Black Friday Insanity!

OK, don't hate me when I say this but yes, I was one of those people that went out on Thursday to Walmart for the early savings. Although, I am personally against it (yes, I acknowledge that to say that is hypocritical) there were some items that I desperately needed that were one sale. I got there around seven (7pm) and the doors were open. I strolled in and down the middle isle was the item that I was looking for. It was the pillows for $4.88. I have a lot of family coming over for the holidays and not nearly enough pillows for everyone. When I saw them all in this box, I picked up four of them and put them in my basket. That is when a rude Walmart employee yelled at me to put the pillows back. He shook his old, boney finger and said, "You can't have those pillows until 8 o'clock. It's not fair to everyone else that has been waiting here!"

Well, look. I didn't know that I couldn't take them right then and there. He didn't have to yell and be rude about it. It was right there and then,that I looked around and realized that I may have made a mistake even bothering with the sale. This was my first "Black Thursday/Friday" holiday sale and I thought it would be very different. Sure I've heard of the awful stories of crazy people yelling and pushing for a stupid toy but this was an employee and I simply didn't know the rules.

Over the next hour of standing in the same spot for freakin' pillows, I saw desperation seed itself in the eyes of the people that were waiting. The more people came into the stores and lingered around the items that they were waiting for the more people seemed to gear up to get competitive. I got a little worried but kept my cool.

Finally it was time. The announcer came on the PA system and in a muffled tone announced that it was now OK to take our items. It was awful! People were grabbing at stuff everywhere. Pillows and tempers were flung around. I grabbed my pillows and ran down the fabric isle where it was empty and safe. When I was reunited with my hubby, who was at another location trying to get a deal on Skylanders for our kid, I was relieved to see he had made it unhurt.

As we stood in the isle blissfully free of the crowd, I started noticing the inhumanity of people. People were swearing and cussing and fighting and for what? Toys? Some sheets and pillows? Have we really gotten this crazy? I mean I would have been disappointed if I didn't get my pillows but I was not prepared to actually physically fight someone for them. Hell you need them that bad, take them.

It also got me thinking about the impending date of December 21st. Whether you are a believer or not, if you went out on Thursday night or Friday morning you too saw the craziness of the crowd. Some guy in Indiana had to be arrested for threatening a crowd of people going into a Best Buy. Another person shot up a Target, what is going on?!

I happened to believe that something, not sure what, will happen.

It could be aliens (that's highly unlikely since we as humans are probably not interesting enough), it could be the fall of Wall Street, it could be the start of World War III or it could be just a another crowd of morons upset that nothing happened on December 22nd that they actually create an issue. I don't know. I only know this...if people are willing to fight over $20 sheets, think of what they will really be like should something really happen and it was food they were going after.

It would be bloody. As for me I think I will start now. Better late than never. Cause if something goes down, I don't wanna be anywhere near people or the grocery stores and especially Walmart. Well, enought of that I promise to have a better and cheerier subject next time.

Until nex time...be safe!

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Well, did anyone miss me? I missed writing. I've been so busy lately with my book launch and check this out, I actually got interviewed by a reporter. Me! I know strange uh? I was in the Longmont Times October 28th. Don't worry for my five loyal fans here's a link to the actual article http://www.timescall.com/news/longmont-local-news/ci_21857216/erie-witch-says-magically-inclined-get-bad-rap. You can also see the story on my website, www.JennipherDallas.com. It was strange too because in the article I was referred to as the Erie Witch. I've never been referred to by any other name or title other than my name or Mom. So it was strange. I am still hoping for some book reviews by anyone who wants to put it out there. So if you have read the book and want to have your opinion heard you can post it here on my blog or you can post it on my website. I promise not to get my feelings hurt should you not like the book.

 

OK enough self-promotion, moving on. It has been a little over a month since I've blogged and I've been busy with Halloween. We had a blast. The kids got all dressed up and my nephews came over and trick r treated in my neighborhood. I have to say I have the coolest neighbors ever. They really get into the spirit of things. Three doors down one neighbor actually transformed their house into the barn from the second season of The Walking Dead. There was a huge sign in front of his house that said "Warning walkers in the barn!" and a headstone with the spray painted name Dale on it. Anyone who follows this awesome series knows what that means. Needless to say that out of all the wonderful decorations and neat homemade haunted houses, this one was my favorite. I love The Walking Dead!

 

I was also preparing for my All Hallows Eve ritual. I chose my candles and their senses carefully, got all the pictures of my relatives past and prepared all the needed materials. It was a good ritual. For those of you who were not aware, I am Christo-Pagan. I know that a lot of people don't understand what exactly a Christo-Pagan is so I am borrowing from the following website:

http://www.northernway.org/cpinfo.html

 

"What is this term, Christo-Pagan? Isn't it a contradiction? Well, the truth is: your ancestors were probably Christo-Pagans. In Europe the historical Dual Faith period lasted from approximately 450 AD to 1100 AD, some say it began with Christianity itself. Indeed, Christianity has undeniable pagan roots. During the Dual Faith period our European ancestors were able to practice both their "pagan" ancestral religions and the "New Religion" coming up from Rome."

