Lizzy

This is Lizzy. She is from NEDGE. She is a sneaky little lizard. Beware.
You've been warned.

Mad, mad, mad...

We're all mad. I did this for Christmas. I think this year's Christmas Theme should be "Classic Children's Literature"... I'll work on the Sherlock Academy picture next.

Boo!

This is a monster I was working on. I think he/she looks like a cow.

Joy Unleashed

Created for Benji Magness after a sermon...

Mini-Doodles

I know... I haven't been writing much (well, I haven't been writing at all). But that's only because I have been consumed with the world of Nedge. I know some of you are sick of me musing on the world of Nedge so often (cough... cough... Farah). But that's just me. I am a little obsessive.

At any rate. I am working on bringing Doodles back to this blog. I hope to be up and running with some great Doodles tomorrow.

Sweetly Rejected

I have started into the publishing process of Nedge, and I have to say... Rejection can be so sweet. I always talk to my English students about the hardships of trying to get published: Form letters, unopened manuscripts, rejections, the list goes on...

But last night I got another great rejection letter. I call it great because the letter I opened last night was kind and thoughtful. I am amazed that a publishing house sent me a personalized letter that actually hints they read my book.

I'm sure I'll receive countless other rejections--most of them will be form letters--but today I will sigh a sigh of happiness and say, "Rejection can be sweet."

Here's the letter she sent to me. I blocked out her name to keep her privacy. Click on the image to see it in full view.


Note, I sent the letter to her on the 17th of October! Now that's fast turnaround... Here's to Nedge.

Sigh... Pt. 2

Well, I haven't been online in awhile... Partly because I don't have the Internet at home, and partly because I am absurdly busy at school. I have taken on a HUGE workload, but I know I will return to the world of the blog-o-sphere.

Here are my new words of wisdom:

Keep up on the dream. You'll get there.

Zoom... It is gone.

This week has FLOWN by. I guess last weeks tend to do that.

For most of the summer I kept a summer log so I could look back and say, "Oh, that's what I did." Most of it is made up of hanging with Fauf, chess games, watching ALIAS, bike rides around the neighborhood and to Evergreen Video, and writing my story (I just hit the 30,000 word mark yesterday--now we'll see if they are quality words or not).

Today is an exciting day:

The Last Day of Official Summer--weekends don't count.
Seminar--I will be leading a seminar in AG in 30 mins. from now.
I am calling a book agent today about my children's books I have written (mainly the Christmas story I have been working on for a year and a half).

I have a lot of things cooking... So I better tend to them so I don't burn them or myself!

Don't worry, I have been saying no to a lot of requests lately. I need to stay sane and focused on family and fun.

Back to School in T-Minus 2 days!

Sigh.

Consumption

Sigh. My life has been so consumed with:

Westly's cuteness.

Nedge's mysteries.

Summer's end.

TV's captivation.

There it is.

Lazy Summer's End

I have been wondering what this last portion of Vacation would bring for me. And I have to say... Not much. :-) But I am thankful for a time of rest and relaxation before the madness of teaching high school and 8.5 units for the college sets in. It will be a busy time I'm sure, but rewarding nonetheless.

This week I am spending time reviewing and reading Farah's latest book in the Sherlock Academy series... It is called "The Holmes Brigade" and is her biggest and best work yet! I am so proud of her. You can check out more info on her webpage HERE!

I have been working on my story, via MY BLOG and have come to a point where I am happy with the ideas I've laid out. It is no Shakespeare, but I'd reckon it is better than Mary Pope Osborne and perhaps equal to Patrick Skene.

In addition we are making plans for a short trip to the LA area for EMMA'S Big First Birthday!

Other than that, I have devoted afternoons to Farah, Westly, Bike Riding, and Alias. Sigh. Summer is wonderful.

Addictions...

I am slightly addicted to blogging right now. I think I may have to go to rehab for this one (RIP Amy Winehouse). But I think writing this story is a good process for me to go through.

Here are some things I am also addicted to:

1. Smiles from Westly!

2. Thinking about Harry Potter and the final moments of greatness for the movie franchise.

3. Talking with Farah about Sherlock Academy's future.

4. The smell of Starbucks... Not even the drinks or treats.. JUST THE SMELL!

5. Alias... AH! I can't believe my wife did it to me, she roped me in and made me completely addicted to it. I can't wait to see what Sydney does next. PLEASE NO SPOILERS PEOPLE!

At any rate, my other blog THIS ONE is not the only addiction I have. So there! :-)

Updates...

I just customized my new blog! HERE!

Thanks for all of the ideas from friends and family! Keep 'em coming!

Lightning Strikes Twice

Hooray, my brainstorming over the past three years has finally paid off!

