Hey, everyone!

Okay, I promise not to get too soap box preachy here but I feel very passionately about a documentary that will soon be on its way to Sundance. So passionately that I have gone to two viewings for it and plan to watch part of it again tomorrow. Oh, and I pretty much came up with the tag line for the film (my years of making lame puns occasionally pay off).

Do you remember the Hot Coffee Case? I do. I remember hanging out at Sunday school and hearing a bunch of the other kids joking about it. One of them said something like, “well, a woman just sued McDonalds because her coffee was too hot! I can do that someday and get rich!”

And even though he was joking, he was really just repeating what was said all over the news and by late night comedians . . . even on Seinfeld.

Only no one got the details right. No one got ANY OF IT RIGHT!

Throw everything you think you know about that case right out the window. The victim was this woman, Stella Liebeck:

She spent the last years of her life being publicly ridiculed, mocked and verbally attacked.

If you see the pictures of what McDonalds coffee did to her, I sincerely doubt you will ever make a joke about what happened again.

I know that usually my blog posts are funny (or at least they try to be) and that writing about third degree burns on an old woman isn’t exactly humorous material. But please go to this website and watch the trailer for this movie.

Hot Coffee Website

You can also become a fan on Facebook!

I found this movie so heart-wrenching, compelling, informative and deeply important that I have to tell people about it. I think it is going to take Sundance by storm and I believe it has the potential to change the way people think about the justice system. And if you’re like me you might be thinking, great, it’ll show me what’s wrong with the world. This won’t be too depressing or anything . . .

But trust me, you won’t regret the trailer. There are a number of moments in the movie that provide comic relief without sacrificing the impact or importance of the message. And if you have a cell phone or a credit card or may someday be harmed by anyone, this movie has EVERYTHING TO DO WITH YOU!

My capitol letters just show how much I mean it.

For you book nerds out there, John Grisham is interviewed in this movie too.

You'll get some facts behind the fiction!

Al Franken is also in the movie. I was really moved when I saw him talking with Jamie Leigh Jones. She worked for KBR/ Halliburton in Iraq. She was sexually harassed and then drugged, beaten and gang-raped by her co-workers. After receiving a rape kit (parts of which later “disappeared”) she was then confined in a shipping container by armed guards. She was 19.

I hadn't heard of this case before, but my mom says it was all over the media. I admire her so much for speaking up.

I came out of the screening wanting to make a difference. And then I remembered this blog. See, it’s too easy to think, I’m powerless. Who cares what I think?

But if you are reading this blog right now then clearly I must have some power. If I, the biggest nerd to matriculate from Ashland High School, have power than you must have power too. So here’s a Marni Challenge: try to support something today. If it’s Hot Coffee, cool. If not, that’s fine too.

Here’s my new project: I’m going to listen to you guys. Not just read your comments and smile (I do that already. All of you are wonderful). If you tell me about something that you are passionate about supporting, I will try to look into it and cover it on my blog.

I can’t promise this will change the world.

But I can assure you it’s better than doing nothing . . . and it sure beats a lap full of hot coffee.

More later!

Obsessively yours,

Marni

Hey, everyone!

Okay, I had the BEST time at the Willamette Writers Conference. Seriously, I couldn’t have imagined it going any better than it did. Well, maybe I could’ve found a huge bundle of cash.

What? For me! You shouldn't have . . . but I'll keep it.

Re-entering the real world, the conference was unbelievable. I had multiple agents interested in my writing . . . and I was in the shocking position of being in demand!

Okay, it wasn't quite this cute. But I did feel very special.

So there I was at the center of agent attention feeling overwhelmed and wonderful. All my hours of work this summer –the late nights writing, the three rounds of editing, the intense page slogging–all of it paid off! Top notch agents were asking me to send my work!

!!!

For the first time in a long time, I felt like an author. Partly because no one asked me what my backup plan was if this “writing thing” didn’t work out–unlike half of my family members. Instead, everyone was incredibly supportive. Even agents who don’t represent YA went out of their way to help me. So here’s a quick shout out to a few of the nicest people in the business!

