Where is my Lucky Charm?

I really don’t have a lucky charm, but this week I sure as hell needed one. It started this past Friday when my husband notified me while I was working, that my “older than dirt computer” had joined the ranks of the dearly departed.

                                            

“Can’t you fix it?” I asked, maybe demanded would be closer to the truth. My husband is the go to person when I run into a tech problem while working on my book or blog.

                                                

“It’s time to get a new one,” he countered. “We’ll talk more when you get done work.”

Since I’m so tech challenged, which is really aggravating for me because I’m so very interested in everything techie, I went with the only possible solution and shopped for a new computer. Long story short, I’m happy with the one I purchased, but not happy with being haunted by the spirit of the old computer.

                                            

My husband was able to rescue my manuscript, synopsis, agent’s letter and short stories from the old computer and transfer them to the new, but some of my pictures and e-mail contacts including, Zombie Squad, Unicef, Somaly mam are now floating around in space and only God knows what happened to the lesson plans I had written while working at the Academy of Natural Sciences.

                                               

Maybe the astronauts on the Russian space station are enjoying my notes on the dioramas of the Academy.

                                                     

Since I’m on a rant right now, I might as well mention how much I hate the new time line on Facebook.

                                                   

Is it just me? I don’t think so. What can we do? Where do we protest this change? Should I ask Occupy Wall Street for some pointers? I had mentioned to my sister, who is just as upset with the timeline, that I was tempted to write a letter to Mr. Mark Zuckerberg. It would go like this:

Dear Sir:

I’m so very happy that you gave us a fun way to connect with the rest of the world, but please give us back the old facebook page. We’re either too busy or too old to learn new tricks. Hell, I can’t even walk and chew gum at the same time, so please return us to those happier days when I could easily scan the page and participate with my friends and family. Everyone will jump for joy.

Not too change the subject, I’ve somehow misplaced my level six vampire and my webkin puppy named Zeppie.

    

They’re hidden somewhere on Facebook, lost forever among the misplaced requests for Farmville…or maybe the Russian Astronauts are enjoying their company along with my missing files.

                                                 

Wish me luck, I’m sending you this blog from my new computer…oops what did I just hit?

 

Part Eleven of Lilith's Escape

After he entered his apartment, he removed his jacket and took out the photo that Lilith had given to him earlier in the day. He took the photo to his desk, opened the bottom drawer and took out the almost empty bottle of rum. Flopping into the chair, too tired to go into the kitchen for a glass, he drank the rum straight from the bottle while he stared at the grainy photo.

                                                        

“What am I getting myself into?” he asked his calico cat who had jumped onto his lap. Her meows and her pawing at his arm reminded him she was past her feeding. “We’re both hungry, come on."

                                                                          

Heading into the kitchen he grabbed a can from the pantry and dumped it into her dish. After adding fresh water to her bowl, he checked the fridge for food. It was the classic bachelor fridge, stocked only with a few cold beers, two-day-old fish and chips from the deli down the street and wilted lettuce. “I’ll need to head to the market or you’ll be sharing your meals with me,” he teased Lizzie who replied with a loud meow.

                                               

He was hungry, starving actually and he also needed to be around people right now. He couldn’t get the taste of her from his mind. He wanted to see her again, hold her…but he knew it would be his undoing. “I think I’m over my head with this case,” he informed the cat which was now cleaning its face.

Grabbing his jacket, he left the apartment and headed to the tavern down the street. He needed to eat and clear his head. The sun had set and a chill replaced the warmth of the day with the night matching his dark mood. He pulled up his jacket collar and began walking against the wind, which started to clear the leaves from the sidewalk.

                                                         

But the wind also brought along a familiar scent. Turning around he searched for her, but the street was deserted except for a few elderly men talking across the street. Was it his imagination? Was she following him? He stood outside the tavern and searched the darkness, but he saw nothing to indicate she was there.

“Lilith?” he called out.

Disappointed he pulled open the tavern door, allowing the happy sounds of patrons enjoying food, drinks and maybe a game of darts to embrace him.

                                                       

She stood in the shadows, watching. When she saw he had not been followed and that he was safe, she disappeared.

 

 

  

Easter Day

      This was a good day. The weather was perfect enough to take a long walk at a nearby park. My daughter, her husband and two of the desparadoes, Nathan and Joshua came to church with my husband and I.

