Girly Girl by Author Kristin Billerbeck

The Bachelorette Meets the Families

I’m sorry.  I’m sorry my state is so full of weirdos.  Yes, we had the people with the dead dove funeral last season, but we also gave you the folk-singing psychobabble parents last night.  Maybe it’s because I just watched the Hitchcock festival, but did anyone else hear Psycho music when Kiptyn’s mother watched them in the hot tub?  I forwarded through the Carmel family.  Seriously, I would have thought I would have put up with a lot to live in Carmel, but nope, not that much.  Jesse’s brother seriously reminded me of an Owen Wilson character.

 

Seriously, I love Kiptyn, but I could not overcome his family.  Not even for a beach view would I marry into that mess.  I’m sure they’re very nice people, I’ve just made it a vow of mine not to get involved with people who break out the instruments (or for that matter, dance) with company.  Maybe my world is a bit small, but I don’t know, you’re going to be on television for the whole world to see, is singing a song without a tune how you want to make your debut?  I assumed the guy has colleagues.  San Diego is its own kind of place though.

 

 

Michael’s family seemed very sweet and didn’t it break your heart that he got sent home all fresh-faced and in pain?  Poor baby, one of you single gals out there, he’s a good catch I think.  He probably won’t ever be rich, but you will never be poor with a man who has a heart like that. 

 

I liked Reid’s family the best and it’s clear they have great chemistry.  We didn’t see any of Reid’s weird cleanliness thing, and his family was surprised by his emotion with her, which is both good and bad.  What if it dies as soon as he’s “got” her?  If he’s not an affectionate sort?  What if he can’t kiss her until she’s showered and brushed her teeth?  Just saying, something to watch for?

 

I was also thrilled to see Ed.  Even though Ed is different, there’s something I really like about him.  He’s warm and I think he’d make great husband material.  I do worry he’s not “exciting” enough for her.  But you know, I’d be happy with Ed.  I’d bet you’d have a great plasma TV and a comfortable sofa with Ed.  Not much more you need in life.  LOL

(I’m kidding, please don’t send me more sermons.)

 

Finally, I come to Wes and the ridiculous fiasco that is his drama.  First off, I am really hoping that this is a produced section and Jillian is not that stupid.  Second, I have a theory.  I think that men who grow up around all women have an underlying anti-woman stance that comes out in awful ways.  Case in point: Tom Cruise.  And now: Wes.  I think Wes’s mommy, like Jillian, sees what she wants to see in her son.  He’s learned the language of telling women what they want to hear as a commodity, but you know, he doesn’t even use it well.  He doesn’t look you in the eye, girlfriend.  He’s shifty.  Please tell me you see that, just a little bit? 

 

I cannot take guys with drama.  He’s his own soap opera.  And Laurel, if you’re out there, this is your ticket to freedom.  TAKE IT!!  And if you Texas girls aren’t running to soothe Jake’s broken heart, well, I really don’t know what’s wrong with you.

Devotional Winners

Okay, here are the big winners, drum roll please.  And I have to change my system, because Elle is totally reading, and she is swayed oh so mightily by the rampant use of her name, and naturally, the smart reader who wants HER to sign the book. 

Winners: Heather, Stephanie and Lisa -- I will email you for your info.  : ) 

Oh my gosh, Elle has all my worst traits.  I have to love her.  She is me in cute, blonde format and she's smarter than me. Here she is with my cousin's daughter Kylie.  Oh my goodness, I love seeing my cousin's little girl.  She looks just like him as a child (he's like my brother) with long hair and this angelic face.  But she has that same swagger my cousin had (he once got in trouble for running football pools in the third grade or something like that.  LOL)  And now...Kylie is here to humble him.

Narcissism Kills!

Okay, let it be known that I cannot stand, I mean, abhor Michael Jackson's father, Joe Jackson.  I think he is an abusive narcissist whose love of money, drove his family into madness.  If anyone doubts that man is head of the family, take a look at that one and see what a bad one leads to.