Andrea Hurst is such a lovely person I wanted to write non-fiction just so that she could represent me.

And . . .

Gordon Warnock is an editor who works with Andrea Hurst. He's also hilarious. Oh, and he claps like a member of the British parliament at a cricket tournament. Fun fact.

And . . .

Jill Marr. So nice! I'm forcing myself to be more concise, but she's really great!

So many wonderful agents. I feel a bit guilty for not blogging about everyone. But I don’t want people to read this and think, Okay! We get it already! They’re wonderful and you floated away on a trail of sequins surrounded by frolicking unicorns!

I couldn't resist.

So the last agent I will blog about is the one I most enjoyed at the conference. In fact, everyone will be hearing about her a lot since I’ve chosen her for representation. That’s right: Marni has an agent! The wait is over!

Laurie McLean! She's funny, smart, personable, and ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING I wanted to find in an agent. I'm so excited about working with her!!!

So that’s the crazy, exciting, I-can’t-believe-this-is-happening, news. I’m now a client of the Larsen-Pomada Literary Agency. I’ve never been happier!

Of course this does mean I’ll be balancing my writing responsibilities with school when I return to Lewis & Clark in a few weeks. But I’m up for the challenge. And I know there’s no one I’d rather have on my side than Laurie.

So the conference was a complete success . . . and now I have to get back to work!

More later!

Obsessively yours,

Marni

Hey, everyone!

Okay, I have a new dream. Someday I will attend the Romance Writers of America Conference. I don’t care how many people snicker at my love for romance novels. I will not stop until I’ve read EVERYTHING written by Nora Roberts (except her JD Robb books which I don’t like as much). I’ve almost succeeded in that too. That’s because the mother of the kids I babysit is just as rabid a reader of romance novels as I am.

I actually bought this as soon as it came out and read it in one night. Fun Fact: that was during Finals week when I SHOULD have been studying.

I even started downloading romance novels onto my computer (and then iPod) so I could listen to them ALL THE TIME. Which had me giggling while I was waiting in the cafeteria line at my school. And no one knew why . . . until now.

I listened to this for over 10 hours. I decided it should count as a class. Advanced Romance Lit 300. Or maybe, Author Seminar: The Works of Nora Roberts. Doesn't that sound classy?

The reason I love romance is actually quite simple: they’ve got happy endings! I am hopelessly addicted to happy endings. And even if I think the ending is rather lame (I hate it when the heroine answers a marriage proposal by saying, “Yes! Yes! A thousand times, yes!” Um, what’s wrong with just saying “Sure” or even, “I suppose, I could be convinced.” Maybe I should write my own romance novel . . . although it might be  embarrassing for my mom to  edit it.), I still love reading them.

Anyway, when I went onto Meg Cabot’s blog (like I do regularly. Stop laughing! I know I’m addicted!) and I saw that she was there with NORA ROBERTS and JULIA QUINN and a bunch of other super awesome romance writers . . . I completely geeked out.

I started gushing, “Ooh! That looks like SO much fun! I wish I could’ve gone. Can you imagine, Mom? All of them right there! I don’t know who I’d talk to first!”

Okay, that’s a lie. Meg Cabot then Nora Roberts or Julia Quinn depending on the length of the lines. But you get my point.

So I am now officially adding: attend Romance Writers of America Conference on my list of life goals. Hopefully when I make it, I’ll be just a little less geek-tastic. That way they won’t call security on me.

Doesn't it look like Nora Roberts has super powers? Maybe she could force me back just by the force of her #1 Bestseller book gaze.

More later.

Obsessively yours,

Marni

Hey, everyone!

Okay . . . so about last night. First off, I stayed up super late editing my latest book, Awkward. So it was about 2 am when I got an urge. An urge for what, you ask?

To give myself a haircut.

Now, this is not the first time I’ve grabbed a pair of scissors and started hacking away.  But usually the results are pretty darn good. This time however . . . let’s just say not so much.

I can’t believe I’m doing this, but here are the photos for proof.

