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That was my brain!

Crazy week. Let's recap shall we?

BONE HEADED MOVE: Sent off submissions to three literary agents. One emailed back within two hours with the old "Thanks but no thanks." I failed to light his fire, turn his crank, or make him see dollar signs with my strings of words. The other two I haven't heard from yet, however...on closer inspection I realized that those edits I thought I made were really only just red marks on the page and never got changed inside the computer...D'OH! Dang it! So that's why even though I thought I was DONE editing, I found myself working on Revision #8 AGAIN.

You know, I invented this story. I love it. But it's gotta go. It's getting sent to all these agents I've been stalking for all these months and then I can get some distance. There's a whole new story full of freaks and rock stars and horses and hollow apple trees. I'm very very busy here!!!!

HEIDI, UNMASKED! SORT OF. It had to happen eventually. Someone I know found my blog and figured out that it was me. It's okay, because I like her. And she's a writer.

I AM A LIAR AND A THIEF. I steal little bits of real life and I use it to tell stories, which are basically elaborate lies. And a couple of days ago I talked like a pirate.

I'LL BE WORKING ON MY LEVEL THREE RIDER TEST NEXT WEEK. This involves a written test, which I hate because it's mostly multiple choice and I'm not good with making decisions, as well as a demonstration of stable management and of course, a riding test. For Level 3 there's a pattern to ride.

you can click on the picture to enlarge it, and read the instructions...if you dare...

Yeah. I know. Good luck with THAT!!!

I'll be taking the riding test much later, maybe in October. My coach is taking some time off for her baby. Yesterday she sat on her horse for the first time in six months. She'll be back in shape in no time, but I don't want to push it. We've got time.



I WENT TO AN AUTHOR PRESENTATION. Marina Nemat was in town to talk to my writer's group about her journey to publication. She signed my book and took some time to talk to me. She's amazing. She gave me a contact for an agent. Maybe nothing will come of it but it's good to have contacts. Please look into this book! It's an incredible story...and she lived it. She's a beautiful, intelligent and fiery woman, and all of that comes through in her book. She did eight full rewrites before she landed an agent and a publishing deal. English is not her first language. It is mine. Maybe eight is a good number for rewrites?

APPARENTLY THERE'S A NEW MOVIE HAPPENING NOW. It features the other love of my life. No, Jethro's not making movies. Neither is my horse. It's Brad Pitt. It's a western. Pitter patter my little heart. You might remember Brad Pitt from such funny Hick Chic blog posts as "Brad Pitt takes Heidi Grocery Shopping."



I will have to see this. Maybe I'll remember it. You know that other Brad Pitt Is Gorgeous And Rides A Horse movie? Remember that one? Good, cuz I don't. Memory gap. I've seen it but there are only little snippets, like long blonde hair streaming in the wind, a horse with white socks, a woman cutting her hair off, and an old feller who had a stoke. And I think there was something about a bear. And a grave. What? That is the whole movie? Really? Oh.

ALSO HEARD RUMOURS OF A ZEPPELIN REUNION. With Jason Bonham on drums. I really really really need to see that. Like, really seriously need to see that. Real bad. Hopefully I'll remember it...

LAST NIGHT IN THE CAR I HEARD "STILL OF THE NIGHT" BY WHITESNAKE and I thought, dang, I like this. Wow. This is awesome! Listen to this! Let's turn it up...whoo! This sounds incredible. Who recorded this? Where? Listen that guitar. Haaaavy. I liked this twenty years ago and darnit I still like it now.

And my hair looked better than all of them guys back then.

My Girl came out of the house to find out why I was sitting in the car banging my head. Name this singer, I challenged. She listened, smiled, and said, Robert Plant! Poor kid. She was so close. I mean, ol Coverversion there may have sounded exactly like someone else, someone...who really is Robert Plant, but the point is, he was really really good.

KIDS HAD THEIR PIANO LESSON LAST NIGHT. We can't really afford this, but as long as we live in the burbs and they can walk to their lesson, we are going to find a way to afford it. Jimmy is awesome! He has dragons in his flowerbed. He has a baby grand in his front room. He has a dragon tattooed onto his leg. My son Bucky has never played piano but apparently told Jimmy all about time signatures and Ozzy Osbourne. This should be interesting. OH! ALSO! Jimmy has the Pirates of the Caribbean song book, and told The Girl that he's going to order the Dead Man's Chest book too so she can learn the music box theme. She is soooo psyched!!!

AND FINALLY...I BELIEVE IN GOD. This is not news. I've never made it a secret. But this week I've really felt very strongly that I'm getting tapped on the shoulder, nudged in the brain, poked gently on the top of my head. Something is happening. Not sure what. But I don't think it's bad. I do know that I have a lot to be thankful for and I'm starting to think, now that I've had some distance and healing time, that ultimately that Little Mental Breakdown I had almost three years ago was a good thing.

WHAT'S WITH THIS FINALLY STUFF? Here's another Johnny picture. Heck why not, it's Friday.