YOU DID IT! (Will you please do it again in eight weeks? Pretty please??)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And you've already read about my adventure with Melisa on Tuesday! We had so much fun! I swear, if I could go and do this every day with someone who was gonna donate, I totally would! I picked up heart-shaped donuts

for the staff and they were thrilled. I seriously love the people that work there. They are the NICEST people. And fun and funny, and they humored us and took pictures with us and took pictures FOR us. I told them when I grow up I want to get a job doing what they do because it's such a worthy job.




Melisa and I had really a blast. Like we could have hung out there all day long! I kinda wanted to but I had to go grocery shopping and then, well, I have kids who get off the bus and they need help with homework and snacks and they have afterschool stuff, so I couldn't hang out forever, even though Melisa and I wanted to!

Melisa donated her pint in honor of her son's Bar Mitzvah and has also taken herself out of the contest. She thinks it would look a little fishy if she were to be chosen grand prize winner. Like maybe she would win and someone might think, "Hey, Manic and she went to the donation place together. MAYBE, just maybe, they were in kahoots and decided to rig the contest and then SPLIT the winnings and faking that Melisa was the winner!"

So, in order to not even be tempted, Melisa's not even going to be entered into the contest. However, Mr. Manic is DEFINITELY entered. Ha. Kidding. He can't enter either!


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And here's another terrific blood-donator, ELIZABETH! Elizabeth is a busy mom, yet she found time to get the needle!


Thank you so very much Elizabeth!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And you all remember Ragdoll Billie?

She's just one of the many beautiful people who's lives you are helping by donating your blood! She's very grateful for your gift! Please stop over to her blog and tell her hello and learn a bit about how blood donations are helping her fight her disease! She is a strong spirit! She's at and life goes on.

Be well Ragdoll Billie, and thank you for all your kind and beautiful emails!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~

And Michelle Miller also donated during the contest time but didn't have a photo to share, although she did get a Baker's Square pie for donating. She's a regular donor and gave me some very pertinent information that might make you skeptics reconsider donating:

YOU LOSE 635 CALORIES WHEN YOU DONATE!

Not too bad, huh? So, I told Michelle I was sorry I couldn't officially enter her into the contest because if she were to win, those of you who did send in a photo might form a... what do you call that when people get mad and form a ... REVOLT! Yes, you might all revolt against Manic Mommy and I'd never hear the end of it.

Michelle was extremely kind and understanding, and I really appreciate her not calling me a meany-bloggy-bitch-face or anything else that might have made me cry and feel like this contest was a waste of time. THANKS Michelle... you rock too!

And btw, Michelle told me she's mildly competitive in nature, and loves to win. Well, to everyone who entered this contest, need I tell you that you're all ALREADY winners? I mean come on! YOU HAVE SAVED LIVES. Selflessly.

How awesome is that?

I am so thankful for your efforts and I hope you will all go back and donate again when you're able to!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~

And this is Lisa! She forgot her camera but these are some of the goodies she got when she donated! No, the cutie-pie sitting next to her did not come with the donation!!



~ ~ ~ ~ ~
And last, but CERTAINLY not least, if you missed my Valentine post, here he is again, MY Funny Valentine:





Stay tuned for contest winner information planned for sometime this week. It looks like it's been determined that there will be a first, second and third prize winner to share in the final cash prize in varying amounts. It's also unofficially been decided by Manic Mommy readers that the girls from Heartland Blood Center will pick three names as our winners! (Oops, maybe I should ask Jaime, Nina, Gloria, Tammy, Eileen if they're up for this challenge first?? I'LL BRING DONUTS!!!!)

Finally, THANK YOU ALL who donated and supported others during this VIRTUAL BLOOD DRIVE!

THIRTY-THREE OF US.

NINETY-NINE OF THEM!

ABSOLUTELY, SPECTACULARLY AMAZING.

WOW.

PEACE ... PEACE ... WAY WAY WAY UP!

MY Funny Valentine

Some Blog-housecleaning stuff regarding the contest: The final post of contestants will go up on Sunday and we've got the most entrants EVER this week! BUT, if you are feeling the pull to donate, (especially with the recent news of killings at my alma mater, NIU, perhaps you might find it in your heart to donate) YOU have until Sunday to send me a photo of you donating and your information to be included in the contest!

Here's another thing I'd like you to weigh in on: HOW should the winner be chosen? It's got to be random. NOT A POPULARITY contest. BUT, who should choose the winner? I can't. Should I let a random blog lurker do it? I've got some ideas, but it will take some time to figure out. Should I assign a random number and just draw one? Should we divvy up the cash prize and award TWO or THREE prizes or just give away ONE prize?

