Misunderstood....

When I send email photos, graphics, jokes, etc.to people, I only send them to people I actually like, love, care about. I recently sent a message to a couple of friends that read:
"My memory misses you.It thinks about you all the time." I thought it was a lovely sentiment, showing that I miss these individuals.Well, I was told by one that, " she didn't like being a memory and was that all she was to me anymore?" I apologized for the misunderstanding and tried to explain my rationale for sending it. She would prefer emails in my own words. OK, I hear that. If any of you feel that same way, please let me know.I never have had the intention of hurting someone 's feelings, and if I have, I'm sorry.

Rof B - PO Box 1217, part two

The seedy motel did not have any cameras. Pauline made sure of that weeks ago. The old stained bathtub was filled and they placed the unconscious naked boy in the water. Using the switchblade,Sharon cut deep lines in the boy's wrists.The knife dropped into the bloody water, and Atilla's body was half submersed.Atila's clothes were rumpled on the floor, and he had fake ID in one of his pockets, along with about $70 which they left alone. He never regained consciousness. Alina checked for a pulse a little while later,and there wasn't one.It will appear to be a suicide. The quartet left the truck and its contents for the police to investigate. Alina had almost vomited when she looked under the tarp.Three dead, decomposing infants.What the hell? The four women have not been told the reasons behind Jill's project choices, but so far,discovering Phyrrus' pedophilia, Sexton's massive fraud,and Atila's infanticide is enough. The ladies leave very quietly around 4 am, and once in the car pull off their latex gloves which they have worn since midnight. They pick up Alina's car at the theater, and then they go have breakfast at the same Waffle House where Atila was earlier. They are all hungry.They discover that they all like rare steak. Another job finished, they will sleep well tonight.

R of B - PO Box 1217, part 1

Myrtle and Pauline aren't sure that they can kill a kid, even though he isn't a child per se.Len Atila is 14, homeless and elusive. Jill had told them it would be a crap shoot, but with no known address, they take turns watching the post office box, through binoculars.12 days go by, and nobody shows up to open box 1217, but just about 7pm on day 12, a hooded young guy wearing sunglasses takes out a stack of mail from the box and heads back outside and gets into a beat up, old ,red, Ford 150 truck. Nobody else is in the vehicle, and the male takes off his hood and glasses and sits reading his mail.He looks like the photo they have of Atila. Pauline drives, and they follow the truck, while Myrtle writes down the license plate number. The next stop is Waffle House,and they watch him closely as he sits at the fairly full counter and orders a coke and waffle.After eating ,he uses the bathroom, comes outside and looks like he is going to take a nap.In another 45 minutes, he wakes up and gets on the road again. Driving to a Walmart not far away,the alleged Atila parks the truck and goes inside. It is about 10 pm. Myrtle grabs a cart and heads for the Ford.Nothing is out of the ordinary in the back of the truck, but on the front passenger side there is a tarp on the floor with something wrapped in it. The doors are locked,so she heads back to the car, and they wait some more. Much later, the young male emerges and smokes a couple cigarettes. He has not been in a hurry to do anything, and sits there for quite a while.Myrtle calls Sharon and catches her up on the evening's events. Sharon and Alina are ready to meet them and take the next step, but where and when are still question marks.His next stop is the movie theater.He buys a ticket for one of the Midnight shows. Myrtle calls and gets Sharon and Alina to meet them at the cinema parking lot. Time lapses, more waiting.The evening has felt like an eternity. When Atilla comes out, Alina is leaning against his truck crying and tells him her boyfriend took off with her phone and car.Atila suggests that she get into his truck, and he'll take her home. At that moment the rest of the quartet jumps on him, and Sharon administers Etorphine, knocking him out almost immediately.They drive the truck and car to a nearby, run down, hourly motel , and Myrtle gets into an unoccupied room without any problems and without checking in.

