Okay, folks, I know I haven’t done a T-13 in a LOOOONG time, over a month. But today, I’m back and better than ever (until after Thanksgiving, because let’s face it, I’m gonna be piggin’ out next week. WORD!)

Aside from the fact that my newest book, HIGH NOON, an historical Western romance, has been released in eBook (it’s only a novella, folks, you can read on the computer for an hour or two. ):

http://www.samhainpublishing.com/romance/high-noon

/shameless plug

Here are 13 things I’ve always wondered about:

1.) What the hell sense does the explanation, “The grass is green because it reflects every color except green, therefore, it is green” MEAN, exactly? That’s the kind of weird circular logic that ties my brain in knots, folks.

2.) Why is Native Americans’ skin so much DARKER in old timey pictures than it is today? Have the Indians of today had their bloodlines “watered down” by the white man? Is it the quality of the black and white film? Or were they merely tanner than today’s Native Americans because they were always outside in the sun?

3.) Before blogs, websites, podcasts, MySpace, Yahoo/Google groups & basically the Internet in general, how did authors promote their books?

4.) And on that note, how can we be such a tech-saavy society when everyone I know (who isn’t married to me) barely knows how to turn on their computer?

“What did the error message say, exactly?”
“I don’t know, I just clicked on “OK”.

5.) Why do people get so pissed off when you bring up Jesus, but have absolutely no problem talking to you about ANY OTHER RELIGION on the planet? Even the hostile ones?

6.) Who are “they”?

7.) Further, where are these “studies”, “surveys”, & “statistics” posted?

8.) Who actually LICKS a Tootsie Roll Pop?

9.) Why couldn’t the mucky-mucks in South Carolina pull the sticks out (if you know what I mean) and allow Stephen Colbert on the Democratic ticket? I’m tellin’ you right now, I bet a WHOLE lot more people woulda voted come election day. Think about THAT, pundits.

10.) Is my favorite color rose pink or lavender purple?

11.) Why do people constantly ask me if all these kids….are mine? No, you moron, I run a Day Care and frequently take other people’s kids on a “field trip” to the grocery store — of course their all mine!! **SMACK**

12.) If we can’t digest corn, then why are these corn chips making me fat?

13.) Why can’t Creationists and Evolutionists come to a compromise and admit that yeah, they BOTH might be right?

~*~*~

There you have it. Thirteen questions I’ve asked myself.

~~Becka
http://www.RebeccaGoings.com

People Magazine has recently announced their “Sexiest Man Alive” and I’m just grinning from ear to ear. If you’ll remember, I campaigned a few months ago with my Hottie of the Week to give the SMA title to the deserving Matt Damon. And they listened!

See for yourself:

People Magazine Announces Matt Damon as “Sexiest Man Alive”

In fact, I’m so tickled for Mr. Damon and his campaign to become the SMA, I was giggling like an idiot when I read the above article. Of course, my daughter then asked, “What’s so funny?” I tried to explain it, but her eyes glazed over and she began to drool. Unfortunately, not the kind of “drool” one might associate with the Sexiest Man Alive.

If you read all the way to the bottom, you’ll in fact see a sidenote that says:

“Many thanks to Rebecca Goings and her blog Becka’s Babble for swaying the editors of People Magazine to choose Matt Damon as the Sexiest Man Alive.”

(Well, not really, but that woulda been cool, eh?

Congratulations, Matt Damon. You’ve got friends in high places!

~~Becka
http://www.RebeccaGoings.com

As much as I love dragons, I have no love for the bearded ones. Yes, folks, our bearded dragon “Lizard” died this evening (or perhaps yesterday or the day before, we don’t really know.)

The facts are these:

About 8 Christmases ago, DH’s best friend decided it would be a good idea to give him a reptile as a gift. This idea sprang from DH’s passing comment of “Lizards are cool” or some such, which somehow got construed by the best friend as “Ooo, I want a cool lizard!”

And so, on Christmas morning, as we were opening the strange trembling gift with the airholes on top, we found ourselves face to face with a brand new car! No, no, sorry. *ahem* Wrong post. …a brand new bearded dragon hatchling.