It's your contest, to those of you who donated, please consider commenting on this subject! I need to know what you think!

AND NOW, I PROUDLY BRING YOU MY FUNNY VALENTINE:

So, apparently, Mr. Manic "flows like a teenager!"

Yup.

That's what my good friend Tammy over at Heartland Blood Center said last night when he and I went for our Valentine's Date! He flows like a teenager stings like a bee! My new motto for him! Ha!

His flowage was so good that Tammy was able to separate his white blood cells from the red blood cells to use his blood specifically for cancer patients! YAY Mr. Manic!

Here are some pictures, and then a little bit of Manic Poetry.


Here's Mr. Manic with adorable gals Jaime and Tammy! Tammy's the one who wooed me back in January!


Mr. Manic, looking all serious.


I snagged this t-shirt for THE WINNER OF THE CONTEST AS WELL! VERY COOL HUH?


NICE FLOWAGE MR. MANIC!

All I Wanted for Valentine's Day

I didn't want chocolate, a backrub, or wine,

I didn't want flowers or jewelry so fine.

A pint of his blood was all that I'd need.

He did not even have to take me to feed.

The gift from this husband to his needy wife

Was quite plain simply the generous gift of life.

Best Valentine Present EVER!

NIU SHOCK

Not what my post for Valentine's Day is supposed to be about but my alma mater Northern Illinois University in DeKalb is the one where the shooting today occurred. I am totally at a loss for words.

To think I sat in the same exact hall as the one where a gunman fired shots at students just an hour ago.

MORE THOUGHTS:

It's really surreal when
it happens at your alma mater,
and the place
where you met your husband.

A place where you sat
previously in that same lecture hall
17, 16, 15 years ago,
listening to a math professor drone on;
where you tried to stay awake for Citizen Kane
during Film Class,
or passed a note to a boyfriend.

Say a prayer for the victims.

Dog-Tired

Well, aside from tiara-wearing, snow-scraping, donut-bearing, blood-donating daytime adventures, I've been a busy, busy girl this week and I am sooooo tired, can I just tell ya?

Really tired.

Gripefest coming your way, but it's not a bitchy, mopey, whiny one. It's more of a productive, I'm-really-tired-but-things-aren't-getting-done-fast-enough gripefest.

I just finished a big project for my freelance job, which was stressful but in that gratifying "I DID IT" stressful way, and it's a monthly project, and now that I got the first month out of the way, I feel comfortable with it, and can plan and be structured for upcoming months. I'm learning a ton on HTML and editing and it's all good, and if Mr. Manic decides to dump me for his next wife, (who is currently learning geometry in junior high, he claims), then at least I'll be all set in the career department!

Since my New Year's Resolution didn't quite work out the way I planned, I had to come up with a new plan. So, I bought this book by Kelly Stone called, Time to Write, which is great, and I love it, but I almost didn't get it.

Why, you ask?

Because, I almost didn't have TIME TO GO TO THE STORE TO PICK IT UP!

Seriously. I ordered it from the bookstore, and they held it for me for like a jazillion months. They called me. They emailed me. They begged me. "Manic, hello. It's us again. Can you please come get this freaking book that's taking up like one inch by six inches of space behind our desk?"

Finally, I called them and asked if they still had the book. They said it was on hold for one more day. This was a sign! I had to get the book!

I finally had the TIME TO BUY IT.

Then, I had to find TIME to read TIME TO WRITE so I could figure out how to actually find TIME TO WRITE.

It's a god-awful process I tell you. But I have read through some of it, and it's really good, it makes complete sense. So logical! So inspiring. It basically says, "You want to write, you gotta do it."

I want to write! Hey, I'm writing right now. I'M FINDING TIME TO WRITE! Miracle of all miracles! This book WORKS!! I must contact the author and tell her that her book is amazing! And it is, because all joking aside, I have taken Kelly Stone's advice since my initial 2008 resolution of Monday through Thursday 12-1:30 writing slot didn't quite work out, and revamped it a bit.

Now, for the past three days, I've been getting out of bed at 6:13 a.m. To write.

And let me tell you, IT'S TRICKY!




[Stop for a moment and Chair Dance with me my Manic Homies!]
Come on! you know you totally want to!

OK, you can stop now.

Now, getting up at 6:13 a.m. might not seem like a big stretch to you, but YOU try getting out of bed in the dead of winter in a tundra-like SHINING environment and tell ME it's easy! Especially when you're used to flopping out of bed, throwing a cold pop-tart at your two older kids, kissing them and waving them out the door, then crawling back into bed all cozy-comfy just in time for My Monkey Curious George!

IT.IS.NOT.AS.EASY.AS.ONE.MIGHT.THINK.