Overdue farewell

No more yelling,no more crying, no more pleading.Final straw, final chance, final time.Calm, clear certitude. Sleep in your comfortable bed,one more night.Take one last,long, warm shower. Eat that fresh, hot homemade meal. Pack your clean clothes and leave.We should have said,"Goodbye" weeks ago.Hey,you're so smart, you figure it out. This insane game is finished; nobody is a winner.Some day, will you realize what you've thrown away? Goodbye ;good luck; you'll need it.

General stuff

Besides trying to write,I am preparing to teach a class on thesis writing, working at Creekview High School on the oratorical contest (which means coaching kids and assisting teachers),judging some competitions on 3/3 and 3/4,trying new recipes, reading( recommend "invention of Wings"), watching as much Olympics as possible- I even watched some curling, catching up with "True Detective" on HBO on demand( I have never liked Matthew McConaughey before, but his role is riveting), took a cruise just before VD,celebrated birthdays(Al-1/13, Gina-1/23, Adam- 2/10), playing bridge,Tuesday wine group,Monday supper club,had a spa day,practicing a little piano and cello(exasperating), doing the usual household drudgeries, longing for Spring weather,a movie outing or two,correspondence , tax prep ( hate it), dealing with Gina's antics and my cat's illness, enjoying my life and being grateful. However, I am on hiatus from church choir and that has been a needed break.FYI - This post is for all you who thought I was just obsessing about "River of Blood."

Friends from afar

I have some dear friends and family at this juncture who I haven't seen for two or more years. This saddens me because I think about the fact that if I don't make a long, out of state trip, I won't get to be with them.One dear friend has never come to Georgia to see me,and I have lived here 20 years.Yes, social media, phones, etc.are substitutes, but anyone who knows me well, knows I don't much care for phone conversations.I like a face to face( not skype) connection. I get weary sometimes trying to nurture and keep up friendships; sometimes the effort feels lopsided. Also, I sent some Christmas gifts to a couple of people, who I never even got a direct "thank you" from ( family). Uh, it is almost two months after the fact ( yes, I know for sure that they received the gifts).I may be oversensitive and over thinking this whole topic, but it is how I am feeling. Of course, I am not talking about all my friends. I guess I'm sounding a tad needy...

R of B- 1275 Sangue Riviera, part three

After six weeks of active investigation, the explosion and destruction of Sangue Riviera's building seven's top floor proved to include homicide , but the coroner had not ruled out the bomb as a suicide instead.Nobody else was killed besides Sexton, who was indeed dead based on dental records.His indictment for the immense Ponzi scheme not only showed many rich victims with motive.There was ,as well , the real possibility of the suicidal desire to avoid prison and perhaps the effort to destroy evidence.Much media speculation and coverage ensued, and many of the building's residents, who were required to leave the potentially unsafe structure,readily expressed their shock and horror concerning the disaster and their subsequent displacement for what would be an unknown period of time.The news expose concerning Sexton showed he had bilked millions from rich female clients, including some older women residents of the Sangue complex, who had all been thoroughly interviewed. Dozens of suspects were under investigation, but there seemed to be no tie made to any of the quartet.In fact, due to reconstruction of the site, three of the guards were laid off,including Sharon, conveniently.

R of B, 1275 Sangue Riviera, part two

Three months after being given their assignment, Jill's quartet has made progress with the Sexton project. Alina is a work out buddy with the young woman with MS in Apartment six.Myrtle became the new housekeeper for apartment 10; her impeccable references were the selling point. Pauline met the lesbian couple in Apartment 12 at a Pride event and will be having cocktails again with them tomorrow. Sharon applied for the opening of a security guard position, and ,through connections, has been working at Sangue for a month; she is the most vulnerable to detection so she wears a wig, glasses,work gloves, and a constant smile on her face.She determined that the security codes change every three days, and the cameras can be manipulated from the monitoring station that is housed in Buildng two.They are ready- they hope. Sexton will be off of the property for at least three hours,according to the daily schedules the head guard receives,so some " unscheduled maintenance on his roof top pool and sauna will be handled. The quartet's codes for the gate, doors and elevator match ,and all is set.Sharon takes care of the cameras.Myrtle's cleaning supplies hide the explosive device.Pauline wears the S/G uniform for maintenance access, a hat and goggles, and Alina will put the undetectable poison in Sexton's toothpaste and mouthwash - as their back up plan.The preparations are completed in 10 minutes, and once Pauline, Sharon, and Alina leave the complex, Sharon reactivates the video monitoring and goes back to her station. Sexton returns, and all seems normal.Later that afternoon, after Sexton resumes his routine, Sharon waits about another hour,then calls the team,who remotely detonate the device.In the next instant, most of the top floor of building seven disappears, and presumably their intended target as well.