I suggest doing some more research if this peaks your interest. I do have a couple of great books I would recommend reading if you are leaning in this direction. I actually met the authors and was awed at the level of information in the book. It's called ChristoPaganism by Joyce and River Higginbotham and the other is The Path of the Christian Witch by Adelina St. Clair. Both of these books are excellent and will help anyone who is Christian or more to the point Catholic and curious about Paganism or Wiccan. I do read that a lot of people are going to more ancient religions like Wiccan and Druidism, not sure why that is but it's not a bad thing in my opinion.

Yule is fast approaching and getting ready is going to be fun. I am looking forward to having my sister and her family join us. I will be keeping everyone updated on my journey through the shopping craze for what most people call Christmas. So bring on the sales and the crazies...I'm going in.

Until next time...

A Little Self Promotion

I just wanted to just add a little shameless plug for my new book Veneficus. It is now available on Amazon and in e-Book form. I am also running a book selling contest for anyone who is interested in participating. If you can sell the most copies of Veneficus, by recommendation of the book (see the Books tab for links) you will receive a free autographed copy of my book and a $50 American Express gift card.

The contest will run from October 1st thru October 31st 2012.

Anyone who purchases my book needs to send an e-mail to Incomitatuslamia@gmail.com with the name of the person that recommended the purchase so that I can keep track of who is participating. I will announce the winner on Facebook and on my website.

 

I am also hoping to get some book reviews. I didn't really get any book reviews on my first book but I am looking forward to know what people actually think of my work. Oh and I will be featured in The Longmont Times, Sunday October 28th issue. Excited? Oh yea. I have never been interviewed before and I have to admit that the photo shoot was a little unnerving. I am not one to have my picture taken every time I turn around so when the photographer came over to photograph me I didn't know what to do. I immediately went crazy. I stood awkwardly, I held my book up over my face and I tripped (a lot). I have to admit that it is cool to be in the paper but I am not jazzed about having my picture taken. Whew...glad that the prep work is over.

 

Until next time...

Now I know why humans only live a hundred years

Being a writer I have to be creative all the time so I'm always looking for things to inspire me. From the quiet of my neighborhood mid morning to hearing kids screaming and running a muck in Walmart because their father is not paying attention due to watching re-runs of football games on the big screen televisions. Everything is a potential story or poem. Today I was NOT inspired at all. I didn't even find anything interesting on Facebook or on the Internet.

 

I realized today that I cannot be the only one have this creative stump. This past weekend my family and I wanted to go to the movies but when we saw what was playing there really wasn't anything good showing. What's going on? All the movies are remakes and most songs "borrow" from previous songs. It's either the lyrics that are taken or the beat that's used.

 

So this begs the question, are there no more original ideas?

 

Ok yes I am a writer and yes my ideas are original but on a whole what about all the other entertainment sectors? When is the last time you saw an original movie that moved you? Or song that spoke to your soul? If you had to think about it for longer than a minute, that should tell you something.

 

That also made me think about vampires and today's generation. What's the connection you ask. Well I will tell you. Vampires are immortal. They have lived many lives and well they probably get really bored with humanity. It's the same things over and over again with only minor spins to make the current generation think that its original. We were listening to some "current" music and the song that came on had both the beat and the lyrics from an 80's song I recognized. This is what I mean. I told my daughter about the root of the "new" song and she didn't believe me until I let her listen to the original. Sooo sad. I am dying here; dying to hear something new and original or see something new and original. Of course this post does not include the genius that is AMC's The Walking Dead.

Until next time... 

Crazy daze...and scary nights

Sorry I haven't had a chance to sit down and blog. I have had some crazy days. First, I was interviewed by a local newspaper, The Longmont Times, for my upcoming new book Veneficus...yes this is a plug. I was so excited. I have never been interviewed before and the photo shoot was strange too. I guess I am just not used to it. Because of the type of book it is, the story will be featured in October. If you would like more information visit my website at www.jennipherdallas.com.

 

Then I have been painting and getting the house ready. My husband and I decided to have a house warming party. I don't know what I was thinking. We just moved in three weeks ago and already a party! I know I like punishment. I have been cleaning, fixing, putting things away and all kinds of fun stuff. I'm exhausted.