Why yes, it does look like I'm Princess Leia on one side and Han Solo on the other. This is what their very oddly haired child would look like. George Lucas, I own the rights to this look!

"I would never use the Force to cut my hair like that."

"I'm sorry, did you let a WOOKIEE cut your hair, Marni? NEVER LET A WOOKIEE CUT YOUR HAIR!!!!"

But oh, wait. It gets worse. Don’t believe me? See for yourself.

And that's pretty much what I looked like when I woke up this morning!

In this photo you can see me hiding in shame while the little boy I babysit laughs and laughs. First thing he said to me: you look . . . um, interesting, Marni.

You would think I’d know better. My mom thinks I SHOULD know better, but she might be giving up on me. See this is the type of thing kids do in books and then THEY LEARN THEIR LESSON.

Why is it that I never seem to learn my lesson? Can somebody explain that to me?

No worries though. I’ve already scheduled a professional haircut so that I won’t show up to the writer’s conference looking like this:

ACK!!!!!

The little boy just reminded me of something. It’s quite scary. I look JUST like Junie B. Jones!

A beauty shop GUY. Someone lock me up for a serious crime of fashion.

Then again, she’s quite lovable and cute. So maybe there’s hope for me yet.

It's me! Marni B!

More later.

Obsessively yours,

Marni

Hey, everyone!

Okay, so this has been the busiest summer of my life. You’d think that honor might go to the summer I spent traveling the country on a bus or last year when I spent some time in Israel. But, oh no! I have never EVER worked harder.

I might be losing my mind because of it. Seriously, when I shut my eyes I see little commas and parentheses dancing around.

Ha! A little writer humor for you.

Anyhow, what has me so busy? Well, I’m in the process of editing That’s Debatable. I’ve got a whole system worked out.

Step 1: I edit by myself. Create whole new scenes and generally drive myself crazy.

Step 2: Read it aloud to the kids I babysit. Then edit by myself again. Continue going crazy.

Step 3: E-mail it to my mom who edits it. Discuss and edit until OFFICIALLY CRAZY!

So true!

The good news: I just finished round two! Which is why I’ve got time to write this blog entry.

I’d like to take a moment to say that the world has never looked prettier. Especially from where I’m sitting in the Ashland Public Library!

Okay I know you can’t read this but . . . I couldn’t resist!

It's a recommended booklist and Marni is on it! Mentally insert Excited Marni Squeaking here.

I’m going to be editing Awkward soon and it reminded me of . . . most of my life actually. I’ve always felt more comfortable with a book than interacting with other kids. Mainly because books never thought they were being oh-so original when they converted Marni into Barney.

Yeah. That was briefly my nickname. Perhaps the lamest I've ever received. My current favorite has to be Marnes & Noble. Nice one, Jose!

Anyhow, I remember the day when I wrote to my favorite author. I was in Elementary school and convinced that Gordon Korman’s book The Twinkie Squad was the best thing ever written.

Still one of my favorites! I HIGHLY recommend it!

I was terrified that Gordon Korman would get my letter and think, “Pshh, what do I care about some little Elementary school kid. This one goes to the bottom of the stack!”

But he didn’t. Instead I got a really nice reply from him! I was so overwhelmed with happiness that I couldn’t bring myself to write to him again. I’ve still got that letter tucked away in a desk drawer though. I promised myself right then that I’d be just like Gordon Korman someday if I ever managed to write something that people liked enough to read.

And here I am actually receiving awesome messages of my own!

The interesting thing is that some people seem to think, like I did with Gordon Korman, that I won’t be interested since they’re not in college. Which is absolutely not true! I love hearing from everyone of all ages and getting comments on this blog. The only tricky thing is that being technologically challenged . . . I don’t know how to respond to the comments here. So if you really want to talk, friend me on Facebook! I promise I’ll try to be as cool as Gordon Korman.

I almost flew to New York just to try to meet him. Okay, and to be there for the release of the 2010 New York Public Library's Stuff For the Teenage List. But if he ever comes to Portland I'm skipping class to stalk him (ahem, I mean "accidentally" run into him).