So Joe Jackson and his wife have filed for custody of Michael's three children.  Okay, GRANDMA???  You had your chance to screw up five kids by your pathetic clinging to a narcissist at the expense of your children, you've had your shot, leave these kids alone!  Seriously, I pray that Michael died BROKE so those kids can get the love they deserve and no one takes them for their money.  http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/29/michael.jackson/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

Seriously, what has money gotten that family, but pain and bad plastic surgery?  What is this quest for money about?  Why, do we as a society, continue to believe money will make us happy?  If that's true, why was poor Michael on a mix of anti-depressants and pain killers?  I just pray these kids don't have more of their childhood stolen from them.  Their daddy is gone, and I cannot believe Michael would want his father raising them.  I do hope he's left a good solid will.  Not that Joe won't find himself a dirty lawyer.  Sigh.  I hate what money does to people.

If anyone doubts my speculation about Joe Jackson, just watch this video two days after his son died.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7im37UtGHkA

Hitchcock

I am a HUGE Hitchcock fan.  One of my very favorite movies, with my very favorite screen kiss is "Notorious" with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman.  You know, I was thinking, this is basically the story of Hosea or "Redeeming Love" and when Alecia says, "Why can't you believe in me, Dev?  Just a little?"  Oh my gosh, the emotion between the two actors, you can hardly believe it's acting!  So good.  Anyway, interestingly, since this is my favorite on-screen kiss (the one near the cellar -- so hot!) I learned that they could kiss onscreen for no more than 4 seconds at a time, so Hitchcock created this series of kisses and inserted all this passion in between, and I think the results are worse (better!) than if they'd just let them kiss it out.  LOL  Rules work, I guess.

Next up:  "Rear Window"  I love this one because Hitchcock lets your imagination do all the work.  It is SOO scary, but mostly in your own head.  I love that kind of scary.  I am not a big Grace Kelly fan though, so I have to work through her parts.  I find her character unbelievable too, but I guess Jimmy Stewart as an "Indiana Jones" type photographer isn't all that real either.  Still, great movie!

"Psycho" up next.  Honestly, I think this one is scary because of Norman Bates.  Man, that actor gives me chills just looking at him.  He is not someone you want to meet in a dark alley. 

Which brings me to a point, and yes, I do have one.  I do not get the thrill of a slasher movie.  Never have.  To me, they're like that scene in the Holy Grail where they cut the guy's limbs off, and blood is shooting out as he, a mere stump, yells threats.  I need the psychology of the scary to work.  Hitchcock was a master at that.  In "Rear Window" he makes eye contact frightening, in "Notorious" he makes a dwindling champagne bottle count scary.  Sigh.  I want to be Hitchcock when I grow up.  I want to make the little things matter in fiction.

One Open House down...

One more to go, tomorrow.  You know, this is my home, and I'm a little tired of people traipsing through it.  It's over 100 degrees today, and I'm stuck outside with the dog.  Yes, I get that it's part of the pain of selling a house, but it's doubly bad when you don't want to sell it.  Truthfully, I don't care if people have complaints about it, hey, go buy somewhere else, you don't deserve this house.  That's how I really feel. 

Of course, I may be less cocky if it hasn't sold in a few months.  It's only been on the market for four days.  If I'm this annoyed now, can you imagine?  We did a good thing today though, we went through Dave Ramsey's "irregular income" schedule, and it was really great for prioritizing what gets paid.  You wouldn't believe this, but housing comes before handbags!!  

It appears we can live on a lot less.  Go figure!  The cash thing I'm still getting used to.  I don't like carrying cash.  In fact, I'm lucky if I have three bucks on my person at any given moment.  I have $100 in Starbucks gift certificates, so I'm set for awhile in case we come to a place where I actually have to pony up money for the mortgage.  

Anyhoo, this motivates me to work, because I would love to tell all these folks to take a hike, Kristin is paying the mortgage!  

Win a Great New Devotional!