 

And now, I'm also back on Isagenix! For those of you who don't know what Isagenix is, here is there website: www.isagenix.com. No they are NOT paying me for this. I have used the product before. It's a nutritional cleansing but it helps weight loss too. I've been on it since Sunday and today, Tuesday, I have already lost 5 pounds! I lost about 20 pounds last time and kept most of it off but I wanted to lose some more. So I'm excited about that.

 

I am hoping to reach my goal weight this time. Last time I did this, I got sick and could not continue the Isagenix. No, my illness had nothing to do with the product. But I'm back in the saddle again, as  they say and feel better. I have been feeling like my life needed a change. I have purged a lot of things and people from my life and feel that I am more on track with what I want to do with my life. I was reminded about my purge during my interview and didn't realize how I really should have done it a long time ago.

 

The changes in my life have been significant this year. I got a new car, new house, my second book will be published and ready for sale in a week. It has all gone by so fast, like a blur and if that isn't enough...strange things have been happening in this new house like it did in the old house.

 

I know this sounds strange and for those people who don't believe, this sounds crazy but I can sense things. I'm not sure when this happened, I guess I've had this my entire life but I can sense when something is wrong or something is in the house. When we bought the house I felt nothing. It is an odd feeling to feel nothing, almost like a void. There are no bad spirits or good spirits, I sense nothing but every now and then, I do feel something...just not on a consistent basis.

 

Sometimes I feel like I am being watched. Now I am a firm believer that animals can sense things better than humans especially cats, which is why I would never be without one. So when I feel like I am being watched I grab my cat, Milo, and keep him with me. I guess you could say he's my security cat like a security blanket...just don't call me Linus. The other day I was in my room making the bed and felt like someone was watching me. I was alone in the house. Now, in my old house, the floors would squeak and you could hear when someone was walking up the stairs but in this house, the floors don't squeak and you can't hear anyone walking up the stairs. This house is built very well and there are no noises. So when I am alone in the house, unless I have music on or the television, it is very quiet; dead silent you could say.

 

So to continue, I was making the bed when I felt like I was being watched. I yelled down stairs to see if my dad was home but he hadn't come back from the store. The dogs were outside and so it was just me and the cat in the house. Milo was not in the room with me. I tried to let it go shrugging it off like it was nothing, but the feeling persisted. It was unnerving. After a bit, I went to the other room and grabbed the cat. Immediately he started hissing and ran out of my room. Well, I was officially freaked out. The cat knew something was there that I was trying not to acknowledge. I looked around the room. The shades were open and there were rays of sunlight streaming in. It was not at all the classic horror environment one would picture for this moment.

 

It was around ten in the morning on a beautiful sunny day. At first I didn't know what to do. I was scared. Should I leave? Should I stay? Where would I go if I left? When would this thing go away? Was it malicious? All kinds of thoughts raced through my mind but I decided to stay. I mean, if I left, then what? This is my home, I can't just leave. I sat on the bed waiting. I didn't know what would happen. After about five minutes of nothing I continued cleaning. The feeling of being watched was still there but I tried to ignore it.

 

 

 

I never thought of that before this incident but it does. I mustered up all my courage and walked straight into the dark room. I stood there listening for any noise and heard nothing. I looked around in the dark and saw only shades of gray and black. I turned on the light. Everything was in its place. Nothing had been disturbed but the feeling of being watched had come back to me. The hairs on the back of my neck rose up pushing the weight of the rest of my hair up, causing my entire scalp to tingle. I knew I wasn't just imagining this because Milo was all upset about it too. My husband got home and I told him what was going on. Since he has no gifts or abilities whatsoever he rarely believes such things happen but he could not dismiss the cat and attempted to explain what was going on in a very logical manner. This offered me absolutely no comfort.

 

As we were getting ready for bed, I felt strange. It's hard to describe it but I felt like I was dressing and someone was helping me. I got into bed and we turned off the light. It wasn't ten minutes when I heard the comforting, familiar snore coming from my husband and I closed my eyes to go to sleep. Now, something I neglected to describe was my bedroom ceiling. It's has a vaulted ceiling that comes to a corner in the upper right hand side, which is the side I sleep on. It was around three in the morning, I had been tossing and turning all night. The covers had been pulled from me and I was cold. I sat up looking for the covers when I heard a scratching sound coming from the ceiling. I looked up and saw only darkness. I felt that feeling of being watched again and a wave of terror came over me. I jumped out of bed and flicked on the lights. There was nothing there. My husband, never woke from this whole fiasco and I spent the rest of the night huddled up against him with the lights on in the closet and the covers over my head. I felt like a scared five year old child hiding from an imaginary monster under my bed.

 

Needless to say, I didn't not sleep well that night and for two nights there after. It has since gone away. I wonder if it was just a passing thing. I haven't felt that feeling again and Milo has since slept in my room, where he is right now. Do things really just come and go? Do ghosts or spirits have the ability to decide where they want to turn up? I don't know. But I will say this...if it wasn't for the fact that I have three dogs already, I would be getting another cat.

