A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to the Con...and Back

(From Nov. 5th to the 10th, as part of the AADPW blogging contest, I will be talking about my trip to Suffern, NY, and the Authors After Dark Paranormal Weekend that took place from Oct. 23-25.)

Day One

I left the house early for the airport in Houston two and a half hours away. A cold front had come in the day before, and it had been raining all night. It was still raining sporadically until I reached El Campo, and that's where I hit the frog strangler. It continued to pour on me, forcing traffic to slow down on the divided highway.

I drive a 2001 Ford Escort ZX2. A small car, but wide and low to the road. I fully believe that's why the car saved my life that morning.

I was nearing Kendelton (for those of you familiar with US 59). A refrigerator truck was in the right lane and slowing down, so I decided to go around him. We were running about 60 mph. As I came around on the left side, I saw the water on the road, taking up most of the road. At the same moment, I got caught in the backwash from the truck.

I hit the water, and my car began to spin out of control. Something in my head kept saying DON'T HIT THE BRAKES. At the same time, I remembered to turn in the direction of the skid. All this time, my car did Two Complete Counter-clockwise Revolutions. I tore through the grassy median. I vaguely remember seeing dirt and grass flying upward, and hitting my windshield.

I came to a sudden, jerky halt on the opposite side of the freeway, facing oncoming traffic. It was still dark. It wasn't yet dawn. And I could see the headlights heading straight toward me.

Numb, I couldn't think other than I needed to be on the OTHER side of the freeway. So slowly I drove back across the torn up median, unmindful of the fact that I could get stuck in the mud, and stopped when I reached the northbound shoulder. It took me several minutes to stop shaking, but I prayed thanks I hadn't flipped. That another car hadn't hit me. And that I was relatively unhurt.

Yes, I continued on to the airport, but my nerves were shot. I parked my car, got checked in, and made my flight in time. I arrived at the New Jersey airport around 5:00 p.m., rented a car, and got to the hotel in Suffern by 7:00.

On my way home on Sunday, I found the spot where I'd gone across. It has to be the only area in that fifteen-mile stretch where the median is flat. The rest of the time it dips down into a ditch.

I had been thinking about trading my little car in for some time now. Screw it. I'm keeping my little Ford Escort.

From My Kindergarten Dictionary

dumbtacks

I'm an Unofficial Participant

I didn't officially enter the contest. Why?, you ask? Well for one thing, I have a full-time job, so unless I want to be writing until midnight or so every evening... And that's not counting all the after school stuff I have to do, like PTO meetings, fall festivals, etc.

Secondly, I've already started a couple of WIPs, and my purpose is to FINISH them. Yeah, it's like cheating, which is why I'm not actually signed up.

Thirdly, I've been in a writing slump. For the first time in a looooong time, I haven't put fingers to keyboard to actually WRITE anything for over a month. Maybe my brain needed the time off. Maybe I'm trying to avoid burn-out. I dunno. But it's time I got my nose back to the grindstone.

It's a New Look!

^ Look! ^^^^^^^^

Like the new header? Check out my website's main (front) page. I felt it was time for a new design.

Smorgasbord

My theme for November is a smorgabord of odd thoughts and discoveries.

Oh, and getting to sleep an extra hour. Happy Loss of Daylight Savings Time!

Guilty Pleasure #26

The joy I had as a child is now tempered to being the Candy Passer Outer on Halloween night. But nothing can surpass the sheer joy and exuberance I see on the children's faces when I open the front door. Ah, to be a kid again!

Happy Halloween, Everyone!

Please be safe, and have a great Trick or Treat!

Guilty Pleasure #25

Ignore the mess on my desk. My guilty pleasure is my two monitors. Hubby introduced me to having two. Now I can't manage anymore with only one.

Guilty Pleasure #24

I love to wear fun, funky socks.
And I can get away with it because I teach Kindergarten!

Guilty Pleasure #23

I watch cartoons.
C'mon! Don't deny it! Don't you watch these classics, too,
when the season rolls around?

Guilty Pleasure #22

I collect items that remind me of my stories. And friends send me items. So I use the walls in my office to hang all of these things up. (I also hang them from the ceiling.)

It's my eye candy, and I love it!

Time to TRICK or TREAT!

Sam Cheever is sponsoring her third annual Trick or Treating Bash on a street near you! The street is inexplicably filled with some of your favorite Romantic Fantasy/Paranormal/Horror Authors and they will be waiting by the door with tricks and treats for you.

The lucky winner gets a Halloween Bag with a Kindle e-reader in it, books, t-shirts, assorted candy, and other wonderful prizes from the Authors who live on Sam’s street. To play visit Sam’s Halloween Contest page at www.samcheever.com .

Only one trip down the street per contestant and you must be at least 18 to play!

Come and join the fun and play for a chance to win a Kindle and a bag of goodies. You might be surprised to learn who lives on Sam’s street!

Guilty Pleasure #21

Authors After Dark Paranormal Weekend

I'll be there!

Guilty Pleasure #20

Yep. I'm hooked, and I believe.
In fact, they're the only TV shows I watch on a regular basis.

Guilty Pleasure #19

I have a weakness for soundtrack albums. I would rather set my imagination free, and listen to a whole soundtrack, rather than listen to an individual person or group singing.

I also write my books while listening to soundtracks. These five above are but a few of the ones I have on my iPhone/iPod.

Guilty Pleasure #18

I'm such a sucker for the Muppets. THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL is my favorite all-time version of the beloved holiday classic. In fact, it doesn't feel like Christmas until I've seen it.

Guilty Pleasure #17

Lora Leigh's Breed Series
Feline, Wolf, and Coyote

Guilty Pleasure #16

I think the photos taken by the Hubble spacecraft are among the most beautiful and breath-taking pictures of the universe ever taken. I would rather gaze in awe and wonder at these photos, than at any masterpiece created by human hand.

Guilty Pleasure #15

Guilty Pleasure #14

I Heart LOLCats and LOLDogs.
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daily dose of grins and chuckles.