A Project Larger Than Life & Edward

Forget that fake Edward at the hotel next door to my work.  The REAL Edward stayed at the Read House in downtown Chattanooga, TN over the weekend, 4 blocks down from my work.  Of course I went to visit the set of "Water for Elephants." 

I want to know what's like a real movie set. I had happened to have the day off, so on July 30th and drove down to the location site of the house where they would be filming. I parked way back from the property but there were cars all the way up to the gate. There were quite a few people, but at the most fifty. Well, we waited. The security guard told us Rob was on his way and would be there soon.
I ran back to my car to get something and met three girls. They called out to me and asked if Rob had been by yet. I said as I walked back from my car, "No." Then they said, "Yes, he did. We were right behind him." I stopped and said, "What?" I was whispering. They didn't want anyone else to know. So they told me the whole deal. I said, "I'm gonna hang with y'all." :) So this is what they did. They followed his car all the way to the location. They drove straight past all of us, past the house to a site that was well lit across from the catering area.
So by this time we were back at the gate with all the people who were still waiting, but we walked down toward the catering tent. Then security came and told all of us we had to get in our cars and leave right now. Here came the black SUV. This time I knew Rob was in it. And, I didn't smile. I was deflated by then and it didn't occur to me that he could see me even if I couldn't see him.

Their car turned in the gate to the house and when we walked by a movie lady was trying to get us to leave. She said, "He appreciates you being here, but he has to work."

Then someone said they were filming the scene at sunrise, so they needed to get started. I thought holy cow, I don't want to ruin the movie. Sunrise doesn't last that long. I hope they got the shot. Also, by 6:50am on my way home- I saw the sun. It was round and orange, red, pink and brillant- it was an amazing sun. I really hope they captured it. They shot another scene on the railroad tracks at the TN Valley Railroad Museum. 

Even though I feel disappointed that I did not go back to watch filming.  I hope Rob has a good time in Chattanooga. The newspaper this morning reported that he loves it here in Chattanooga and thinks its awesome.

I went to find the train instead of going back to the house on Friday and got a picture.  I am going to frame it and hang it above my writing area to remind me of the power of the pen (or keyboard).  One woman wrote that story and out of her story became this movie that affected and involved so many people's lives.  It was a project larger than herself and that is what I would like to be a part of someday. 

I wrote three more pages yesterday and began some research for my latest project.  It all begins with one woman and a story.

Fixing To Write

I'm fixing to play mice with Bell so he can run off some energy and know I'm not neglecting him.  I'm fixing to then close him out of my brand new writing room.  I'm fixing to write a blog for the first time in months.  I'm fixing to ... well...I don't know.  Maybe it's too soon to start writing a blog.  Do I even have anything worth saying?

I set up a new design on my blog to give my new entries a bit a flair.  So when I start writing blogs (hopefully) this week, it will be fun to visit my site. 

I am fixing to log off and write a novel.  A short story.  A letter?  Maybe...after I answer the phone.

Thank you for coming to visit me.  I promise not to be boring the nexrt time you chose my site. :)

The Melting Pot

There's the Melting Pot and then there's the melting pot. We are waiting for pizza in the crisp cold breeze that is blowing through our open window. Brrr! Cold is hardly what was happening in the kitchen a half hour ago. The silvery orange glow of several blobs of...is that metal?...greeted me when I went back in the kitchen to check on the steamed corn on the cob. If only I had learned the first time I melted a pot, that you should never caddy corner a pot lid when steaming vegetables on Hi heat. Yes, this is the second pot I have melted. Come to my house if you are in the mood for the melting pot. I can provide it with all the smoke and whistles.