Until next time...

and I ran..I ran so far away..(Flock of Seagulls)

OK so I said I was determined to lose weight and I am. I knew it would be work but boy I am mad. I am mad at myself for getting where I am and having to do this now. My wonderful and ever supportive husband went running with me tonight...ok not running...more like a really, really slow jog but it's a start.

 

Half way through the torture..I mean jog...I noticed this strange sound. I've heard it before but it was close. So, I kept jogging and the noise didn't go away it followed me. I started looking around to see if anyone was following us and I didn't find anyone there. We kept going and when we stopped to power walk, the noise got more faint. We starting jogging again and the sound came back louder. It wasn't until the second time we did our stop and start that I realized that the noise that had been following me was me. I was wheezing like a asthmatic in the middle of a wheat field. OH MY GOSH! How sad is it that I didn't even realize I was the one making all the noise?! I had been so focused on setting mini-goals like getting to the end of the block before stopping that I didn't know I was really wheezing.  After everything was said and done we went home to have dinner. This is what I looked like at the dinner table after the jog.

 

I was done for. I didn't finish dinner. I couldn't it was too painful to breath much less chew and swallow WHILE breathing. I am sticking with it and will do this fun-filled experience again tomorrow. This running and weight loss stuff reminds me of a joke I once heard...stop me if you know this one.

 

A guy was telling his friend that he wanted to lose weight but nothing worked. So his friends gave him a number to call and told him that he would lose weight GUARANTEED! The guy went home and called the number. The man on the other line told him that they would start bright and early the next morning and to be ready.

 

The next morning the doorbell ran and this beautiful woman was standing there in very tight and short running shorts and a tank top. He was shocked but had a smile from ear to ear looking at this woman up and down. "If you can catch me you can have me." She said in a sexy, sultry voice. For six weeks everyday she would come to the door and told him the same thing, "If you can catch me you can have me." Well, this guy was dropping weight right and left and finally he was getting very close to catching this woman.

 

So on the day he was positive that he would finally catch her he wore tight tank top showing off his new toned body and tight running shorts. The doorbell rang and he opened the door with enthusiasm. A very large and not so attractive woman was standing there. He was shocked! "Can I help you?" He asked. The lady responded, "Yes, that pretty lady at the weight loss center told me to come here and tell you that if I could catch you I could have you."

 

The moral of the story...just keep running. : )

Until next time...

Oh and a quick shout out to to my friend, who is playing the Willie Nelson song "On the road again" in Katy, Texas. You go girl!

Determined

I woke up this morning to the sound of laughter and the smell of coffee. I went to join in but found I could not move the way I thought I could. So I rolled out of bed and stood on my creaking, aching knees and painfully walked to the stairs. I stood at the top of the stairs for a bit contemplating the journey. My feet still tingling from being asleep were causing me to double think my physical abilities. With my left leg first, it almost felt like the hokey pokey going down.

 

I got to he middle landing and knew this was crazy. I'm not even 40! How could this have happened? It was so subtle, this weight gain. Only yesterday I was frolicking pain free in my back yard now a larger shell of my former life I tire easy and maintain a regime that supports my weight-full existence.

 

No more! I am rebelling! I am determined and I will succeed...now, all I need to know is...where's the coffee?   

Time for a change

I'm sure that everyone has come to a point in their lives when a change was needed. Whether it was due to illness, loss of a job, moving, friend purging, ex-boyfriends/husbands, whatever. I am in that situation now. It seems that as we get older we tend to get more isolated with our friendships and the ones that we do form are more acquaintances rather than the old "best friends" we used to know in school. I might be alone on this but I doubt it. I had another blog, My Bytch Blog, but I have decided to step away from that one for just a while. As time goes on, you-my one reader, will understand why.

 

I guess I am not a very good judge of character and so I have been lead astray with "friends." No bother, as Scarlett O'Hara said in Gone with the Wind..."after all, tomorrow is another day." I will keep my chin(s) up and focus on what really matters to me.

 

I need a change. I have changed my house, my car and now I am changing who I choose to associate with, I also need to change my health. I have gained too much weight and am looking forward to losing some of it and never finding it again.

 

My daughter has joined Cross Country in her high school and it has prompted me to get more healthy and perhaps take up running. Of course, I get winded going up the stairs so this will not be easy at first. I expect that, but I am looking forward to the ends justifying the means.

 

For those of you out there that find this blog and wonder just who I am, let me introduce myself. I am a writer of poetry. I have two books and love to revere these wonderful technological,cyber notepads (blogs) as my personal journal. So you will hear a lot of my rants and crazy antics. I hope they are entertaining enough to solicit comments and feedback.

 

Until next time...