Searching for Vampires and Love Letters (and a monkey on your knee)

Weird and somewhat disturbing search terms used to find one of my blogs…Click here for: Searching for Vampires and Love Letters (and a monkey on your knee).

You can tell your story…

My brother Max told me about a guy named S. Harry Zade who had to tell stories. He was good, Harry was. If you aren’t following his blog you should be.http://thenarrativeimperative.com/2014/01/11/intersections-chapter-94-the-terrifying-and-fascinating-mystery/So I checked it out and found that Max had a guest post telling HIS story. Maybe I am a good influence. Huh. Interesting. Click here or go to the link below for all the dirt, I mean Max’s story.http://thenarrativeimperative.com/2014/01/15/guest-contribution-from-max-todd/Thank you to The Narrative Imperative and the good folks at the Epiphany Cafe for sharing Max’s story.We all have stories but some of us are story tellers.I always see blog posts and articles and Facebook and other “things” and people asking “Why do you write?”

via Click here for the entire article: You can tell your story….

I’ll remember you…even if you change

This morning KXJZ the Public Radio Station in Sacramento, CA is replaying this wonderful story featuring Sean Bianco. I never thought much about Slim Witman but he always seemed to be there (more in jokes) in popular culture.

That story inspired the blog post “I’ll remember you … even if you change.” Click on the link below. Thank you Sean and Beth and Slim for the inspiration. And Sean Bianco if you ever find this link – Opera Rocks and so do you. Thank you for all the great music and for teaching us about the music you love.

Click on the link for: Sound Advice: Slim Whitman At the Opera host Sean Bianco grew up with the music of Slim Whitman. When the legendary singer recently passed away, Bianco decided to bring his collection of Slim Whitman records to Capital Public Radio for a special Sound Advice remembrance. We’ll hear some of Whitman’s best-known tunes including, “Indian Love Call,” “Rose Marie” and “I Remember You.”

Click here for the full story: I’ll remember you…even if you change.

Searching for Vampires and Love Letters (and a monkey on your knee)

Do you ever wonder about those random search terms that lead readers to your blog? Here are a few examples to ones that work and ones that are just plain weird…Click here for: Searching for Vampires and Love Letters (and a monkey on your knee).

The Art of Writing Love Letters is Alive and Well (even for Zombies & Ghosts)

Click here for: The Art of Writing Love Letters is Alive and Well (even for Zombies & Ghosts).

Love is always in the air…an interesting article for all (and I really mean ALL)

A WordPress blogger’s cautionary tale (or “How Sir Like-a-lot got lost in Spam-a-lot”)

Click here for: A WordPress blogger’s cautionary tale (or “How Sir Like-a-lot got lost in Spam-a-lot”).

 

Good article for WordPress bloggers. Check it out. And this is one of those blogs worth following.

Blogs are tiny bites of wonderful things I want to share…

About West Coast Review – Sharing stuff I like and “having it all.”

I had every intention of writing more original articles on wine, travel, decorating, movies and books…but…I have don’t have the time or skills to do that as well as most bloggers.

So on this blog I SHARE blog posts that are really awesome and too good to keep to myself. It sort of goes along with the name West Coast REVIEW. I review and share.

I NEVER reblog to get more traffic. WTF? Please, I’m not a stats whore.  I don’t want to steal your followers (another WTF).  If one person sees my posts on any given day I’m happy.

If you do not want me to repost/reblog on of your posts I will respect that. Just let me know and I’ll put you on the do not reblog list. Also remove the button on your blog that allows easy reblogging.  It is no big deal and I’m glad to follow your wishes.

If I share anything it is because it is too good to keep to myself. I have very little time to relax or even think, so blogs make great reading for me. Blogs are tiny bites of wonderful viewpoints, humor, fiction, books reviews, musings and inspiring stories that I want to share.

I share blogs on Facebook, I email them to friends, I tell people I work with, and I tell my husband and friends. Blogs rock. Like I said, they’re tiny bites – like really good chocolate or a nice shot of bourbon or seeing a double rainbow.

When I reblog I try to say something about the blog. It is usually something short like “I love this blog and you should check it out.”

And if you’d like me to share anything here just let me know. I’ll post guest articles too (especially about food, wine, travel, books, gardening).

I read and write blogs to relax. It is my wind down time. It is my little bit of calm and fun.

And boy, have I found some great blogs and I will continue to share them with you.

A little about me: Like I said, I’m like a lot of you and busy. I work full time as a supervisor at a manufacturing plant (yes, there is still manufacturing in California) 16 miles from my home (lots of car time). I’m a mom…a busy mom with volunteer time, school, sports, driving everyone around, just spending time together. This year we were also visited with the big C. Cancer came into our home – to my husband. Treatment was successful and it was scary and it was stressful. He is in remission now. And while all this was going on he started his own business – he works 6.5 days a week but he is happy with it. And to top it of I’m also the child who lives closest to an elderly parent (who falls a lot) and I have become the caretaker who stops by 5 nights a week and helps with shopping and other things on weekends.

I know a lot of you are thinking, “My life is like that too.” We’re all so busy, even my single friends and those without kids in the house. We’re all busy.

I write my odd little  “parenting/tall tale” blog vampiremaman.com in the wee hours of the morning and late hours of the night. I have several novels in the works but since dealing with everyone else those have been put on hold.

I’d love to write tonight but I have to finish up a skate dress for a big competition, take out my mom’s garbage and work on a raffle I shouldn’t have volunteered to help with. And I forgot skate practice too.

I’m not complaining…it just is what it is.  I have it all. Well, except for the nanny and housekeeper and gardener – I’d love to have those people in my life right now. Maybe a cook too. And I don’t get my nails done (I wish I did).  But so far I’ve been a great success at parenting so I guess I DO have it all. Whew. Glad to get that out of the way.

Things are busy but most of it is good. We have dinner together every night. We talk. We hug. We find time to take the dog for family walks. Just like most of you, we’re doing ok.

This weekend flew by without any grocery shopping so we had nothing for breakfast in the house, so I stopped by our local little donut shop.  It is a great place, family run, where they know where all the kids who come in go to school and know what kind of coffee I like (the hazelnut). Anyway, there was a woman in there who had her hands full. A bunch of bags of goodies and two large coffees, one without a lid. When asked if she needed help out she said, “No, I’m a mom. I can do anything.”

 Say that out loud “I’m a mom, I can do anything.” Make my day. It made my day for sure.

My daughter mentioned that I could do anything except start the lawnmower (I hate my lawn and I want to kill it). But if you’re a mom you CAN do anything. I know you’ve already proved that more than once. Love you moms!

And xoxoxox to my bloggers who help me when I do need to escape or think or laugh or ponder. Good job.