So that’s how you can get in touch with me. I do read the blog comments though, so feel free to post any questions for me there.

In the meantime, I guess I should get back to work.

More later!

Obsessively yours,

Marni

Hello, everyone!

Well, it’s here! The fourth of July! And usually for me that means watching the endless Ashland parade and boiling in the sunshine. But today I decided to celebrate a little bit differently. See, what I really want to be doing is madly editing That’s Debatable and Awkward so that I’ll be ready for a writer’s conference that I’m planning on attending. Side note: thanks to everyone who has expressed interest in reading my manuscripts! You guys are the sweetest. But I can’t share it until I’m done editing. It would be like . . . handing a babysitter a child with a dirty diaper and then running off to see a play. Stinky and unfair.

That's unpleasant.

Anyhow, back to my plans. I’m going to have a bag lunch with my mom and Grandma, relax in the hammock (with my laptop), clean my room, and watch the fireworks later tonight.

The view from my room. Beautiful, right? The stream even works now that I mucked it out. I spent a day looking like the Creature from the Swamp Lagoon but it was totally worth it. I couldn't get the hammock in the picture, but it's there. Ahhh!

I know, I’m a bit boring. Which is why I’m writing this SUPER EXCITING blog post.

Now, before you roll your eyes and say, “wow, Marni, full of yourself much?” listen to what I have planned.

In honor of Independence Day, I am sharing my favorite (Indie)penedent things! So if your 4th of July is looking a lot like your 3rd of July, you now have stuff to check out.

Okay, so let’s begin.

1. A bit of Independence Day trivia: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died only hours apart on the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

I'm a John Adams fan. Not that Jefferson wasn't cool (except for the whole slavery thing), but I still like Adams more.

2. Weather Girl

I love this movie! It's now in my top five favorites of all time (and I think I'm pretty picky about those). It's an R rated indie romantic comedy about a weather girl who completely loses it on air when she finds out that her boyfriend (Mark Harmon) cheated on her with his co-anchor. It's funny, sweet, and all around wonderful!

3. Sleepercar

Okay, small confession: I found out about Sleepercar because after the third (maybe fourth) time I watched Weather Girl, I had to find out what music was in the soundtrack. And then I went about trying to find everything those artists have ever done.

Weather Girl is a total win just for its musical selections.

But back to Sleepercar. I’ve been writing and editing to their songs Stumble In, A Broken Promise, Kings and Compromises, and All Will End Well ever since I found them.

And since I want to share them with everyone, you can watch them here!

4. Jen & Abby (Also check out Let’s Go Sailing. And Unbunny’s song Nightwalking. Too much good music!).

Another Weather Girl find. Okay, it’s not my fault I’m obsessed! I like to think I enjoy the music on its own merit! Sadly, I have not been able to listen to most of their music yet. I’m working on it.

Check em out here!

5. OK GO

While, technically they are super popular and sorta mainstream and don’t really need me to recommend them . . .  they’re still a great indie rock band. And their latest music video is so freaking awesome I couldn’t resist adding it to my list.

So you can see it here!

6. Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit

Need a good book? Okay, I had to read this for class right my freshman year of college when I was also working on my autobiography. And I loved it! Although part of that may have been because I was having so much fun in Women Writer’s. Jeanette Winterson’s humor and style in her semi-autobiography is fantastic. The story is imaginative and alternately funny and heartbreaking.

Plus, every time I ate in the cafeteria with my friends Maggie and Anna (hey guys!) and we saw someone eating oranges, we’d nudge each other and say, “Oranges are not the only fruit!”

Because we’re that geeky.

7. The Rotten Tomatoes Ode to the Indie Movies.

A little bit dirty and yet so funny!

Watch it here!

8 . . . Okay, I’m running out of Indie things. Maybe now it’s time to dazzle you with images.

Did it work?

No?

Okay, that’s my cue to get back to editing.

Have a wonderful fourth of July everyone!

More later.

Obsessively yours,

Marni

Hey everyone!