                                       Me with my daughter, son-in-law, Nathan and Joshua
           
                                                                                             

                                            My husband and I with the boys.                                                     
     After mass, we did our traditional easter gift hunt. It's more of a scavenger hunt which the boys love even though they're older.

                                                       Nathan and Josh searching for clues

                                          Where did she hide this clue?

                                                          Found it. Zombie books and cash.

     I made a meat pie, one of the few things I like to cook. You can only eat this once a year because it is a heart attack waiting to happen.

After a meal of ham, macaroni salad and a slice of meat pie, my family left to visit other family members.

My daughter and I.

Happy Easter and Blessed Passover

                                                                

               
                                                 

                                         

Part Ten of Lilith's Escape

Part Ten of Lilith’s Escape

Instead of replying, she reached for her sunglasses and placed them over her eyes. She turned the key in the ignition and the car took off, back to the future and Edward’s time. Knowing a little of what to expect with the return ride, Edward had time to consider his options.

                                    

This case was not what he usually handled. He was a spy and well adept at finding out what the enemy was involved in, and sometimes when needed, he was also an assassin.

                                                  
 He was on Sabbatical, or that’s what he was calling it, because he had failed to carry out an order. He was ordered to kill a Chinese Diplomat along with his wife and child, but Edward just couldn’t bring himself to kill the young boy. His refusal to complete the assignment landed him on suspension.

                                        

“I’ll just tell her, I’ve changed my mind about working for her,” Edward thought to himself. He reached into his pocket for the picture and was about to inform Lilith of his decision when he noticed the tear.

She had been silent the whole time, but he knew he had upset her. One tear, that’s all it took for him to change his mind. “I don’t think you’re bad, Lilith, but you are scary,” he said as he slipped the picture back inside the pocket of his jacket.

“Strong women usually are,” she replied, but she still had not looked his way.

When the car came to a stop, he realized she had taken him to his home. How the hell did she know where he lived? He was about to ask her, when she said, “You have everything you need to begin your investigation. I’ll pick you up here in one week’s time. Please have some good news for me.”

He didn’t want to leave the car with her still upset, but she would not look at him, so he asked, “How can I reach you? Do you have a number you can leave me?”

“No. Which one is your apartment window?”

 He leaned over her and pointed to the window, far right, third floor. Her scent was intoxicating and he struggled with himself not to pull her into his arms.

“Place something red in the lower corner of the window,” she instructed.

“How will you know?” He was surprised by her request.

“I have friends in high places,” she replied barely above a whisper.

She would not look at him and he was hesitant to leave the car with her upset. “Would you like to go for a drink?” he asked, suddenly afraid he would never see her again.

“I’ll see you next week,” she replied and this time, she faced him.

“I hope so, and Lilith, thank you for an amazing day,” he replied and after he left the car, she sped away. He stood there watching the dust storm head out of town, not knowing where in time or space she had gone. “I hope so,” he repeated to himself before heading to his apartment building.

                                               

 

 

  

Losing the Moon

                                                   

                                            

This is quite a strange blog to write, but if you’re patient, I’ll explain why I’m posting this particular blog. I have always felt connected to the moon and this connection was felt from when I was a very young child. My father would sit on the steps of our South Philadelphia row home and point out the different constellations that he knew at the time. But, if there was a full moon, my dad would tell me how farmers, sailors and ancient travelers used the moon and the North Star to guide them on their travels or to do their seasonal plantings.
 

 

The Moon, which controls our oceans’ tides and maybe, just maybe, our personalities, is moving further away from us as you read this blog. It’s not noticeable, just a mere 1.5 inches per year. Scientists say this retreat is caused by the gravitational torque on the lunar orbit. Whatever the reason, it is the most worrisome to me that we may lose our closest friend eventually.
 

 Most people don’t even know about this slow farewell, but I do. My reverence for this fellow traveler that stays by our side as we make our orbit around the life giving Sun is a source of comfort to me. When I was a child, the moon looked so much larger. It filled the night sky and cast its protective light down upon me. I find that I even sleep better when there is a full moon. While others become crazed, I sleep the sleep of innocence

                                                      

Growing up during the early 1950’s, there was talk of one day landing on the moon. In the late 60’s our country did put a man on the moon. Mankind not only landed on the moon, but we walked on the moon. How utterly fantastic those days were for those of us who look upwards for our inspirations. The hopes and dreams of the entire world hinged on whether we could build and maintain colonies on our nightly companion, unfortunately for mankind, our attention was drawn to war and making lots of money. When we stopped looking up at the stars, we became angrier and nastier to each other

Today we’re concentrating on Mars and send out satellites and robotic rovers to study the surface of Mars with hopes of eventually landing and colonizing the red planet. We have an international Space Station and the powerful Hubble telescope to see the vast universe beyond our solar system.