R of B,1275 Sangue Riviera-part one

The fierce quartet understood this to be exponentially more difficult than the Phyrrus project had been.Now that Jillian's foursome had gotten their feet wet together, so to speak,the second task certainly will hone their teamwork skills.The upscale apartment complex has very good security systems with cameras everywhere, and entry requires advance notice and multiple security codes- which change frequently- for the gate, front doors, elevators and individual apartments. Sexton, a bit of a hermit,leases the whole top floor of building Seven and rarely agrees to visitors.Getting close enough to Sexton for the kill will be tricky and dangerous.Alina, Pauline, Sharon and Myrtle brainstorm the possibilities, and nothing seems doable, without other "collateral damage",which Jillian has expressly declared as off limits for their assigned projects." Knock out " gas is considered,but Alina suggests that they find out who the other residents of building seven are and get one to "volunteer" the codes, leaving only Sexton's apartment code to be gotten.This will take quite an investment in time and building some relationships.Each of the quartet's members will have a resident to "work on" and gain trust.Fortunately, Jill has not declared a specific termination date; they may need months.

R of B- Jillian's recuperation tea

Jill decided to have a small celebration, " shoe themed" tea for her recovery, an early birthday present to herself. Just her endearing staff, Jill thought, and asked Yung to make her to- die- for 6 layer coconut cake filled with mascarpone cream,blueberry scones and Earl Grey tea. Jill asked Evelynn to put on her favorite playlist of "shoe and toe" related songs like "Diamonds on the soles of her Shoes", "Devil Eyes", "New Shoes", " Who Wears these Shoes", " Walking in my Shoes", etc. She had Cheri get huge bouquets of gardenias to fill the sunroom, and Jill asked that the dogs be free to run around the grounds, so that ABC could all be at the fete.She even invited Anais, who truly needed to get out of her room and stop being such a sad sack; after all, the worst of her branding pain was behind her now. Jill wore her black and red silk kimono and her favorite black suede Louboutin heels.She placed an orchid in her hair ,wore her ruby earrings and painted her lips bright red. She looked stunning and glowed.When she glided into the fragrant , happy room, all of her favorite people were there, and even Yung was seated and relaxed. After tea, Jill had presents for everyone in just the right sizes- pairs of Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik shoes, Louis Vuitton handbags and Chanel suits.Everybody laughed( even Anais), and everybody danced in their exceptionally beautiful new shoes. It was a joyous moment to remember, because all Hell would be breaking loose soon.

R of B- disturbing news

Evelynn did not want to show Jill the morning paper, but its headline demanded it. "New Evidence in Terrorist Bombing" glared at Jill as she read the text. "apparent, random timing of terrorist bombing has now been determined to be specifically related to the manager's obvious absence from premises at time of explosion. The " Caboose" nightclub , heavily attended that evening, claimed many fatalities, notably its well known owner and entrepreneur Joeffry Alexander and his fiancé.The investigation, which was closed two years ago, has been reopened." Jill grimaced.

Olympics

I love watching the Olympics! Athletes who aren't in the NBA or NFL, how refreshing! And the Opening Ceremony is always truly fantastic. I look forward to all the competitions that I can possibly watch,especially the figure skating.