Okay, so remember how I said that my brother just had surgery? Well, he was in Ashland for all of three days before he decided to go up to Canada. My grandma and Jordan shared the driving and since I was free and all . . . I got to go too!

Because nothing says summer like a quick jaunt up to Canada.

And it was wonderful. Really. I took a ferry to get to Victoria Island and this was one of the first things I saw:

That’s the gorgeous Empress hotel. And while I did not take this picture (I found it floating around on the Internet) the sky really was that blue. The weather was ridiculously perfect. It had been raining all week in Ashland and I was expecting Canada to be even colder, but instead it was blue skies the whole time.

I totally fell in love with Canada. Or at the very least, Victoria Island. Why you ask? Well . . .

1. They have red double decker buses! Like they do in England! Well, okay, these weren’t quite as cool as the ones in England. But still a lot cooler than the public transportation in Ashland.

2. Tim Hortons. Okay, so when Jordan and his fiancee Katie said that I had to try a drink from Tim Hortons I was thinking, “Sure, I’ll appease them and then find a Starbucks so I can get my mocha frappachino fix.” But they were right. They were so right!

Not my motorcycle. But if I had one and lived in Canada, I'd be frequenting Timmies.

3. The drinking age is 19. Why is it that the United States has the highest drinking age in the world? I think 19 is a perfectly reasonable age. Which is why I had my first mojito in a restaurant with my family. That was it, one drink. But it was totally delicious.

Yum!

4. Butchart Gardens!

It's absolutely stunning. I had a great time taking pictures with my family. Although every two steps was another perfect place for a photo, which made it hard for me to stop snapping away with my brother's camera.

5. High tea. Okay, I think going out for tea has to be the most deliciously decadent thing anyone can do. Which is why I don’t just want to meet Julie Andrews: I want to have high tea with her.

Julie Andrews + cucumber sandwiches and scones = Marni's Ultimate Day. It's as simple as that.

My grandma, brother, and cousin (who flew to Canada to join us) all had a really great time.

I also went to the Royal BC Museum and saw this fella:

Oh yeah, I could totally take on a wooly mammoth with a spear . . .

I played Scatagories with my family (my brother totally cheats), made sushi, sang I Believe In a Thing Called Love karoake-style at the hotel really badly, and pumped Katie for more details about Cory Monteith.

But I was so smooth she probably has no idea I was interrogating her. Unless she reads this . . . hi, Katie!

And where did I go on the car ride back home?

That’d be Forks, Washington. Home of Twilight.

Can I just say that it was a little creepy looking over my shoulder on the way to a restaurant bathroom and seeing a huge Edward Cullen (aka Robert Pattinson) cardboard cutout? He was just staring at me too . . . eek.

Moody much?

Okay, this might appear like blasphemy to some, but . . . I’m not a Twilight fan. Not that I hated the books as viciously as some people I know (ahem, Will), but I just don’t find it sexy to have a guy secretly wanting to kill me and drink my blood. I just think that’s gross and disturbing no matter how nobly the vampire restrains. Which is why I am really enjoying Meg Cabot’s latest book, Insatiable. Her heroine totally gets where I’m coming from.

It's technically an adult book. So if you don't think you're ready for it, don't read it.

Anyhow, I had a great time in the Dazzled By Twilight store with my cousin. We were laughing at all the Twilight memorabilia when I saw something that legitimately creeped me out.

Um, what! Let me repeat what it says: Edward Cullen can BUST my headboard, BITE my pillows, and BRUISE my body ANYDAY! Please say it's not just me that finds this creepy and wrong on so many levels, the main one being the way it trivializes and glorifies domestic abuse.

Still, not even Edward Cullen could kill my enjoyment of the trip. Nor could the discovery that I have allergies. Everywhere I went Kleenex trailed behind me. Jordan started calling me a “mukus Wildebeast.” Maybe that’s an overshare . . .

The point is that I couldn’t sleep too well on the trip because every three or four hours I was making trips to the bathroom for more Kleenex. And after a lot of tossing and turning I usually said “screw it,” and just kept working on my manuscript.