BUT, I am getting reaquainted with book #2, learning about my characters again, switching it up a bit, making one guy not so bad, making another one more hotter, making some scenes steamier... well, let me just give you a snippet:

“You said you’ve never done that with anyone before!” Marnie yelled, as Joe tried to focus on the road. He didn’t speak, just kept his jaw tight and his knuckles clenched on the steering wheel.

“You’re high!” she accused.

After Trina’s comment, Marnie left the table and stumbled inside to find Joe, who was in the den with five people she had never seen. The pungent smell of weed and loud Grateful Dead music clobbered at her senses, and the beers she had had didn’t help her judgment. Somebody coughed, then passed a one-hitter.

“I’m leaving,” Marnie said. Five sets of glazed eyes stared at her.

Joe, his eyes red and glassy too, looked momentarily confused. “Yeah. Okay. We can go.”

Now though, Marnie wondered why she had even gotten into the car with him.

“You know what?” Marnie spit out, and she knew her words were slurring, coming out slower than she intended because of the beer. “Stop the car. I want to get out.”

Still, nothing from Joe.

Marnie smacked at his right bicep, hard, but not as hard as she wanted to.

“Dammit! I’m trying to drive!”

She crouched over on her side of the car, leaning against the door, afraid of what might happen if she pressed him more.

She felt his exhale in the space of the car. “What I told you was I hadn’t been that way with anyone else. There’s a difference.”

“So. The lemons? Is that your signature move?” She hoped her words bit into him. “Did you and Trina…? What the hell am I to you, anyway?” She kept up, knowing she was pissing him off. “What are we anyway?”

“I shouldn’t have brought you to the party. I didn’t think Trina would be there. It was nothing. She meant nothing.”

So many thoughts ran through Marnie’s mind, but she was afraid to say anything, so she waited.

“Look, maybe this thing… maybe it isn’t a good idea,” he finally said.

She stopped breathing, hearing the low strength in his voice, the threat of how it sounded. Yes, she was angry at him; she had felt ignored, set up, had felt he left her to deal with some jealous bitch he obviously had been with; but she didn’t want them to end over it.

She didn’t want to get in a fight with him; to have him say forget it, that being together wasn’t good. Maybe this Trina really hadn’t meant anything to him. She so wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

His jaw twitched, it looked as if he were grinding his teeth; and he focused on driving. Marnie sat quietly, grasping the car door, as if that would prevent him from making a fatal error.

When he pulled up to the drive of her parent’s house, she didn’t look at him, but unbuckled her seat belt slowly and reached for her purse between them.

He grabbed onto her arm. “Wait. Don’t go in. There’s no reason for you to be mad at me. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

She shook her arm free from him and looked into his stoned eyes, dry and red-rimmed. He put his hand onto her thigh, moved his hand all over her warm skin. “I’m sorry, babe. I’m sorry. She’s just such a bitch.” He moved close to her and pressed himself onto her. She could smell his cologne. She could hear him breathing; practically taste his breath upon her neck. When she didn’t pull away, he kissed her, insistent, hard.

In the house, with the foyer lights on, she let him slide her onto the wooden stairs, push up her skirt and take off her panties. He unzipped quickly, keeping his pants on, and felt his way into the parts of her he already knew so well. He was relentless, and her back hurt as he slammed into her, but she wanted this, she wanted him to want her so much that he couldn’t control himself, and that made Marnie feel powerful. She pulled his body closer to hers, rammed fingernails into his skin, scraping, and pressed so far into him her breasts flattened against his chest. She grabbed at him, so he could plunge deeper; helped him to force his way into everything she was.

Because, as scared as she was, already, she was more afraid to think of what she would be without him.

So. At least it's something. I'm tired. But I'm writing.

Stalkerazzi Part II

Stephen King didn't pen this fiction; it's not the prom OR pig blood, but SHE made me wear the tiara.

And boy, was it fun!

No Needle Contest Winners!

Through a drawing in which I randomly assigned everyone who entered the contest a number, and then I IMed my BBFF Swishy and told her to tell me the first number that popped into her head, we have our NO NEEDLE CONTEST WINNERS! (So, if it's not you, don't blame me, or Jenny Gardiner, or Eileen Cook ... It's all Swishy's fault cuz she didn't pick you!)

Before we get to whom she did pick (is that the proper grammar? Cuz, while I might not be proficient in politics, I am big on grammar, even though I just spelled 'because' cuz, you know) I conferenced with Eileen and Jenny and they were kind enough to offer the winners a duo-prize package, so each winner will be receiving BOTH BOOKS, signed by the authors. Is that not so very cool and generous or what?

WHAT.

