Warning: Turn down the volume on your computer 'cause I am screaming like crazy as my dad runs by.

The LA Marathon was yesterday and what a day. We went early and staked out a spot at the 26 mile mark, which meant the runners had .2 miles left and the finish line was in plain sight. Some of them looked as fresh as mile 1 and others looked as though every step was agony. My dad finished the marathon in 3:51, and 7th in his division.

We saw the elite runners come in and I was so happy to see a woman win the gender challenge. After that, we had about an hour left until my dad came in so we just stood and cheered on all the other runners. Fun!
Congratulations to all the runners. You all did a great job!

My dad is running the LA Marathon on Sunday. Running a marathon is a pretty big accomplishment for anyone, but my dad is 69, ran the California International Marathon in December, and four weeks from now will be running the Boston Marathon. Three marathons in four months? Not too shabby.

To honor my father's achievements in running, today I offer you a special edition of "My Parents Were Awesome" based on the blog of the same name. Have you seen it? Seems a lot of us had some pretty awesome parents. Thanks to John & Greg at Orabor for telling me about it.

Dad_portrait
John O'Neill circa 1963

Sharon_horn_oneill_teenager
Sharon Horn circa 1963

Dad_christmas
John O'Neill circa 1961

Wedding_mom_dad
Wedding, September 25, 1965

Mom_john
Sharon & John circa 1970

Dad_work_kttv
John O'Neill at work at KTTV Los Angeles circa 1970

Mom_kids_swings
Sharon, Holly, & John circa 1970

If your parents were awesome and you have a blog, why don't you share a few pics? It's fun!

I'm not sure what caused this, but in trying to figure out what I wanted to write about today, I suddenly thought of Fashion Plates. Remember those? The plastic plates with raised clothing designs so that when you put a paper and rubbed a crayon or pencil over them it transferred the design?

Let me refresh your memory:

Fashion_Plates_2585_390x191

Image from Retroland.com

Though I'm by no means a fashionista, and never have been, Fashion Plates was one of my favorite toys of all time.

Ahhh, the memories. Let's continue, shall we?

Someone on my class forum mentioned another favorite the other day: Encyclopedia Brown. These books were actually a part of my brother' collection, but I read them voraciously. Perhaps this is why I love detective fiction so much today?

Encyclopedia Brown

And that reminds me of another great series: Choose Your Own Adventure. What a great concept. "You're the Star of Your Own Story!" No wonder I want to be a writer today.

Supercomputer_cyoa_small
Image from Vintage Computing & Gaming

As much as I loved books, I was a girly-girl and loved girly-girl things. Like Barbie. Yes, I loved me some Barbie and still do. Of course, Barbie had some stylin' accessories. This was what I got for Christmas when I was 9:

Remember Dittos? I was obsessed with having a pair of Dittos pants:

Dittos_3289_390x191 

Image from Retroland.com

All of the coolest girls had them but they were expensive and my wardrobe back then mainly came from K-Mart. One lucky year I did get a pair, they were hunter green and I'm sure I wore them until they were in tatters.

Well, I could go on and on. Thanks for sharing my walk down memory lane. While were at it, why don't you share a few of your favorite childhood items? C'mon, you know you want to.

Building

I must confess: I have a potty mouth. I like profanity–I like the harshness of it, sometimes even the shock of it, if it's a particularly vile word. I even like the history of it; some profane words have been around since the beginnings of human language. How can that kind of staying power be wrong?

Now I read this:

California Legislature Considers Adopting a Cuss-Free Week*

I actually kind of agree with what they're trying to do here, although I'm wondering if, given the state of California's budget woes, this is the best use of the legislature's time. In fact, I am, from time to time, tempted to make an effort to quit cursing, though not for altruistic reasons. There is a part of me that knows using profanity is a cop out for not finding a better word–a more appropriate or imaginative word–to express myself. The writer in me wants to do better.

I'll give you an example. Last week, Mick and I went to visit a friend at his loft in downtown LA. We'd never seen the place, and I was surprised when we walked up to the door to find to find that the building was a pristine art deco–one of the few remaining examples in LA. My first thought was "Wow, this is fucking awesome!"

I immediately admonished myself. Surely I could find a better way to express how I felt about this beautiful building. "Wow, this is so cool!" Nope. Stephen King, in his book On Writing says people who use that phrase should have to stand in the corner. "Wow, it's so beautiful!" Better, perhaps, but certainly lacking personality. I was stuck with "fucking awesome."

Even now, when I've had ample time to reflect, I still don't have a better phrase. But I am certain the writer in me will find one eventually.

What do you think about profanity? Do you use it? Do you consider it a lower form of communication? Do you strive to improve your language by thinking of more appropriate (and more interesting) words? For my part, I will probably continue to curse, because let's face it, old habits die hard, but I will never give up the search for that perfect word.

* Thanks to my sister-in-law for this link

Mick and I met online in December 1996. We met in person on January 1, 1997. The first words I said to him were "Here, drink this quick."