Eureka! I found my story!

This past month I have been working on a story I've had brewing for sometime. Yesterday, I spent the day researching and planning the rest of my story on my other blog: CLICK HERE!

I can't give anything away just yet, but the plot will be interwoven with two other stories I had previously written (none of them have been shared with any of you out there in the blog-o-sphere)!

In addition, I have to say it is a joy to spend time creating new adventures, characters and worlds.

I write mainly for my personal enjoyment, but I hope (and this is a hope) that some random person will read it and be delighted by it...

Sigh.

It takes me back to the time when I wrote the story of FANTASMIC! when I was in the fourth grade. I swear, Disney was going through my trash. Lisa can testify to this story.

It also reminds me of the time when I wrote "The Easter Bunny is Missing!" and made copies for my whole family. I still remember taking a copy to my Grandma and Grandpa's house. I'll never forget the feeling of excitement I had when I published that work.

And, more recently, it reminds me of the time I read my story to Cassidy and the whole family. Cassidy's reaction will stick with me for a long time.

Sigh.

I love writing a good (well, that's to be determined) story.

Potter Patter

My heart has been heavy for the past few days. It has not gone "pitter patter", nope. It has gone "potter patter".

Yup, it's the end of a decade's worth of movie magic and marvels.

Harry is a little worse for wear (see the cuts and bruises), but that's what happens when the Darkest Wizard of all time is chasing after you for 7 years.





I have really enjoyed every moment of the HP Series (minus the Mike Newell issue). Here are my top memories of the film series:

10. Sharing the movies with Farah in July 2007. She was so sweet to sit and watch a movie series she wasn't that interested in (at the time) and watch them in marathon mode--we finished all 4 in 24 hours. (Now, I'll share with you that she cried at the finale along side of me!)

9. Seeing Movie 3 with a group of people who made an agreement to meet again. Though our budge won't allow us to go, we are excited to see if anyone else will go.

8. The final Midnight Premiers debacle with the tickets. It was well worth it. 7 horcurxes and 7 sobs from this man.

7. The Midnight Premier of Movie 6. We had so much fun playing "Name that Scene" at the front of the theatre. And I do believe they did an AMAZING job of decorating the 4 theaters to look like the 4 houses.

6. The Midnight Premier of Movie 7. I was shocked to be sitting by a girl who started weeping at the sight of the Warner Bros. logo. It was fun.

5. Seeing the first movie. The movie was still in its opening week. I had picked up HP a year earlier, and though "Hum. When I get a break from school reading, I will totally love this one." But on the night I saw the first movie I hadn't finished the first book. I was on the chapter where Hermione goes with Harry to Snape's protection of the stone (the different potions that would transport him to the mirror) and I had no clue Snape wasn't the "bad guy". I remember sitting in the theater saying, "Oh yeah, this is where I am in the book. WHAT THE HECK!?" After that I raced home and finished books 1-3 in less than a week.

4. The 10 PM premier with Francy and Tanya. Hilarious memory.

3. The Midnight release of Movie 4 (ugh). So much excitement in the air, and a great Burrow moment.

2. Movie 5. The day after we came back from our Honeymoon, I raced to the theatre to see it by myself. Tears and all--that would be me crying, not Farah.

1. Seeing the film with the Burrow. Sigh. And seeing the films with Farah this past week. 8 films. 8 days. Sigh.

Taking a moment...

I will be taking a moment away from my blog for a few days (no more than 3), as I prepare for the madness of HP8.

See you all soon.

HP, Here I Come!

That's right, y'all. I got my ticket (finally) today to see the midnight showing. I am VERY excited to go, though it will be completely bittersweet. I know it will be worth the struggle it has taken to get my ticket. At least I can stop stressing over where and when I'll see it. Not I know for sure.

As for the rest of the week I think I will find myself enjoying the summer hours and writing my story. Oh--and watching the rest of the HP Series. Fauf and I are on movie 5 today, and we'll be enjoying them till Thursday (EEK!).

Sigh. I am so happy.

Crickets.

There isn't much to do at 4:00 AM.

I should know.

The past week I have been awoken at least 3 times at the 4:00 AM hour by a somewhat-suspiciously-not-so-stray cat that is prowling the neighborhood. Sadly, this cat found our baby bird's nest, hidden away in our front door wreath, and attacked it. Just yesterday I discovered the remains of our little bird on the doorstep. For those of you who know about our bird story, it came as a shock. We're going to hope this isn't an omen, but just an evil cat that wants to harass me.

So. What do you do at 4 AM?

Well, for one I have been blogging on the new blog HERE.
For two (can you say for two?), I have been drawing pictures.
For three (if you can say for two, you can say for three), I have been watching absurd movies. See below.
For four (now this is just getting ridiculous), I have been venturing to Starbucks and have found it (SHOCK!) empty.