HERE ARE THE WINNERS:

Congratulations to Jess over at
Lily Potter Knits

Congratulations also to Bina at
Just Another Day

We have discovered that Bina was so overly enthusiastic that she already went out to purchase the books and was unable to locate Unpredictable (which angers all of us, no doubt -- so if you're at your bookstore, and they don't have it, CALL FOR THE MANAGER, YELL, SCREAM, ORDER IT BY THE DOZENS!!!)

But Bina did find Sleeping with Ward Cleaver AND HAS ALREADY READ IT AND LOVED IT! Here's what Bina said about her search and find for these two hot, hot, hot books:

"I read 'Sleeping with Ward Cleaver' and LOVED it! I read the first five chapters at work that day, and finished it the next. Borders and Books A Million didn't have Unpredictable so I have to order it, but I want it NOW!"

Boo Borders! Boo Books A Million!

But guess what Bina, YOU DON'T HAVE TO ORDER IT BECAUSE it's coming your way! And so is Sleeping with Ward, both signed by the authors! How cool is that! You'll just have to keep the authentic, TOUCHED BY THE AUTHOR novels, and share your already-read-and-drooled upon Sleeping book with all of your friends. Now that's what I call a Pay-It-Forward!

And to top off this prize--like signed copies of these books aren't enough, I will toss in a gift card--either a Starbucks or Cold Stone Creamery (your choice), so Bina and Jess, congratulations! Please drop me an email at manicmommy@comcast.net so I can get your information from you. I'll need to find out how you want your books to be signed, and if you want coffee or ice cream!

If you didn't win, I'm really sorry, but I promise you'll have more opportunities for fun contests like this on Manic Mommy, cuz come on, wasn't this a fun one? In the meantime, you can order Eileen's AND Jenny's books over at Amazon. Just click the links below to get all the info you can ever want on these two great authors and their books:

Unpredictable
Eileen Cook




Sleeping with Ward Cleaver
Jenny Gardiner


Check both authors out, and their co-classy author Debs over at The Debutante Ball for more great upcoming debut novels!

And don't forget, there's still a great Manic Contest going on ... the first annual Blood Donation Contest is still in full swing through Valentine’s Day! So, roll up those sleeves (really, you just have to roll up one, grab a pack of Lorna Doone's or Oreo's and settle in for some life-saving relaxation and your chance to win a sizable cash prize too!

COME ON, GIMME SOME BLOOD! I KNOW YOU GOT SOME TO SPARE!

Sunday Bloody Sunday IV

MORE BLOOD COMING YOUR WAY! And if you participated in the No Needle Book Contest, I'll announce the two separate winners sometime on Monday, so check back for that! Now, onto the blood stuff:

Well, this is Kristabella. We all know Kristabella because I've had the pleasure of meeting up with KB, as I like to call her, on one of those crazy Manic/Swishy nights. Kristabella was cool enough to donate blood. Here she is:

She even offered up some very good reasons why YOU might like to do the same!

Take it away, KB, the Blog's all yours!...

Thanks Manic! Anyway, I thought I'd share Kristabella's Top Five Reasons Why Donating Blood Rocks: (in David Letterman style)

5. You might win a prize in Manic's contest
4. Two words - FREE COOKIES
3. You can get drunk faster with less blood
2. Did I mention the COOKIES?
1. You can save a life all while eating cookies and drinking apple juice

Thanks for hosting the contest! It forced me to get my act together and go. I used to go every 8 weeks or whatever in college and got out of the habit. And now I've found a place on my way home from work and have made my next appointment already!

YAY for Kristabella! Thank you! Now, everybody, stop by KB and tell her how much she rocks and how awesome she is for saving THREE lives!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~

Next donor is Jacqui!


Jacqui says her husband got some nasty looks from some of the vampires when he was taking her photo, and she started to explain to them what he was doing and then just gave up. I can just imagine the conversation:

Jacqui: "Well, you know, Manic is holding this blood blog contest, so she needs a picture."

Blood Volunteer: "Manic? Who the hell is Manic. Lady, lie down, you're crazy. Let me get this needle in your vein already."

Jacqui: "No seriously, you know, Manic Mommy, the blogger. She's giving away MILLIONS! For blood! I'm serious! I just need my husband to take a picture to pro..."

Blood Volunteer: "Look lady, I can either get this needle into your vein or I can call the guy with the straight jacket."

Nah, nobody understands! Anyway, this was Jacqui's VERY FIRST TIME DONATING BLOOD! So, in honor of Jacqui's first time, I have a little youtube video especially for her:



And to make Jacqui's first time even more special, guess WHERE SHE DID IT??? Yep! She did it right here, in the back of this big old van.