I handed him a plastic cup full of champagne. We've been inseparable ever since.

Mick_holly_bcon

I don't believe in fate and I don't believe in soul mates. But I do believe in Mick and I. It is all I need.

I don't mean that the cable went out during a storm or something like that. Mick and I got rid of our cable service about eight months ago, and for the most part, we haven't looked back.

On days like today, though, when a big cultural event like the Superbowl is on (it's sort of a cultural event, isn't it?) it feels kind of weird not to have cable. I don't even like football. But it would be cool to be able to turn it on for awhile, just to see what's going on. It's like that for awards shows, too, or really, any live show we can't watch live on the Internet.

Okay, it's not like I'd be watching it anyway. But I'm reminded of the Superbowl a few years ago when I was working in my bedroom office and turned on the TV just to check out the half-time show. Dude, I got to see Janet Jackson's boob. This year, there will be no such titillation.

Of course, we were invited to watch the Superbowl at a friend's house, and normally, that's where we'd be on this special day. This year, however, Mick and I are both sick and I have an assignment I have to get done by tomorrow. So alas, we will be spending the day at home, Superbowl-less. I don't even have any chips and salsa in the house, and forget the Miller Light.

The only football team I have any feelings for at all is the Philadelphia Eagles. That's because my dad grew up in Philadelphia and I was taught to like them. Since the Eagles are sadly not playing in this year's Superbowl, I am rooting for the New Orleans Saints. Why? Because I remember when I was growing up the Saints were so bad they were nicknamed the Ain'ts, and let's face it, New Orleans is a much cooler city than Indianapolis. I've been to both. I know.

Tomorrow, I will not lament my lack of cable, I will rejoice in it, for it is one less bill we have to pay. But today, I'm feeling a little lonely, a little left out. I think I'll make a run for some chips and Miller Light.

What is a blog for, if not to be self-indulgent? Especially in a weekend post. In this spirit, I present to you: 5 Things You Might Not Know About Me:

1) I have a recurring dream in which I'm friends with Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt.

2) My current TV obsession is watching reruns of the Dick Van Dyke Show.

3) My favorite curse is "mother f*cker." I know it's offensive, but I can't help it.

4) I am fairly certain I don't get the recommended daily allowance of any nutrient or vitamin, pretty much ever.

5) I really like to gamble.

Don't be shy. What 5 things might I not know about you?

Link-o-rama Today is a day of reflection as we look back upon the terrible events of 9/11, eight years ago.

Reading Underground - The subway remains an "unconnected" place. And so, New Yorkers read. via @mitaliperkins

Pug in my Computer – Something happy to remind you how nice life can be (via @ParkerXL)

The Elusive Fifty Percent - In marketing, about 50% of your ad campaign will work. But for an author marketing their own work (now an essential part of the publishing process) how do they know what to concentrate on? (via @jamesscottbell)

Writing with a Knife - A timely post from Copyblogger since I'm currently taking a machete to my manuscript (via @D_E and @thecreativepenn)

North Carolina Writer's Police Academy - One of these days I'll have to go to a writer's police academy. For now it seems unnecessary since my book(s) are set in 1678.

I found this amusing video on Persia Walker's blog. It was made by Brad Meltzer (author of loads of books):

Finally, I'll leave you with this quote from Anne Frank:

"Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart."

Have a reflective day and take the time to do something thoughtful for another or even yourself. Kindness is sometimes in short supply.

Lately I've been treating myself to a bouquet of flowers every two weeks or so. Mick's a great husband, but if I had to wait for him to buy me flowers I'd never have any at all. So I buy them myself and everyone's happy.

I've found that I can make them last that long or even more by replacing the water, picking off dead bits, and throwing out the flowers as they wilt. Today's bouquet was purchased at Costco and it's very cheerful and yellow.

Large_bouquet

Whenever I arrange flowers in a vase, I think of my friend Doris, who died last year at age 91. She'd buy herself flowers every week and spend a good deal of time arranging them. She'd get frustrated when she'd come to my house and find flowers that I'd just stuck in a vase (I never used to separate them out–I figured whoever arranged them knew what they were doing, right)? Now I take the time to cut them down and re-arrange them into at least two vases, one large (above) and one small (below).

Small_bouquet

Speaking of Doris, one of these days I'll write about her in more detail. She had the most interesting life of anyone I've ever known. But I never thought I could do her justice, so I haven't written about her here. I miss her every day though.

Now for a subject change. In the fall I'll be going to a couple of writer's conferences and one thing I lacked at the last conference I went to was business cards. I didn't want anything fancy, just a card that gives my name and contact information. I turned to Etsy, because I knew they had a number of graphic designers selling their services. The one I chose was Bean Sprout Studio. I am so pleased with the results:

Card 

For $40, I got the design and 100 business cards printed. The quality is great! I would highly recommend this seller for any graphic design work you need.

I can't believe September is here already. I'd better get back to work!