Thanks. I think. :-\

Now, we were in a quandry. Forced to buy some kind of terrarium for the tyke, we obtained one from DH’s mom (my memory is kinda sketchy on this, as it’s been so long, but I think that’s where we got it.) This monstrous-looking thing came with a huge, ugly, HEAVY base with cupboards and all. For such a small creature, you’d think their home wouldn’t be quite so big. I mean, it’s impossible to hide that thing.

HI, WE HAVE A FRICKEN’ LIZARD!!!

I think people noticed the lizard first because of the huge terrariuminum instead of our other critters. But because this creature was a gift, we couldn’t give it away or sell it, as that would just be plain rude, and how do you explain to your best friend that you couldn’t stand the damn thing in the first place?

So the years rolled on and we moved quite a bit, all the while cussing at the lizard, the terrariummuminum, and the heavy-ass base it sits on for all the space it takes up in the moving van, not to mention our new home. Seriously. Worse than fish, folks. At least with fish, I’d want to sit and watch them for awhile. The only joy we got out of that lizard was watching him eat the occasional cricket and/or mealworm, but of course that meant *I’D* be the one going to the pet shop to buy the damned things. More than once, I’ve had to hold back the willies while a bag of 50 adult crickets rolls around in the front seat of my car on my way home to feed the lizard. **shudder**

We “loved” the lizard so much that we named it…you guessed it, “Lizard”. Originally, DH had named it “Dog”, because we didn’t have (or couldn’t have) a dog at that time, and he really wanted one. But we never called it “Dog”, and once we got a dog, it seemed a misnomer. We hardly ever handled the thing, so whenever you’d go to change its water, the darned thing would hiss at you.

Every year, when he’d go into hibernation, DH and I would frequently poke and prod him, wondering if he’d passed on to bask on the Giant Boulder in the Sky, but then he’d crack an eye and we’d groan, lamenting yet another year of the poor, unwanted lizard and the unsightly terrarinariranium.

This evening, whilst going through my nightly ritual, locking up and turning off lights, I noticed I didn’t see him breathing. Well, that was nothing new, as when in hibernation, he’d frequently take shallow breaths few and far between. But his eyes were half-open, just barely cracked, and he’d never do that, unless to curse you for interrupting his beauty sleep. And so, I decided to do my scientific “Is he dead yet?” test perfected in years past. I tapped on the glass. Nothing. I blew into the cage. No flinching. I stared at him for a full minute. No sign of breathing.

I call out to my DH, “Hey, I think your lizard is dead.”

“Really?” he asks, moseying over to the terranthimum. “‘Bout time.”

I arch my brow.

DH looks at me. “Now we can put this thing on Craig’s List and finally be rid of it.”
(not the dead lizard, the CAGE, you nutty people)

Do I feel bad about not mourning the loss of a critter we’ve had for eight years? Not really. I never would have chosen a lizard for a pet, and I still wouldn’t. Not because I think lizards or snakes are “gross” or “creepy”, but because you can’t really snuggle with a bearded dragon. Perhaps some people do, but they’s crazy folk. And because of that, I never “bonded” with the thing. It was just one more mouth to feed, really.

All of this brings me to this moment, at 1:25am in the morning, blogging on Becka’s Babble. Why am I blogging at this time of night? Well, because I wanted to get rid of the lizard before the kids wake up. Don’t want to deal with “clean up reptile corpse on aisle 5” in the morning. Besides, just having it laying there waiting for me to dig it out of the terraminium is kinda nasty/creepy. I literally went to bed, then got up to take care of it. Icky icky icky pe-tang!

Now, I will quietly remove any mention of “Lizard” from my bios that are in the back of my books (only upcoming books, not ones already released). As of this moment, we only have one dog and one cat. If anyone ever has half a mind to give us another lizard again, better check your pockets and purses, because that shit’s goin’ home with you!

~~Becka
http://www.rebeccagoings.com/

Today, I went to an awesome Pampered Chef party held by the sister of a friend of mine (who’s also a friend of mine.) I was excited to go. I’ve only ever been to a Pampered Chef party once, about a DECADE ago. Yeah, it was nice to attend the party this time, seen as how I had the money to buy something this time around.