And in Jacqui's very own words: "So I am no longer a donation virgin and feel great for doing it!"

All right Jacqui! And just think, you get to do it again in just eight short weeks! And how cool that your husband got to photograph you while you did it IN.THE.BACK.OF.A.VAN!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

MOTHER AND DAUGHTER TEAM UP!!!

Mom Laura bribed her 16-year-old daughter, Martha, to give blood and look how beautiful they are donating!!!




Mom said Martha did fantastic!

Laura also said:

"This is by far the coolest contest... there was a sugar factory explosion in Savannah this week; the local hospital here has the biggest burn center in the south east; they have 18 of the worst burn victims and the medical college has two more waiting for beds... this is a horrid thing and I was so pleased to see LINES at the blood mobile today as they all need blood so badly... I am sure every 8 weeks Martha and I will be giving!
Hugs, Laura

THANK YOU SO MUCH LAURA AND MARTHA!

And how cool is it that Martha, who is 16, will know how much giving blood means to saving peoples' lives at such a young age and she will hopefully do this for the rest of her life now!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And then we have MYSTERY BLOOD DONOR:

Mystery Blood Donor sent me her photo and told me she went on her mini-blood-donating vacation Saturday morning at 7:15!!! Which I am THRILLED about but I have a couple of questions AND comments...

1. I love you for doing this, BECAUSE you are wonderful and beautiful and spectacular, but HOW CAN I ENTER YOU INTO THE CONTEST IF I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE??

2. How can you consider it a mini-vacation if it's Saturday at 7:15 IN THE MORNING when you COULD STILL BE SLEEPING??!?! It's more likely to be considered a vacation when it's during the day and you would usually be up having to do something boring and kid-related, like taking them school-shoe shopping, and then NOT HAVING TO DO THAT, and INSTEAD going to donate blood; NOT going to donate blood instead OF SLEEPING IN LATE!?!? Does that make any sense?

3. I used my Google "sleuthing techniques" and discovered this lovely donor is named Stephanie and she is lovely (because HOW CAN YOU NOT BE LOVELY WITH A FIRST NAME LIKE THAT?), of The Daily Grind!

Am I good, or am I good?

THANK YOU Stephanie for donating!

You guys all rock! Thank you all once again for taking the time out of your busy schedules to donate that precious pint of blood!

And good news! YOU CAN STILL DONATE! Just CLICK HERE for all of the details!

The contest goes through Valentine's Day, so show someone you love just how much you love them and give them a pint of blood for Valentine's Day! It's cheaper than chocolate AND HAS LESS CALORIES! Plus, it's better for the SOUL!

Peace UP!

New! No Needle Contest!

Debut Authors: Eileen Cook and Jenny Gardiner

OK, let’s have another contest. Want to win some great reads from some great author pals of mine? Well, OK then. Let me just tell you a couple good stories here then.

BUT FIRST! There’s always a first, isn’t there. Wanna enter? Gotta read.

You.Are.My.Captives.

First, I was bummed out today. Yep, and there’s always a story about ME, right? Because it’s all about me; me being whiny and crabby and bitchy, and woeful. That’s just me. I was having me a little pity-party on why I don’t have a novel out there yet. I don’t understand how it was completely feasible to write a 400-page novel when I had one child in diapers, and two toddlers running around like crazy lunatics, and now, I’ve got like two-thirds of them out of the house for six full hours, and I haven’t been writing, and how it’s impossible to write the next one. And how I have completely SUCKED at keeping my New Year’s Resolution. (Thank you all for not even remembering what it was! Because, apparently, I don’t even remember it either.)

Then I thought to myself that I could just give up and just say I’m not gonna be a writer anymore, or I could NOT give up and be like these two terrific ladies I’m going to tell you about in a couple seconds.

I think I’m not going to give up quite just yet. I’m tired, yes. But not too tired where I want to quit.

So, here are two new fabulous debut authors on today’s bookshelves that you MUST check out. They happen to be friends of mine I’ve had the pleasure of knowing through some great writer’s organizations online.

Up first is the talented author, Jenny Gardiner, whose debut novel, Sleeping With Ward Cleaver has already received rave reviews and has a great cover blurb from Meg Cabot, THE author of Princess Diaries. You know, it really doesn’t get any better than that for your first novel!

And the cool thing about Jenny is that she didn’t quit. She dreamed of writing (like me), wrote (like me), got rejected (like me), kept going (like I’m going to do), entered a contest, WON A PUBLISHING CONTRACT, and about a year later, here she is… a real-live PUBLISHED AUTHOR!

With a real-live book! I’ve not had a chance to read Sleeping With Ward Cleaver yet, but as soon as I’m done with my pity-party, I’m going to, but from what I know, it’s a fab and fun read, with lots of warmth and wit! To give you a sneak peek, you can even read the first chapter here!