R of B- Pauline's tattoos

When Pauline was Paul, she frequently got inked.She chose an eagle when Paul married Jean and got a panther when daughter Remy was born. While Paul served time for grand theft,he was raped; he put a large dagger dripping with blood on his back.After killing Paul's assailant with a pair of scissors,scissors were also inked on his wrist. For her successful sex change operation, Pauline had a large Venetian style mask inked on her arm.Now with T.Phyrrus'murder accomplished,she plans to get a tattoo of a scarecrow on fire, and each subsequent "project" will warrant another in kind memento.

Taking a cruise

I 'm getting away from the cold weather , this week and next,and will be taking another cruise with a girlfriend, this time to Mexico, leaving from New Orleans. I love cruising! I will not be blogging again until after 2/14 ( happy VD). Al will be home gearing up for a new job that he begins on 2/17 and babying our diabetic cat. Gina, who turned 18 on 1/23,comes and goes and is couch surfing with various friends. ( God be with that child...)Adam becomes 23 on 2/10 , and for the first time , I will not be seeing him on his actual birthday.He wants to have "Mellow Mushroom" pizza and beer before I leave , so that b'day celebration will be pretty low key.I am staying out of my son's way for the most part,because this is his last semester of college,and he has 5 classes. Adam is grumpy.Alfredo is anxious and antsy.Gina is rebellious. I'm chill.

"In defense of the dark arts" ( nod to Rowling)

I write, as I've stated before, to vent and for catharsis.Recently, I have been sharing my general ideas for a dark story I may possibly continue about an ensemble of women who are both misandrists( man haters) and killers.Anything related to this story will be with the working title "River of Blood" ( R of B); other entries will be different titles and different subjects. I make no pretense that it will be a great American novel; nevertheless, I am finding it fun and fulfilling. I asked people for comments, suggestions, etc.,and I thank those who have done so.What I don't understand is the anonymous vitriol and some scathing criticism.I can take criticism, and I'm not upset per se, but how do I respond to anonymous comments? Here are some answers: Yes, I plan to write dialogue(really?). Yes, I can write a story like this and still be a Christian. No, I'm not writing the whole book on my blog. If you don't want to read about the story elements( plot, character, setting,theme, etc.), don't read the blog entries with the aforementioned title. Yes, writing takes up a lot of time for me- thinking, brainstorming, etc. Yes, I have a life- a very good life, thank you, but writing is laborious.Yes, my husband thinks the story is "dark" , but we love each other, and he supports me.No, I am not a man hater, but I like different aspects of each of my characters. No, I am not a lesbian or bisexual( but really, so what if I were?) . Well,I may or may not write detailed graphic scenes; I haven't decided.No, this is not semi- autobiographical ( uh, hello!) These are truthful responses, but then if you feel you must be anonymous, you may not accept them as so. I am not naive enough to think everyone will find this story to be her cup of tea, and that's ok.

R of B - Recuperating

Jillian was beginning to feel stronger, and the throws of withdrawal had subsided. Ruby has stayed by her side the past five weeks, and Yung makes soft foods for her to eat, but Jill doesn't have much of an appetite. She hasn't left her room in quite a while. Today she will shower, dress and go downstairs and visit with her staff who are her only true friends, after all. Jill knows that Evelynn has taken care of everything during her " illness" , and ABC are always on high alert. They care and are very concerned about her. Jillian will also see Anais, her houseguest for the last six weeks. Anais,19 and a real drama queen, branded at the Querencia,proves to be very delicate and high Maintenance.Ruby treats the third degree burn on Anais' leg scrupulously and the brand mark is beginning to heal.Ruby goes back and forth between Jill and Anais during their recuperations,and she soon will be able to be less intensely involved with their healing.Jill visits Anais first.Truth be known, Jill had selected Anais for her name and her resemblance to Sophia Loren. Ruby goes with her as well as Abby, who is skeptical of the whiny teenager and is vigilantly guarding Jill. Jill shows Anais her same mark,five circles , one in the center and four others around it, burned into her thigh. The symbol represents unconditional loyalty.The seared mark assures that the female who has it is guaranteed protection, financial security, and access to some of the most powerful females in the world.Of course, there is the additional payment of $500,000, deposited in the branded's name.Jill has a calming influence upon Anais, and Ruby gives the young woman more morphine. Then Jill leaves to join her lawyer in the breakfast room. Evelynn is waiting and jumps up to give her friend a hug and kiss.Jill, still frail, smiles and sits down feeling weak from the morning's activity. Evelynn relays to her the success of the quartet's first project, and Jill is obviously pleased. She will wait until her "rehab" finishes before assigning the second project.