The Mouse's Cat

I grew up around cats. Cats everywhere. Cats cats cats. So many that when I moved away on my own I would think I saw shadows of cats circling me, hiding behind my furniture... mocking me. I did not take to cats the way everyone else in my family did. If one jumped on my bed while I was asleep, I would push them off. If one was in my seat I would say, "Move, cat." I never had to feed them, because I never pet them. Once, one of our cats was dying and I felt bad for her and went to pet her. She was too weak to move, or I'm sure she would have walked away. Instead she looked at me like I was the Grim Reaper, probably thinking, "Now I know I'm dying if she is coming to pet me." Me and cats were like oil and water.

I liked mice, not real mice, of course, but cute cuddly stuffed mice. I collected them and my family's nick name for me is Mouse. Mice are rather nice.

That brings us to the present. It was a dark and wintry night, and day, and another night and another day. Freezing temperatures, even snow in the South. No person or pets should have been be out in that cold cold weather and yet every night for a couple of weeks, my sister and I heard the cries of a cold, lonely cat outside our window. It wasn't my cat. It wasn't my responsibilty. The old me, the "Move, cat" me didn't really pay attention and then...the cat's persistence began to break through my cold mouse-loving exterier. Mew. Mew. Mew. I heard her cries at 11pm when I went to bed, at 2:30am when I got up for some water, again at 4:30 when I got up for the bathroom. And on into the next day. Mew.

The next night was a dark and stormy night. The world was getting soaked with rain. The world was shivering cold, too. And from my warm bed at 11:30pm that night, the cat broke through. The thought came in so real it scared me. I was getting involved with the neighbor's irresponsibility. I was going to take a stand. Kathryn went outside and brought the cat in for me and I raced her upstairs and closed my bedroom door. (We have living with us the world's loudest dog, who LOVEs to chase this poor cat.) She was soaked and muddy and freezing. I was only going to keep her one night and let her back out, but the more I learned from Kathryn about the situation of the cat-- she had been inside the neighbor's apartment all summer and then when it got cold they left her outside all the time.

Well, I kept her. I name her Bell because she had a collar with one jingle bell on it.

I will write more of my adventures with Bell in blogs to come. I have neglected my blog, because I have been trying to come home and play with Bell. My computer is not in the same room. I'm glad to be back for a moment. Hope to see you soon.

Crazy Sheila

They call her Crazy Sheila. When she was fourteen she got on a bus in Denver and rode to Provo, Utah because she had read that Donny Osmond and his family had a compound there. She was determined to find him and tell him that he got engaged to young, that he should wait for her. She found it, but he and his family were not there. She only had $13, so she had to go back to the bus station to catch a bus home. Only there was an 18 hour wait, during which time the police had been called. Her family was looking for her. They thought she had been staying at her grandmother's for Christmas. It turned out her grandmother had taken her to the bus stop to catch a bus for another town in Utah, where her aunt and uncle lived. But Crazy Sheila went in search of her idol and not her relatives. Needless to say she got in a lot of trouble for this for years to come. Today she is 46 and has never been married. She has never met Donny, but said she guesses she is still waiting for him.

I heard about Crazy Sheila on the Dom and Jane morning radio show out of Denver. She called in for the last caller of the day segment. She said she had been trying to call them since December 9th--Donny Osmond's 50th birthday, but could never get through. Each day they pick a winner for the best last call and Crazy Sheila won on that day, three days ago. It just so happened that in her prize pack was a pair of binnoculars, which could aid in her further stalking Donny.

I was so happy to know Crazy Sheila's story. A little crazier than my own. Whew.

Life's Little Surprises

This was a headline on CNN today and I almost fainted. ;) I didn't know I got the part!
"Pattinson and Thurman to Co-star in Sexy Bel-Ami".

Just Say Something Dammit!

I hate to leave my last blog up for so long, but I have no humorous little stories to add. Just trying to recoup from being sick so long. Yesterday I slept almost all day long. Today I am reading a very fun book. I just wrote an e-mail to the author and added her to the blogs I follow. Her name is Jennifer Ashley. The book is called "Confessions of a Lingerie Addict." Hardly me, but the book is so much fun! So I am off to continue my read.