And then, be sure to read more about Jenny over at her website, www.jennygardiner.net.

And she also is one of the Debs at the awesome writers’ website, The Debutante Ball, which is a goal of mine someday—to be invited as a Deb because this is where the crème de la crème of up-and-coming authors go for their pre-party before publication!

And allow me to introduce to you another fabulous up-and-coming novelist, and who would have ever predicted this? I mean, this is just sooooo Unpredictable! And yes, this is my corny, quirky little way of introducing the title of Eileen Cook’s debut novel.

And Eileen, like Jenny, just happens to be another Deb from The Debutante Ball, (along with fabuloso pal Jess Riley—Hey there Jess!)

I don’t know how Eileen and I hooked up online (sounds kinda swarmy in a Swingers movie kinda way, doesn’t it?). But if there were ever four Internet chicks to be on the lookout for, I would have to say the four who come to mind are Eileen, Jess, Swishy and me, just judging from our online banter and camaraderie the past two years.

And the four of us will have the chance to be united in real-world life time in just a few short weeks when we celebrate Eileen’s debut when she comes to a nearby not-to-be-named location. Yes, there will be pictures. Yes, there will be Swishy/Manic/Jess/Eileen stories. Yes, there will be mayhem, and quite possibly jail time. And with Swishy there, possibly Jail Bait! Check back at the end of the month for that blog post.

Digression is a terrible thing to waste, especially when there’s a contest to announce! Breathe a sigh of relief all you needle-fearers because, while the Blood Donation Contest is still in full swing through Valentine’s Day, this contest involves nothing more than a mouse and a click and a few kind words to our fabulous and talented debut authors!

Both Jenny and Eileen have kindly agreed to give away a signed copy of their debut novels (you did, right gals? Cuz if not, I’m totally screwed and will just have to go out and buy copies and forge your signatures, and you know I will do that, right?)

And to top off this prize--like a signed copy of their book weren’t enough--I will toss in a gift card--either a Starbucks or Cold Stone Creamery (your choice) but it’s only going to be for FIVE BUCKS per winner because I am seriously going to go broke with all these dang contests I’m holding.

So, here’s what you need to do.

*IMPORTANT NOTE: When you enter the contest at their blogs, please make sure to leave a link to your own blog or include your email addy so we have a way to contact you if you are the winner! (I already notice some of the earlier entrants have not done this so you may need to go back and leave another comment please!)

Second: You only need to enter once please!

To win Unpredictable, click HERE and leave a comment telling Eileen that Manic Mommy is so UNPREDICTABLE!

To win a chance to Sleep with Ward Cleaver, WHOOPS!... I mean, to win a copy of Sleeping with Ward Cleaver, click HERE and leave a comment for Jenny—say Manic Mommy wants to sleep with Ward, yeah, that’s a good one, then she’ll know for SURE that I sent you to visit her!

You’ll have up until Sunday night to enter the contest, so stop on by and tell these incredible and talented ladies hello from Manic Mommy, and you can enter over at both of their sites for a chance to win BOTH books. And if you don’t luck out and win, Amazon.com is bundling the books as a package deal and you can order them together online!

Congrats to Jenny and Eileen! And good luck to all you who enter. You know life is just so unpredictable, like did you even think when you clicked onto Manic Mommy that there'd be ANOTHER contest you could enter? I mean, you never know what may happen next... Who knows, you may just end up sleeping with Ward Cleaver.

Is it wrong?

Peace UP!

S T U P I D Voter Moment

Let me preface this by saying, I don't vote. Don't throw things. I know, I know. It's my right. It's my duty. Yadda Yadda. But, like geography and mathematics, I've always been, shall we say, politically challenged.

My kids know more about the elections than I do. Tukey voted for Obama today in kindergarten, because they vote in kindergarten. They do! Not in any other class but kindergarten! I asked him why he voted for Obama. He said, "I don't know, but he won."

"Well, why did you vote for him?" I asked.

"I don't know, I just had to pick someone random."

When I asked AJers who he would vote for, he said, "Obama."

"Why?" I asked, because I guess I truly needed some insight and I figured my kids know more about this political debate than I do!

"Because," [insert thoughtful pause from my eldest child here], and then, the answer that would secure my vote in any political race: "He's got the coolest name on the history of earth!"

That's good enough for me!

Then I asked Diva who would she vote for.

She said, "Whoever was fattest."

Ha, just kidding. She didn't say that! She said, "Hillary."

"Why?"

"I want a change so there would be a girl president for a change."

