Procrastination

How appropriate that Eileen Cook chose to write about procrastination! Procrastination is the 'chick's middle name. Seriously!

For anyone who was not paying attention, Eileen is the author of this very entertaining book: If y'all are looking for an entertaining read, this is your book:


So, without further ado (or procrastination). . .

Procrastination has a bad reputation. There are entire books devoted to learning to avoid it and no one wants to be accused of doing it. We’ve turned into a nation of priority setting list checkers. I’m all for getting things accomplished, but I think procrastination isn’t always such a bad thing. A sample of the random things I’ve done while avoiding working on my book include:

Realized my hair dryer vent was clogged with fuzz requiring my focused attention and a pair of tweezers;
Brushed my dog’s teeth;
Searched for random items on Ebay, including grilled cheese sandwiches with the Virgin Mary burned into the side; and
Endless random surfing of the internet where I learned fascinating facts like more people are killed yearly by falling vending machines than in shark attacks.

The best part of being a writer is that all of this procrastination counts as work. Instead of calling it procrastination, we call it “brainstorming” or “research.” This fact, along with the idea that the writer’s work uniform consists of yoga pants and a giant sweatshirt and makes writing an ideal job.

For me procrastination is part of the process, I can’t jump right into the story, I need to sneak up on it. If I go directly at the project it bolts. Some of my best ideas I’ve tripped over while doing something else. If more people embraced their inner procrastinator who knows what they might discover? Procrastination is the mind’s way of getting off the highway and taking the back roads. Ask yourself- on your last road trip where did you find the really interesting stuff? The highway may get you there quicker, but if getting there is supposed to be half of the fun, then you’re missing out. Let your brain take an off ramp once and awhile.

Put procrastination back on your to-do list. Give yourself permission to waste a little time. Who knows what will come from it- if nothing else your blow dryer may end up lint free and you’ll know to give the vending machine at your office the respect it deserves.

Smackdown for Jesus

JERUSALEM - Dozens of Greek and Armenian priests and worshippers exchanged blows at one of Christianity's holiest shrines on Orthodox Palm Sunday.

Witnesses say the brawl erupted when Armenian clergy kicked out a Greek priest from their midst, pushed him to the ground and kicked him.

When police intervened, some worshippers hit them with the palm fronds they were holding for the religious holiday. ~ courtesy of CNEWS

Someone is gonna have some explaining to do when they get to the Pearly Gates. If that conversation goes anything like the ones that Roadchick's parents had with her when she did something wrong, it will go something like this:

God: So, anything interesting happen during Orthodox Palm Sunday in 2008?

Clergy/Priest: No . . . nothing I can think of.

God: Really? Are you sure?

Clergy/Priest: Yeah . . . pretty sure.

God: 'Cause that is NOT what I heard.

Clergy/Priest: Really?

God: ~tapping foot~

Clergy/Priest: ~thinking fast~

God: Mmm-hmm. So. Would you like to explain to Me why I looked down and saw a fight going on in front of one of My holiest shrines? And the two of you right in the middle of it? Causing it? And then getting everyone so worked up they were whipping the police with palm fronds? That I just got done laying a blessing on?

Clergy/Priest: ~pointing at each other~ It was his fault.

God: Oh, y'all are in so much trouble. Get yourselves to Purgatory and don't come out until I say so.

*****

Coming soon!

A guest post by Eileen Cook, author of Unpredictable.

If y'all are looking for an entertaining read, this is your book:

It's Earth Day

So, today is Earth Day. It's been all over the news and on talk shows - Oprah is doing a show about it this afternoon.

Little things YOU can do to save the planet.

The 'chick was at Walmart over the weekend and they had an entire magazine/flyer explaining how YOU can save the planet.

Seems like it would've been a better idea to save all those trees and run a video on the in-store system.

The 'chick is moving slowly towards more "green" products to use when cleaning - after all the "harmful" stuff is used up.

Because it seems like going green costs a lot more green.

Organic is another thing that's been all over the news and in magazines - the 'chick can see the benefits of eating/using/wearing organic products, but again - if these items have LESS stuff in them, why do they cost MORE?