R of B: 1246 Dionisio Circle,Part 2

Trey Pyrrhus went to his mailbox, as usual when the sun went down. He doesn't want to interact with any of his neighbors , and it seems this time works best for avoiding them. When he goes back inside, the last thing he remembers is Myrtle smiling at him as Sharon knocks him out by slamming a bat over his head.When he regains consciousness hours later, he is tied up in a chair with duct tape over his mouth. Alina is taking photos and Pauline continues to look around the house. Pauline,opening the door of one of Pyrrhus' closets, discovers what may be the answer to why Jillian chose Pyrrhus. She calls Myrtle and Alina to come see.Sharon stays with the target. Photos of young girls, appearing to be under age 10, are taped all over the inside of the closet door with panties tacked next to each picture. Pedophilia! Myrtle is enraged and wants to do the kill. She finds a large butcher's knife and gleefully stabs the pervert in his eye, and then she slits his throat. Sharon decides to partially scalp the already dead man, so she can add another trophy to her growing collection. Alina,Myrtle and Sharon leave out the back door and work their way cautiously to their car, while Pauline sets the house on fire. The quartet is exhilarated. One down...

River of Blood- 1246 Dionisio Circle, part one

This is their first "project". Of course, Alina wants it to be Rodriguez; Evelynn wants it to be her brother, but Jillian decides.Trey Pyrrhus. The "quartet " only knows his name, photo and address.The four women- Sharon, Myrtle, Pauline and Alina- have only just begun to get acquainted in the past month. Jillian does not tell them why, but she does not tell them how either. They can decide that. The modest looking,well kept, bungalow style house sets at the end of a cul de sac with similar looking homes, except for its red shutters and red door. Evelynn told them that there was no security system, and that he lived alone.No pets.It sounds simple enough; that's what worries Sharon, and she says so. Pauline assumes that T.P. will have weapons.They form a plan. The first day,Alina walks around the neighborhood handing out pamphlets about an upcoming political protest at the nearby university, so that if he sees her out of a window, his house won't appear to be singled out. Alina knocks on 1246. No answer.She rings the doorbell. No answer. She puts a pamphlet on his mailbox and leaves. She goes to her car and waits.No one comes outside; maybe he isn't home. After about four hours, as dusk approaches, Mr.Pyrrhus emerges in his bathrobe, picks up his newspaper , gets his mail , and yanks the taped brochure off his mailbox. He goes slowly back into the house.Nothing out of the ordinary, reports Alina.She figures that he doesn 't bother with solicitors. A couple nights later , after 1am, Pauline scouts out the house. The street is dark, and no lights are on in any of the houses, including 1246. Pauline peers carefully through an uncurtained window. Nothing. Going around to the back, a set of windows has shut blinds. Perhaps that's the bedroom. No sounds. Enough for tonight. Return two days later. This time it's Myrtle's turn. She knocks; he answers. She shows him a photo of her " missing granddaughter." No he hasn't seen her. Now please leave, he says. Myrtle gets to her car and waits. He comes out of the house around dusk,gets his newspaper and mail, and goes back inside. This seems to be the pattern that they need. Tomorrow,early evening,they will all "visit" him ,and Jillian's first project will be handled.This should make Jillian feel better, since she has been under the weather the past three weeks.Alina surmises from her medical training that Jillian is having major withdrawal symptoms from some type of drug; she noticed Ms.Alexander's fitful state, back during her interview 3 months ago. Nevertheless, Alina is keeping her thoughts to herself. After all, she understands the lure and addiction of pain killers. She changes gears; tomorrow - how exciting, she thinks.