Ooh yeah, and maybe she could get a cute male intern who wears Gap sweaters and smokes cigars. That'd be cool! Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm totally digressing from the STUPID VOTER MOMENT. Maybe I'm just too embarrassed to share.

Anyway, today I called Mr. Manic to ask him why he forgot to butter my toothbrush today, because in the morning when I get up, there's always toothpaste on my toothbrush waiting for me. Yep, it's just one of those adoring cute things we do for one another because we are so much in love. He forgot today.

He asked me if I got his email. I hadn't. He said he sent me an email asking me to vote cuz there's a school referendum that's really important so I should make the effort to vote.

Let me tell you I seriously got the sweats. I got nervous! I don't know how to VOTE! How would I get out of this one? Then I thought, I should do it. He loves me. It's important to him. I would lay down my life for him. I should lay down my vote for him. Plus, it would flat-out guarantee a pint of blood out of him if I went and voted.

So, I went and voted. First, I went home and checked my email and pulled up the cheat sheet (yes, he emailed me a virgin-voters guide of who I should vote for).

Please don't hold this against me: I don't know if I'm a donkey or an elephant. I don't know if a donkey is a Republican or a Democrat. I don't know these things! I do know a donkey is an ass, and I feel like an ass anytime the topic of politics comes up and I did just yell to Mr. Manic, "HEY, IS A DEMOCRAT A DONKEY?"

He yelled back YES.

So, maybe I'm a democrat?

Which one's more liberal? Maybe that's the one I am.

ANYWAY. Since I am a subservient and loving and obeying wife, and I would lay down my life at the feet of my husband, I took one for the team on this one, giving him my vote today.

I went into the polling place, drenched in sweat, peeked at my cheat sheet, cleared my throat and asked for the, ahem, Republican ballot.

Then I went over to the little secret hiding spot to fill out my ballot, checked my cheat sheet, found who I was supposed to vote for, and paused for a moment, just taking in the fact that I was there, voting, and maybe I felt a little like I was a big cheater, because I didn't know all the history behind the election, and I didn't know who's for what, and what's for who, and who's less sneaky or back-stabbing, and who's going to keep us safe in our country.

And then, just for the heck of it, before I started filling out the names on my Republican ballot, I thought, Wow, this is a pivotal moment in our country. I could be living in a world where we may someday have a woman president or an African American president, and how cool would that be, to live through such diversity, and whoa, just how neat would that be, and I began to search through the list of presidential candidates of my Republican ballot, knowing I wasn't going to vote for Hillary, but just thinking, I just want to see her name.

It wasn't there.

And how many of you out there know WHY her name wasn't there?

Any of you?

Or am I just the only stupid honest person in the world who would even admit to having had such a brain lapse to even think this way?

Because, my friends, it's true. I am a political numbskull. But you can bet I won't let you down in that category -- I can guarantee you that! Vote for Me for Political Numbskull AND YOU WILL NOT BE LET DOWN!

MANIC MOM FOR POLITICAL NUMBSKULL.

Think that'll fit on the ballot? It'll have to go on the jackass one, for sure.

One thing you CAN count on, my efforts WILL be put forth for saving lives, and there's still time left, and if you can find it in your heart, and in your VEIN, please consider giving one pint of your blood to the cause!!

And since this story was so embarrassing and horrifying, and it took a lot of bravery to admit, you can expect a new post tomorrow, and it's going to be about two amazing up-and-coming new authors so stay tuned for that!

In the meantime, Political Numbskulls Untie... Oops, I mean... Unite!

Sunday Bloody Sunday III

Angie read about the contest over at Dawn at Because I Said So. She gave blood before she heard about the contest but sent in a pic of her donor card and the date she donated, which is during the contest time.

She wrote:
I think your contest is a great idea, giving blood is a simple way to save three lives. And you get cookies afterwards.

THANK YOU ANGIE!!! You qualify as a contestant!

~ ~ ~ ~
MICHELLE WROTE THIS EMAIL TO ME:

Hey Manic!

I found your blog through Dawn's. I just happened to click on your blood donation challenge and as it happens, on a whim, I donated blood on Saturday. My super sweet hubby talked my friends into getting me out of the house so he could plan a surprise Groundhog's Day party for me...weird I know...long story. Anyhow, I was out window shopping when we saw the mobile blood donation truck in front of the PX (our on-post Army shopping center). I said, "We should go give blood." My friends said yeah and laughed and kept walking. I said "Seriously we should" and they agreed. We filled out the paperwork answering a million questions we never thought about before in our lives. We laughed a lot and loved the nurses taking care of us in this tiny trailer with only a few small windows and power running with a loud generator! Relax...yeah sure! We didn't take pictures so I can't participate in your drawing unless you'll take a picture of my t-shirt they gave me and my impossible-to-remove tape lines and red hole in my arm??