I'm sure I could be doing some better stuff to help the world, but hey, y'all--it is 4 AM.

Today, my plan is to move the wreath that the cat continues to paw at in hopes of getting a full night's sleep.

Here's to sleep, and Cookie Time!

Ah!

Harry Potter is almost here and I still can't find a ticket. Thanks for all who have been hunting for me.

The movie will be bitter-sweet, so I am partially OK with missing the midnight showing. But you know, deep down inside I will be broken hearted if I don't go.

Tomorrow will be the deciding day. We'll see what a few connections can do for me.

Fingers crossed. Wands at the ready.

Hot Tub Musings

Last night, Farah and I were sitting in the hot tub (yes, we are living it up), musing about the future. We started dreaming up where we want to take Westly when he is older. Our plans became quite grand, but that's us. As it stands now, we have no extra money to even go to Barnes and Nobel, but somehow we'll make it happen. This morning I woke up with travel ambitions, and I decided to pen (type) all of the ideas we had.



(Eek! I love this little Future President of America! And if he is going to be President, we'll have to provide him with an enriched, cultured childhood--well, mostly.)

So here is a list of places I want to take Westly:



Age 1- Disneyland (In fact, just put this one on every year following. Let's pray Mimi can keep going strong so we can visit the Kingdom often--and freely.)



Age 3- San Diego Zoo and Sea World (Lions, Tigers and Shamu, OH MY! I think Westly will laugh at the monkeys.)



Age 4- Lego Land (A Land made out of Legos!? Four Year Olds!? Perfect... Ignore the creepy kid in the photo.)



Age 5- The Grand Canyon (This is something I don't care about, but it is big, and little Kindergarteners like big things, so this one gets a Kindergarten stamp of approval.)



Age 6- Sacramento (We'll be studying the state government and all that jazz, so it makes perfect sense. I remember first seeing the Capitol and being shocked that it really existed.)



Age 7- Disneyworld (This is a given. Seven year olds can really take in the magic. It will be epic. Sorry for the other Shaw babies who may make their debut, that's the privilege of being a first-born you get to really enjoy it while the others drool and look around aimlessly.)



Age 8- The Oregon Trail, I've always wanted to go on this trail (We'll study it and find the game to play, and Grandpa Shaw will tell him stories about the trail. He'll be dying to go there.)



Age 9- Dollywood (Who doesn't want to go there!? I'm sure Westly will be a big Dolly fan by age 9. If not, we'll visit Mt. Rushmore.)



Age 10- A driving tour of the East Coast, with a lot of touring around the Washington DC area (Time to get an education of our country. After-all, we will be studying the American Revolution, so it is fitting that we tour places like Gettysburg, Williamsburg, and all the other Burgs. Oh and Harry Potter World--he'll be a huge fan by then.)



Age 11- Hawaii (Can't you just picture Westly going to a luau? All the hula girls will think he is so cute with his little dimples. Plus we can visit where Obama was born so he can get that whole 'Modern Day President' vibe.)



Age 12- Cruise (By this time he'll be old enough to watch the other little Shaws who will enter the world... Sorry, West, but if you get all these free trips you'll have to pay it off on this one while Mommy and Daddy go explore the ship. We'll let you play at all of the ports.)



Age 13- New York, NY (To be a 13 year old in NYC would be awesome--scary, but awesome)



Age 14- London, England (Back to the roots and maybe Wills and Kate will have had a baby girl. By this time the royal heir will be 12 or 13, so by then Westly will be at the right age to start courting her.)



Age 15- Roma, Italy and Paris, France (Now that he's explored his roots, and probably been denied by the Princess, he can go fall in love with a hot Italian or French girl. Maybe that's weird for me to say, after-all I am 44 at this point.)



Age 16- Australia (I think I'll need to force him to become a surfer so he can surf with a wallaby.)





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Age 17-20- And now we enter the mystery years where Westly will assert his independence and go off with his friends to odd places like Brazil, Madagascar, China and Los Angeles.)




Age 21- Vegas (This is when I'll have my mid-life crisis--AKK! I'll be 50!--And he'll start gambling away his inheritance on the ponies.)

Sigh. This is what every kid running for president in 2036 will need to have done. So, I better start saving...

Did I miss anything?

Writings are Moving...

Ok, everyone. Call me crazy, but I am launching a new blog JUST for my stories. Therefore BLING BLANG BLOG, aka this blog, can be dedicated to my personal musings.

You can find it at:

http://michael-shaw.blogspot.com

I hope you all go there to read my work. Thanks for your support this past week!