Which is why I am very proud to say that as of four hours ago, I have another finished story!

That’s right: Awkward is now complete.

And, okay, yes it needs a LOT of editing (I somehow hit 94,600 words–an all-time high for me) but it has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Oh, and drama. Lots and lots of drama.

So after I clean my bedroom and bathroom (mother’s orders) my mom and I are going to celebrate. And I’m going to take a few days off before I dive into the editing. Which means that my grandma picked the perfect time to give us a hammock. Now you know where to find me.

More later!

Obsessively yours,

Marni

Hey everyone!

Okay, so here are some excuses as to why I haven’t been updating my blog.

1. Technology hates me.

2. I had finals at Lewis & Clark College

3. I was preoccupied with packing everything up to come home.

I know: excuses, excuses. But let me explain about the technology issues because it really has been insane. So about three or four months ago I managed to accidentally break my headphones and leave the tip inside my computer. Which means that I’ve had no sound for what feels like forever. That’s right: MY COMPUTER HAD NO SOUND! No more youtube videos or online television shows for Marni. At least, not in my room. I had to walk over to the school’s computer lab. And I think half of my campus now knows me as that crazy girl who laughs hysterically (while watching Community or The Office) and jerks spastically (while watching Fringe). You know, the type of reputation every girl dreams about. Not.

Love this show! Although it does make me appreciate my college more than I initially thought it would.

Anyhow, so it was a super big deal when the awesome Apple people removed the headphone piece from my computer. I nearly cried. And then they gave me a new piece for my charger so I wouldn’t have to wrap a billion rubber bands around it to keep it alive. Except that whatever they did to my charger, it totally didn’t work. So I arrived home after finals with my beautiful laptop (with sound!) and no battery life.

No-o-o-o!

So then I had to do all my writing on my mom’s old laptop because my mom bought a keyboard for her office computer that is absolutely insane! It has dips and rolls and it hurts my hands to use it. So, you might be thinking: cool, Marni got to use a different laptop. Here’s the thing: that laptop can’t hold a charge either. So I can’t unplug it and take it downstairs and then come upstairs in an hour. Which, yes, is a very small complaint. But I like to travel around when I write without worrying that if unplugged for over thirty seconds the computer will crash.

Anyhow, I have a new charger so things should be okay . . . I hope!

In other news: my fish died. I held a very nice fish-uneral and my cousin and I said some words before sending Sababba to his watery grave. I’m not even upset about it, to tell the truth. Probably because Sababba kept pretending to be dead. Seriously. For the past three weeks, my roommate and I have been checking to make sure he was still alive. So I think he finally got what he was looking for.

In GOOD medical news: my brother is recovering very nicely from his stomach surgery in LA. He’s going to be driving up to Ashland with my mom and grandma soon, and I’m really looking forward to seeing him. I should be able to get the house all cleaned up by the time they arrive, too. Not that it looks like a college student raided the fridge and destroyed the kitchen or anything . . .

I’d never do that. Really, Mom.

Just like I would never spend my time reading about ten romance novels I scored from my supplier (ahem, I mean from a family friend). I have better things to do with my time than to read almost every Nora Roberts story ever written . . . right?

Actually, I’ve been doing a lot of writing myself. I am finally closing in on the end of my work in progress. My goal is to be finished in less than two weeks from today. I really hope I can pull it off because I can’t wait for my characters to stop bugging me at inopportune moments. When I’m this close to the end, I usually feel like the characters are secretly trying to pull me out of my reality and into theirs every time I close my eyes. And I can’t wait to get that rush when I type the final sentence. It has to be the best feeling in the world to save the Word Document for the last time, knowing that the story I slaved over is complete.

I get to coast on that for about a week before another story starts jumping around like a petulant child demanding my attention.

Scary, right!

But it’s back to cleaning for me!

And I’ll keep everyone updated with my blog as long as technology doesn’t try to destroy me again.