                                                         

We will land on Mars, of this I am certain and, I’m pretty sure that we will eventually colonize Mars. We are explorers by nature. There are moons that circle Mars, Phobos and Deimos, but are they as special as ours? Will they shine as brightly? Thousands of years from now, will the people of Mars look down upon a dead earth that was destroyed by climate change and war and even remember how important the moon was for us? Will they think fondly of her?

                                                     

Whenever I proclaim my love to my daughter and now my grandchildren, I tell them, “I love you to the moon and back.”  It is a measurement of how much I love them. As our nightly companion moves further away, I look up and say, “Wait for me.”

                                              

 

                                            

 

                                  

                                                 

 

Another Great Weekend

I had two of the grandsons sleep over on Saturday after we saw the movie, Hunger Games. It was great and it lived up to the five star reviews it has been receiving. Now I need to get the books.

                                                Josh and Nathan, the two from the left.

After dinner, the boys tried to find something fun to watch on T.V. Well we did find something new, but it was quite by accident. Nathan and Josh were arguing over what they wanted to watch and each had a death grip on the remote. By the time I wrestled the remote from their hands, we had pulled up, The Cutting Edge on demand. I then scanned down to the sci-fi section of the Cutting Edge and pulled up a show called Mercury Men.

This show is a hoot. We loved it. It’s a throwback to the old black and white cliffhangers they had in the 50’s, where you had to tune in each week to find out if the hero made out it alive. This show was created and directed by the very talented Chris Preksta

 and you can find it on Syfy.com, Hulu, or itunes. You can also go to the site http://www.mercuryseries.com 

Each episode is around ten minutes and there are ten episodes. The boys and I watched all ten and we want to see more episodes. There are two main characters, Edward Borman played by Mark Tierno and Captain Jack Yaeger, played by Curt Wootton.
                                        
                                          

You need to see this for yourself, we loved it.

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My Ghost Hunting group and I found a new adventure to go on and it’s right over the bridge in Philly. A friend from my writer’s group suggested that we would like this. Grim Philly Twilight tour is located at 6^th and Market and right now they are offering two tours. One is the Vampires, Sex and Ghosts tour, which my friends and I will be going to in a few weeks and the second is the Blood and Beer, a Cemetery, serial killers and beer tour. University professor, Joe Wojie, leads both tours. Go to Grimphilly.com, and go on your own adventure.

See you next weekend with a new addition to my Lilith’s Escape series and what other new adventures I tumbled into.

 

Part Nine of Lilith's Escape

“Do you mean right now?” Edward asked as he pulled the hood from his head. He was still dressed in the metallic jumpsuit and although he was more than eager to act on her request, the hair rising on the back of his neck, warned him to run like hell.

                                                          

She had seen his hesitation and lowered her eyes. “No, not now, but I wanted you to know I trust you and when the time is right, I won’t refuse you.”

He was trying to make sense of everything he had gone through since meeting her, but he couldn’t. He had traveled back in time inside an old caddy, and got to see the young Elizabeth, a queen whom he had always admired. The woman next to him was possibly alien or God knows what, but even so, he felt compelled to help her. “Thank you, Lilith for letting me see her.”

“Let’s get out of these suits and go home,” she replied. She left the car and headed towards the trunk. He got out and followed her, watched her as she removed her suit.

“What will happen to this man, I’m supposed to find for you? Will you kill him?”

“Why would you think that?” she asked him.

“Because, I think you’re dangerous,” he replied as he struggled to get the jumpsuit off.

She turned away from him and walked to the driver’s side and climbed in. Would she drive away and leave him stranded here in the past? He hurried to join her inside the car after closing the trunk. It wasn’t until he climbed in and closed the door that he noticed her tears. At that moment she looked more childlike than dangerous.

                                                 

“I’m not bad, my only crime is that I’m strong and I love too passionately.”

“Why are you looking for this man?” he asked again, but this time his tone was gentle.

“Because I had accidentally killed him ,” she replied.

“What the hell are you?” he asked. His heart thumped wildly inside his chest.