…so not fun!

But I'm baaaack. Had a little problem with my DSL modem for the last 24 hours, but it's fixed now, thanks to a lovely AT&T tech gal who came out and fixed me up.

And, oh, just watched a classic FRIENDS episode this morning on while on the elliptical (see, Carl, I'm still working on the other RIP challenge)–"The One With the Videotape." 

It's the one where Rachel's just told Ross she's pg with his baby, and they get to arguing about who came on to whom….and it turned out he had accidentally videotaped the whole encounter. It's the one with the "European story" and the way the whole plot comes together is just perfect. It's really perfect.

It's one of the best episodes–it's tight, but you don't realize it until the end; the lines are fabulous, and David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston really show off their talent, especially at the end when they're watching the whole tape.

Laughed my butt off and almost took a spill off the ol' elliptical.

So what's your fave FRIENDS episode? 

I've had quite a few people ask me recently about vampire lore and mythology, and how it is manifested in my books, so I thought I'd talk about that today.

One of the things I did the most research on when I started the series was the wide variety of vampire myths. There are legends about blood-drinking creatures–usually humans who have died, but sometimes just demons or other creatures–from all cultures and all time periods including Mesopotamia, China, India, Africa, and Europe.

When someone asks me whether I believe vampires exist, I have to say: I'm really not sure. I suppose it's possible. After all, if there are all these stories from all these unrelated peoples, all over the world…there has to be some reason they're the same. Usually, legend is based in some sort of factual event.

What do you think? 

One of the other questions I get a lot is: can your vampires see their own reflections?

And I must admit…I don't know! I haven't had the occasion to answer that query, and I've been giving it a lot of thought. I think they can. I don't see why they wouldn't.

So, I guess the answer is…yes. They can see their own reflections.

How's that for a straight answer? You read it first, here on For All the World to See.

My brothers and I would come home from school every day and put on our favorite shows. My parents worked, so there was no one home to tell us to turn it off (although my mom didn't let us abuse the tube), and so we had our fill of everyone's favorite '70s shows. And reruns.

And to this day, I'm darned if I know which of those shows we watched during the 3-5 time slot were reruns or new episodes!

So, thanks to Netflix, I've been introducing my kids to some of my childhood favorites–partly for the pop culture education, and partly because I think they're much better (kinder, gentler, easier) than much of the stuff on the tube for kids today.

I started with Scooby-Doo reruns about six or seven years ago, and then the rest of the world caught on, and now we have all sorts of versions: live-action, Scooby & Shaggy only, a brand new season, a nod from Joss Whedon, etc.

My kids have since graduated (although the Scoobies remain a perennial favorite) to The Brady Bunch, The Monkees, and Gilligan's Island (a big favorite)…and they're even introducing their friends to these classics.

I'd love to find DVDs of Get Smart (especially since they're making a movie–check out the cast! I can't wait!!), but they don't seem to be available. Another on my list is Home Improvement, which of course is more recent–but the kids know Tim Allen, and would probably get a kick out of the show.

I still laugh my butt off at Gilligan's Island–Mr. & Mrs. Howell are really funny. And although I wince when the Skipper calls Gilligan names and hits him with his hat, there's a lot of affection between those two characters, and it shines through. 

So, what did you watch when you were a kid, just getting home from school? Any favorites?

I'm what my friend Tam calls a Planner. With a capital P. So is she.

We're the kind of people that are always thinking about the next step–where we're going to go for lunch, social functions, the logistics of how we're going to juggle kids/work/cars/errands, etc.

When we have a task to do–such as revisions on a book–we plan it out. Not necessarily on paper, but in our minds, in a logical way.

(That's not to say that we're not laid back, or have our moments of laziness or procrastination. That's different than being a Planner. That's just being human. And, absolutely, we do.)

But the person in the group who's the Planner is the one who gets the group to make a decision about, for example, what movie to see or where to go to eat. We're the ones that say, "Okay, let's get going." Or, "If we leave now, we can…."  "If we do this, it'll be easier to do that." And gets people to move.

The interesting thing about Tam and me is that although we're both Planners, we're complementary to each other. We think the same way, and thus our "Plans" are always in synch. Frighteningly so. Which is good, because when you get two Planners together who disagree…well, it's not always pretty.

And then there are the Go-With-The-Flow-ers. The ones who let us Planners nudge them along. My Music Man is a GWTFlow-er. For the most part, it's a good partnership. He lets me make the decisions and then follows along happily behind.

(and if you believe that, well, I have this land in Florida….)

(Actually, guys who know me tend to say things like: "Your poor husband–you totally wear the pants in the family, don't you?" and I say, "Absolutely not! We each have one leg in the pants–so it's always a battle, and sometimes they rip.") 

I'm not sure why I'm a control freak Planner, nor why the GWTFlow-ers seem to be less interested in making a decision. It could be because they know that we Planners will make sure everything happens. 

And I think that we sometimes change roles–which is a good thing. My Music Man is The Planner From Hell when it comes to arranging and directing music, yet for every day things, he eases into a GWTFlow role.

And last Saturday, when Tam and I were at an event where I was speaking, I found myself easing into a GWTFlow mode….probably because I knew she was there too, and listening to the directions for our next step. So I let myself be distracted.

So. Where do you fall? Are you mostly a Planner, or a GWTFlow-er?

~~~~~~ 

And, because I know Sparky Duck's out there just waiting to start quacking, I'm going to say that, yes, I am completely mortified. M-barrassed, to be exact. If this keeps up, it's going to be a looooong season. 

Maybe I should stick with Friday Night Lights (which I've been watching–four eps in–and am hooked). 

Yes, indeed. I'm pleased to confirm that The Rest Falls Away will be released in Italy in early November, and also to show the cover for the Italian version.

I love the font! It looks very mysterious and gothic, as do the buildings. 

What do you think? (Can anyone translate the title?)