I just thought I'd tell you that I also feel I ended up in that mobile blood draw station for a reason...maybe because my Hubby will be leaving for Iraq in a few weeks? Thanks for the great challenge to get others to give freely their blood that they make without even trying.

Michelle

I WROTE BACK TO MICHELLE:

Michele--DEFINITELY Send me a pic of you wearing your t-shirt and the tape lines and your arm and I'll enter you into the contest, and if it's OK, I'd love to post your picture and the story as well on my Sunday Bloody Sunday post--is that OK? I'll just need the photo, your name, email (which I have) city, state ... all neat and nice so I can put it in my contest sheet and you'll be entered!

Also, not weird for a groundhog day party--I LOVE GROUNDHOG DAY--it's the anniversary of the day I met Mr. Manic--it'll be 18 years to the day I met him on Feb. 2!

So please! Send in that pic, and so glad you donated, and so glad you stopped by via Dawn! I love her--we had a great lunch together a few weeks ago!

Take care!
Stephanie aka Manic!

HERE'S MICHELLE'S PICTURE!


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

HERE'S ANOTHER GREAT EMAIL FROM A READER
WHO IS A BLOOD RECIPIENT:

Stephanie, thanks for your part in hosting this blood drive.
I am a recipient down the road from blood donations in the form of an Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIg) infusion every four weeks. There is a shortage of this pooled blood product, and some people are not being able to receive the treatment that they need to help them have some better days.

My next treatment begins February 11th, and will run for five days. That is five day of continuous IV infusion of this blood product. No prob, though... it gives me a chance to scoot around the blog world, and finding people like you out there! The blood *you've drawn* might be the catalyst for my being able to see better one day soon. Think so? I hope so, and I'm being serious. My blog is in my signature, but if that is not the thing to do, then it is andlifegoesononedayonestepatatime where you can go and see just how some of the blood you are... uh, do you recruit blood, draw blood, siphon blood.... gee, what would be the right term to use for this blood? In its final form, what they call that is given to me, is called *pooled* blood, regulated by the FDA, but I wasn't trying to get *that* technical! LOL.

Back to all seriousness, I really do appreciate your Blood Drive. I am better than I was last May 4th when I began these treatments.

Be Healthy, Wealthy & Wise... mmmmm... which would I choose if I could have only one? I'm not healthy nor wealthy, so there is nothing left but wise, and I'm dubious of that. LOL

Ragdoll Billie

On the Road to Remission
andlifegoesononedayonestepatatime
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/billiewages

Striving for a world without Myasthenia Gravis
http://www.myasthenia.org/amg_whatismg.cfm

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And this is from Kelli, who tried to donate on a Sunday but had a difficult time with unkind people because she had her young children with her, and the staff was not very friendly at all to her. FORTUNATELY, Kelli is a good-hearted, kind-spirited person and WENT BACK another time later in the week to donate. Here's what she said of her experience the second visit:

Hello Stephanie, I went to another blood bank today WITHOUT my children (remember Sunday's disaster) and gave a pint of my blood. All is well. It was a great experience. It's been more than ten years since I gave blood (the only other time) and I hope that life doesn't get so busy I forget. I am making a goal of every other month (odd months of this year). I also got the application to do a bone marrow donation. Which has been my goal since I gave my son a kidney 17 years ago, but wow does time fly. I really meant to do it years ago.



Have a great evening. Thanks for the push to donate. You will get a gold star in heaven, I am sure of it.

~Kelli~
visit our family blog daily at
all-k-names

THANK YOU KELLI!

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Lastly, from Lastel (hee, hee, I'm so funny, that wasn't even planned, but doesn't she have a cool name!):

Here is the pic of the info I picked up when I gave blood, the cards are a bit dog-eared as I had them stashed in my purse. I plan on giving again as soon as the time rolls around when I can, and I also plan to see about volunteering. I tried to give blood about three years ago and went through the screening to find out my iron was to low to donate, I was bummed since it had been so long since I donated. So when I knew I was going to donate this time I started taking iron pills every day and it's a good thing I did as my iron level was just over the cut-off point by one. My blood type is AB+ which is one of the more rare bloods, so Red Cross is pretty excited when people with my blood type donate on a regular basis.

LASTEL
aka STAMPINSTEL
stampinstelsuniquecreations

Thank you Angie, Michelle, Kelli, and Lastel for donating!
Thank you Ragdoll Billie for your great email!

There's still time to donate your extra pint of blood to this great cause. If you're here reading this post, it's calling you for some reason. It's quite possible you really do want to donate that pint, right?

1-800-GIVE-LIFE