Becka + ten years ago = broke-ass ho

Becka + now = not so much

Why was I so excited? Well, because of those round pizza stones. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about. I wanted one so badly, because you don’t have to just make pizza on them. They’re good for cookies, rolls, scones, calzones, appetizers, anything you really want to bake on a cookie sheet. It gives you even browning and crisping. I’ve wanted one forEVER and now, I finally had my chance to buy one.

Now, once I get to the party, I’m overjoyed to find out that they now have a new pizza stone – one with handles on the side, for easier lifting out of the oven. SOLD!

Yes, I bought it and I’m giddy, GIDDY I tell you, to finally own one. Apparently, you cannot wash them with soap. Like a cast iron skillet, you merely rinse and scrape off the debris and allow the food to season your stone.

Imagine my dismay when I open the catelog only to find TWO FULL FRICKEN’ PAGES of stoneware cook … ware? I wanted it all! Problem was, each item was over $25. If I was say, independently wealthy, then yeah, I woulda gotten every damn thing in the book. lol But as it was, I had to stare at the stoneware muffin pan, the stoneware casserole, the stoneware breadpan, the stoneware mini-loaf breadpan, the stoneware large bar pan (for making bar cookies and brownies, etc.), the stoneware bundt pan (OMG, I wanted this one sooo badly!).

O.O

I now have a new purpose in life: I must replace every last casserole dish and cookie sheet, breadpan, pie plate, and covered baking dish with stoneware. I have been assimilated.

For me, who’s only just begun to realize that I reallyreallyreallyreallyreally love baking, finding that the Pampered Chef stoneware line goes far, far beyond the pizza stone was like finding the Holy Grail, if you will. And so, on that note, I promptly scheduled a Pampered Chef party of my very own. At least then, I will get a fixed percentage off of the stoneware, and I will be able to reward myself with more stoneware cookware in the future.

Because I will own it all, oh yes. Fear not. It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but someday. Blessed someday.

Oh yeah, and I also bought a pizza cutter (because who doesn’t own a pizza cutter, honestly? Apparently me, before today lol) and one of their 2 quart mixing bowls that has a pour spout and a lid, the one you can refrigerate, microwave AND bake in. Yeah, I like options. Actually, I like the idea of mixing pancake batter and/or cornbread batter and merely pouring it into (or onto) whatever I want to cook it (them) in (or on).

This may come as a shock, I know, but I believe I’m getting the beginnings of carpal tunnel. Therefore, whenever I mix something by hand in my mixing bowls, it is very hard for me to hold them up to pour into a prepared pan. Holding a mixing bowl that has a handle and a spout just made my life a bajillion times easier. Yay!

The lady who showed off all the goods told us we should get our swag before Thanksgiving. I’m VERY happy about that. Gonna be watching out for the sexy FedEx guy now. Yet another thrill to look forward to! Yeehaw!

~~Becka
http://www.rebeccagoings.com/

Yup, it’s “that time” again. I thought and thought who could possibly be my hottie this week? Didn’t do too much TV watching, other than watch shows I’ve already featured Hotties on. LOL So this week, I turned to music. By now, it’s pretty obvious I listen mostly to Christian music. I’m sure you know I’ve featured Chris Tomlin and Michael W. Smith as two of my previous Hotties. Welp, I’ve got another obsession. Who is he? Mr. Lincoln Brewster.

This guy sings such great songs! In fact, you can hear some of them yourself if you visit his MySpace page. http://www.myspace.com/lincolnbrewster All the songs featured are favorites of mine. He’s frequently played on the radio station I listen to, 104.1 The Fish here in Portland.

Isn’t he a cutie?? He’s 36, and I love his voice. His energy is amazing as well. In fact, I’m not one to really go for live albums, but I believe his live album, “All To You…Live” is one of his best. I LOVE the songs “You Are Good” and “Majestic”.