Oh wait, I just found out my Facebook account was hacked and I’ve been sending out messages as to where people can find free Viagra. WHY IS TECHNOLOGY OUT TO EMBARRASS ME?!

But I’ll blog anyways . . .

More later!

Obsessively yours,

Marni

Hey, everyone!

So, I have a new plan. A coping mechanism, if you will. At the end of every horrible, terrible, no-good, very bad day, I am going to look at pictures of baby polar bears.

So adorable!

Because, life is just too short to spend it freaking out about math. And I could either spend my life stressing over how to divide polynomials . . . or I could look at polar bears! And harp seals!

Who could deny the cuteness?

And I am NOT going to focus on the fact that my fish keeps playing dead. Really, he floats up to the surface on his stomach and just bobs there. So every couple of hours I have to check to see if he’s alive, which he totally is. He’s just overly dramatic and possibly suicidal.

My roommate thinks he might be sick. But I have no idea how to cure a Beta fish from whatever is bugging him. Is there a fish whisperer I could contact?

Anyhow, only a few more weeks of classes to go. Then it’s non-stop babysitting in Ashland (with breaks for garage sales, friends, and frozen yogurt). And REALLY exciting blog posts. So stay tuned.

Obsessively yours,

Marni

Hey everyone!

Okay, so once again the insomnia stick has given me a solid thwack when I wasn’t looking. Which is why last night I didn’t sleep at all.

Okay, so maybe this picture is a little creepy, but that's pretty much how I spent the night.

I just watched as light filtered in through my dorm room blinders and I listened to the rhythmic sound of my roommate’s breathing. It was actually kind of soothing. But, of course, today I’ve felt like I downed fifteen cups of  a highly caffeinated substance. I’ve been super jittery and not entirely present in class. But that didn’t stop today from being exciting.

Because guess what I did!?

I smashed a dark chocolate seder plate into a bunch of pieces using my crazy cool Women's Self Defense skills!

For the record: it was no easy feat because that chocolate is seriously thick. Still, I just told myself that I was a strong and powerful woman (that’s what I had to chant in my Women’s Self-Defense Class. I’m not kidding. We’d all pound the floor and holler, “I AM A STRONG AND POWERFUL WOMAN! I CAN SAY “NO!”") and I took up the stance. So when my palm smashed through the chocolate and effectively sent chocolate chunks raining down, I felt like a modern day Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Except I didn't even need to use a stake! Plus I don't whine nearly as much as she does . . . I hope!

Needless to say, everyone found my display of physical prowess seriously cool. It’s not every day that someone applies some JuJitsu like moves on an edible treat. So I guess my very real case of sleep deprivation isn’t slowing me down too much.

Or maybe I just got a huge adrenaline boost because I received some very exciting news:

HCI is going to bind Marni, Chelsey, and Emily into one huge book! It’s going to be called “Louder Than Words: The First Collection.” Classy, right! And I’ll get the chance to fix a few very small details in the book for the anthology. Because even though the book is published, there are still a couple changes I’ve been itching to make. You’ll have to buy the Anthology to see what I alter! But of course, you’ll really want it so you can read all about Chelsey and Emily too!

And to make my day even better: I got a fan message from someone hoping to use a photo of my mom for a book report.

My mom and our dog, Rascal. Aren't they cute together!

That’s when I realized I should tell all of you artsy people about my mom’s quilt blog. Which you can read here!

I was actually scrolling through her creations, searching for a photo of her, when I stumbled on this:

Yes, that's a very young Marni. And the question mark is entirely appropriate since I'm the clumsy one in the family. I've got scars on both my knees to prove it.

So I thought I’d leave you with that visual of me. Although if you want to see more pictures like it,  you can always buy Fabric Fun for Kids which my mom co-wrote with my aunt, Julie Dock. My brothers and sister are right there with me, although they might kill me for advertising that fact . . . none of us were at our most photogenic during that particular stage. I might even be sporting a mullet/ rat-tail hair style combination (gag!). Worst. Haircut. Ever.

Anyhow, I better get to bed so I can catch up on my sleep!

More later.

Obsessively yours,

Marni