It would be a lot easier to save the planet if it saved money too.

*****

Coming soon!

A guest post by Eileen Cook, author of Unpredictable.

If y'all are looking for an entertaining read, this is your book:

Top This

This morning, the 'chick got up and was rather pleased that she had something new to wear to work today. A new top.

Soon after arriving at work, the 'chick had the following conversation with an employee from another company in the building:

Emp: So . . . are congratulations in order?

Roadchick, looking down: No, it's just a shirt.

Emp: Oh, I am sorry - those smock shirts look like maternity shirts.

Roadchick: The 'chick is planning a trip to Target after work and wants to park in the 'Expectant Mother' space right by the door.

Fucking clothing designers.

***************

Coming soon!

A guest post by Eileen Cook, author of Unpredictable.

If y'all are looking for an entertaining read, this is your book:

Duh

Lordy mercy, the 'chick is tired.

Why is she tired, you ask?

Well, Patient Reader, Roadchick is tired because she is the single parent of a teenaged boy, otherwise known as Rockboy.

Rockboy, perhaps under the effects of spring fever, or new love (there is a new girlfriend), or one too many vanilla cokes, took it upon himself to just leave school after lunch. Every day. For the past two weeks.

The school finally got around to calling the 'chick about it a couple days ago.

(Why did it take so long? Who knows. Not the 'chick.)

So, the 'chick and Rockboy had a real come-to-Jesus discussion on Tuesday night.

It seems that Rockboy just figured that since he didn't particularly enjoy art class, his time would be better spent at the skate park or at the new girlfriend's house.

And, according to Rockboy, it never occurred to him that there might be a problem with that. After all, he's 18, right? An adult. In The Eyes Of The Law. (Or so he informed the 'chick.)

And that, Patient Reader, was the exact moment when the 'chick went postal and let Rockboy know that there was not a jury in the world that would convict her for MURDERING her "adult" son.

Rockboy. The poster child for birth control.

Unpredictable

Blogging can be very interesting sometimes. A few weeks back, the 'chick got an email asking her to review a new book, Unpredictable, by Eileen Cook. Always on the lookout for free books and a chance to talk about them, the 'chick was quick to agree and answered the email with a definite "YES!"

The other day, the Book arrived. Days when books arrive are always good days. The 'chick could barely restrain herself from hiding it in a chart or on her keyboard tray to start reading immediately even though she was at work.

Unpredictable is what could be classed as "Chick Lit" - how appropriate! The heroine, Sophie Kintock, has been in a long-term relationship with the man she considers to be her Mr. Right. Unfortunately, Mr. Right has moved out because he needs "space" and winds up meeting another woman. Determined to get her man back, Sophie decides to give the new girlfriend a psychic reading (even though Sophie is not psychic) that will scare her into breaking up with Sophie's Mr. Right. Of course, mayhem and hilarity ensue and there is a fantastic twist at the end.

Unpredictable is a very easy read - the 'chick was drawn into the story from the first page and finally had to sit down tonight after work and finish it to see how it was going to end. (Roadchick did NOT peek at the ending ahead of time. Congratulate her on her self-restraint.)

One of the best things about this book is that most of the ladies out there will be able to identify with Sophie and her behavior following the break-up. The 'chick knows that there were a couple of break-ups that drove her to consider taking up voodoo or learning to hex someone. Unfortunately, none of the 'chick's attempts led to the interesting turn of events that happen to Sophie.

When Ms. Cook emailed the 'chick, she mentioned that she would be willing to do an interview or a guest post at the Roadtrip. If you, Patient Reader, have any questions for a real, live, published author, please feel free to leave them in comments or send them to the 'chick's email and they will be considered for the interview.

You can visit Eileen Cook's website by clicking the link or at www.eileencook.com

She doesn't just talk about her book there - she finds a lot of funny stuff on the innernets and shares it with the rest of us.

With beach weather coming, now is a good time to pick up this book. It's available at major booksellers everywhere.