If you don’t mind listening to songs about GOD, give Lincoln a try. You might realise you’ve already sung one of his songs in church. The non-denominational churches, such as Calvary Chapel, love to sing Lincoln’s songs along with Chris Tomlin’s songs, during their worship music, before the sermons.

Congratulations, Lincoln Brewster. You’re Becka’s Hottie of the Week!

~~Becka
http://www.rebeccagoings.com/

Heh, nothing to write home about, but I thought I would blog about this. LOL I won a writing prompt (along with two other “contestants”) on www.Gather.com . Totally unofficial, held by just a member to flex your writing muscle. I hadn’t actually done a writing prompt in forever and a day, but since two successful novellas of mine were borne of writing prompts of Christmas past (ON EAGLE’S WINGS & UNDERNEATH THE MISTLETOE), I thought I would give it a shot. There’s nothing “special” for the win, just fortune and glory. *g*

Here’s my winning entry. The prompt was 200 words MAX, the subject was “Tears & Yellow Cake”. The sky was the limit in theme, so of course, I did historical western.

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977170126

~*~*~

“It’s the least I can do, Nate.” Marybeth placed a thick slice of yellow cake on the table in front of the handsome Texas Ranger.

“It was nothin’ ma’am,” he drawled, taking a bite. “Any man woulda done the same. Wasn’t about to leave a pretty little thing like you on the side of the road after bein’ thrown by her horse.”

Marybeth blushed hotly at the memory of his hands as he’d examined her body shortly thereafter, making sure nothing was broken. After all the tears she’d cried when her husband left, Marybeth never thought she’d feel this way about a man again. Nate’s blue eyes twinkled at her as he finished his cake. His mouth lifted into an alluring grin as the silence stretched on.

“I…I just don’t know how to ride very well, is all,” she said past the lump in her throat.

“Need some lessons, sugar?” Nate stood and winked. His tone made her wonder if he was still talking about horses.

“I…I…”

Nate dusted off his hat and plopped it on her head. “Return it. Tomorrow night, eight p.m. You know the Goldrush Inn?”

“Y-yes.”

His smile stopped her heart. “I’ll be there.”

~*~*~

I only felt slightly guilty entering the prompt at all amongst unpublished authors. But it was fun to just write a small scene with no story surrounding it.

~~Becka
http://www.RebeccaGoings.com

On this week’s episode of “Becka’s All Talk”, watch as the writer cringes whenever NaNoWriMo is mentioned, quipping, “NaNoWHATmo?” Marvel as Becka finally admits she has more on her plate than she wants you to believe, and gasp in horror as Becka breaks book deadlines left and right.

See for yourself what everyone is talking about. You do NOT want to miss it.

Becka’s All Talk, tonight on FOX. Check your local listings.

~*~*~

Gah, ever feel like you’re life is under a microscope? Or at least, your work. No matter what you do, you’ll never please all the people all the time. This year, I’ve had a heck of a time juggling writing with my personal life, and wouldn’t you know it, 2007 has turned out to be my busiest year as an author to date.

Murphy’s Law #5,671: Success will wait for your personal life to go insane before finally taking effect.

Let this be a lesson to all you aspiring authors. Write one book at a time. That’s all you can do anyway. Otherwise, you risk becoming like me, tearing your hair out because there’s no way in hell you can clean toilets, do laundry, plan dinner, do karate, promote and write all at the same time. I do have four kids, but they’re young yet, 8, 7, 6, & 4, so the amount of chores they can do is weighed against exactly how well they can do them. They do their own laundry from start to finish, so that’s a BIG bonus. They help out as much as they can, because they love helping out. They’re good kids.

But regarding the topic of this post… Yeah, I’m not doing NaNoWriMo. Ain’t no way unless I suddenly chucked homeschooling out the window along with chores, errands, and family time (and that ain’t happenin’). And missing one deadline early on this year (in April) acted like a domino effect for all my other projects. Now, I’m racing to finish two books before the end of the year (The Vampire Oracle: TOMB and ONCE A DREAMER) and I’m feeling the burn. Good news is, I have 11K out of 15K on TOMB, so I’m in the home stretch.

