Uber Roofer Morphing Into Uber Author

10.30pm EDITED TO ADD:
Can I, can I, CAN I shout out how much I love baseball, the game of UNDYING HOPE? It's a writer's game, I tell ya. My beloved Braves, down 5-4, ninth inning, two outs, bases loaded, with the struggling rookie Francouer at bat. GRANDSLAM. WOOOOhooooo! There's nothing better than baseball when everything clicks. Just like writing. And yes, because no one sees it, I jump out of my chair and run around the living room cheering, with all my poms chasing me, of course. We know how to celebrate in high fashion around here ;-D.

Okay, back to your regular scheduling....

****************************

Things have a way of sneaking up on me. The Romantic Times Convention starts Monday!!! Where did the time go? Sigh. I'm really looking forward to seeing my writer and reader friends again and this time, it will be by the beach ;-), so no need to get too dressed up. Thank goodness. I haven't a thing to wear (except for the uber-roofing gear).

The parties are going to be interesting this year too. Pirates of the Carribean Vampires Ball? Wow. Interesting mixture...so are we going to see pirates with fangs dancing around the ballroom? Then there is the Fairy's Ball. Yoikes. I do NOT want to see male fairies prancing around, heehee. Aiyaiyai. I'm going to have to remember to clear more memory in my digital camera.

For those living around Daytona Beach, Fl., the BOOKFAIR is on Saturday, May 20, 11am-3pm, at the Hilton Hotel. For more information, go to www.rtconvention.com and check out the 250 authors who will be attending! And you can even buy tickets for the Mr. Romance Convention for that evening, if you like to try a different kind of fun ;-).

For those who are flying in and planning to visit the area, here are some suggestions from a local:

1) Ponce Inlet Lighthouse
2) Cassadaga Spiritual Camp (this is a little town about 50 minutes away from Daytona where most of its inhabitants are psychic readers of some sort. It's fun and interesting, and you get to walk around the quiet, hilly neighborhood and enjoy its unique tranquility)
3) Ummm...Mickey Mouse Land and Shamu Country up the road, if you don't know about THAT by now
4) The Highlander restaurant
5) Rent a boat and go up (or down) Halifax river. It's pretty! And you see dolphins!
6) Rent a Harley or a motorcycle and bike down our very, very famous scenic route, The Loop.













7) If you are renting a vehicle, try driving ON the beach. You have to pay for a week's pass, but if you've never done it, it's a kewl experience for the kids
8) If you want to wrestle a gator, there is Gatorland, but do you really want to wrestle a gator? I didn't think so. But yeah, we have gators. Please don't feed our gators, cute creatures that they are--how do you think they got to be so BIG?
9) If you've never seen a racetrack, here's your chance to do so. The International Speedway is the home of the infamous Daytona 500. There is a Museum there where you can see the history of speed as well as try out the simulation racecar.
10) Let's go on a hot air balloon at sunrise! It can be a sexy experience. Not that I know anything about that, ahem.
11) There's a ghost tour somewhere in town. I've never tried it. In fact, I didn't know Daytona has ghosts ;-).
12) For the religious, you HAVE to try the outdoor church not far from the hotel, where you get to PARK at a meter with a speaker and LISTEN to the sermon from the comfort of your car. I've seen families having breakfast! Wow, talk about being on the go....

Well, that's enough to start with. As a local, I forget about the ocean, rarely see the beach, the sand's a nuisance, and the humidity chases me back into my air-conditioned home. I occasionally stare down gators, shake my head at speeding old farts who give ME the finger, shake my head at very, very slow old farts on the speeding lane, wait for the ambling gopher to cross the road, and avoid the annual springbreakers and bikers like the plague. But you don't have to know that ;-). Welcome to Daytona!

Bear with me while I learn. The first button likes the POST. The second button likes the BLOG site. Please help me by "liking" me. Thanks!