Wish me luck, folks, I’m going in.

~~Becka
http://www.rebeccagoings.com/

Jareth Moreland’s story of redemption has been a long time coming. Years. Literally. Well, your wait is over. HEARTS UNBOUND is available TODAY! Go out and buy yourself a copy, kick back, and enjoy!

~~Becka
http://www.RebeccaGoings.com

The book pictured above has got to be one of THE BEST canning books I’ve ever taken the time to crack open. If you’ve ever wondered how to can, or wanted some great new recipes or things to can, get this book. A friend of mine bought this for me for my birthday, and it’s one of the best gifts I received. In fact, DH made fun of me once because I was reading through it like a novel. Literally every word on every page.

For whatever reason, the idea of canning and preserving fascinates me. Probably for the “you can do that?!” factor. The idea of having food you made yourself tucked away for a rainy day or for gift ideas makes me giddy. I’m sure a lot of it stems from the fact that my children eat PB&J on a daily basis. I mix things up a bit here and there, but for the most part, I’m darn thankful none of my spawn have a peanut allergy. So making my own jam appeals to me, because my family goes through it by the bucketload.

Especially now, when I’ve been trying to back off cereal every morning for my kids’ breakfast, as an 8oz box costs like $5.00 now, and if you’re lucky, you can find a gallon of milk for under $3.00. Family of four, 365 mornings a year – you do the math. GACK! So I’ve been playing with other breakfast foods, from toast to English muffins to Eggo waffles to oatmeal, instant AND old skool. Problem is, most all of the above takes – you guessed it – jam.

You see, my DH hates the corn syrupy…syrup. He must have pure maple syrup. Problem is, I gotta sell a kidney on the black market to buy a big jug of it. Ain’t no way I can afford to let the kids slop on the “good stuff” for their Eggos every morning. And I simply cannot justify buying Log Cabin or Mrs. Butterworths, not necessarily due to my husband’s severe aversion, but to horrid flashbacks of my own childhood. LOL Not a pretty sight. Where was I? Oh yes. So the kids put jam on their waffles along with their toast and muffins. Not so much in the oatmeal, however, I don’t think that would suck…

My point is, being able to make my own jam kicks @$$. And not just any ol’ “jam”. Strawberry*blah* *grape*blah*… I found this awesome recipe in the book pictured above for something called “Bumbleberry Jam”, a mix of strawberry, raspberry, & blueberry, which I’m going to make this week. I’ll let you know if it’s any good. It even says you can make jam with frozen fruit, not just strictly fresh fruit, like your grandma would like you to think. Probably doesn’t taste freshly picked off the tree and/or vine, but WTH, it’s going into winter, folks, and my canning craze didn’t end on the last day of summer.

Top this all off with the fact that I now desperately want a food dehydrator for Christmas. One of our friends came over with a bag of homemade jerky and Oh. My. Gawd. That stuff was the shizzy! And just think of everything you could do besides jerky, you could dry your own fruits and have healthy fruit chips or raisins or any ol’ thing you could dry out and eat!

I think a lot of this “do it yourself” mentality comes from wanting to save some money as well. I mean, a lot of this stuff is infinitely cheaper than the grocery store-bought items, especially any jerky you might make. The meat alone you can buy in the meat department and have umpteen batches for what you pay for one bag of jerky. What are they, like $6.99 these days? Not to mention how expensive are banana chips? Like $3.50 a bag that holds “maybe” three bananas worth of chips? I can get like two or three bunches of bananas for that price. Probably even cheaper if I go to Costco.

And before I end this post, I’ve just gotta say that my hands are killing me. Literally. I’m dying. They’ve been hurting since yesterday, along with a few aches and pains in the joint areas I’ve hurt over the years. Especially the arch of my left foot. What’s up with that? I don’t think I ever injured that foot… lol But my hands, dear Gawd… In another 33 years, my body is going to HATE me. *sob* There’s no doubt in my mind I’m going to get carpal tunnel and arthritis.

Better write all my books NOW, while I still can. lol

~~Becka

http://www.rebeccagoings.com/