Leave a comment to win a signed (by me only, sorry, don't have any pull with Macomber LOL) of "Pearl Girls™; encountering grit, experiencing grace," a great new devotional compilation by Margaret McSweeney with entries by Shaunti Feldhahn, Melody Carlson, Debbie Macomber, Maureen Lang, Trish Perry, Camy Tang, Elizabeth Musser, Robin Jones Gunn, Mary DeMuth, myself and many, many more.  This book is so inspiring because it has deep, personal stories from the authors' lives and their faith journey.  I highly encourage you to pick up a copy if you don't win one because it benefits women!  But I'm giving away two copies, so leave me a comment and Elle, my main woman will pick a winner.  Kristin

Finally!!

There is a woman smart enough to avoid standing dutifully behind her completely narcissistic/hypocritical husband.  Bravo Jenny Sanford!  For saying, "Dude, you are on your own."  

Seriously, where is the humility in our leaders?  Isn't there one man who can stand up and actually believe what he says?  Who isn't just putting on an act or saying, hey, you do this instead of me?  Is Sanford/Spitzer/Edwards/Ensign the best we can do?  Seriously, put those names alongside Churchill, Washington and Lincoln (whose wife was friggin crazy) and ask yourself, why do we think so little of ourselves as to elect these poser politicians?  Oh,I can have good hair and say I'm all about family values.  Oooh I can be monumentally rich and talk about the poor.  

We have nothing left to fight for, it seems.  As long as people are fat and happy and apparently, well taken care of in the bedroom, there is no such things as morals or absolutes.  Unless it's YOU we're talking about.  Not me.  I'm special.  

Anyway, Jenny Sanford, Bravo to you, for showing your boys that you can't treat a woman like that and come home for dinner.  What happens in Argentina should stay in Argentina, so book your flight Poindexter.

Oh my goodness, how precious...

The Marines are getting a new bulldog mascot, and he's going to bootcamp.  How cute is this?

I gave in...

I got Bravo again.  Or as my kids call it, "Mom's gay channel".  LOL  So I got to watch "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" finale.  Seriously, that show is too high drama for me.  Angsty. I have too much stress in my life to take in a dose of extra crazy for entertainment.  Angry women with too much time on their hands, and that Caroline scares the daylights out of me.  Idle hands.  Yeah, God wasn't kidding about that, huh?  Truthfully, as an Italian, I take no credit for them whatsoever.  It is not normal behavior to threaten people, and accuse and search people's background.  This kind of reality TV does nothing for the world, not that the Bachelorette is solving International crises or anything, but it might if Canada took Wes.  I'm still offering...

We've had so many showings on the house already, so I was feeling the need to chill, hence the cable upgrade.  I wanted my "Clean House" back, my AMC for old movies, my Bravo for all things I shouldn't watch.  It's my escape.  It's so weird to live in your own house, but it's not really your house.  You don't want to cook anything Indian or too Italian as to smell up the house.  You don't want to bake because sifting the flour is messy on the black granite, I have to close up my desk every time I finish working.  So I am praying for a quick offer, so we can get out from under the delusion this is "our" house.  

I had a great talk with my editor on "Walking on Water" and I think we are finally understanding one another, or I'm understanding them, whichever is appropriate.  Either way, I think I will be able to make changes/fixes and get that baby back on the publishing schedule.  That will be such a great foray into the next realm of life.  

On another note, "Pearl Girls" a great new Devotional from top authors like Debbie Macomber, Shaunti Feldhahn (whose entry is just fabulous and so timely for us right now!), Camy Tang, Robin Jones Gunn and many more including myself.  It is really an amazing thing to get to read these entries from all these different Christian lives and lessons learned.  Well worth investing in, I think.  It's for a great cause as well. All profits will benefit a women's safe house in Chicago's suburbs and women and children affected by AIDS in Africa.  Go to compiler, Margaret McSweeney's site for more information:  http://margaretmcsweeney.com/

Watching Michael Jackson clips now.  Dang, that guy rocked.  

  

So SAD!!

I was downstairs and hearing Michael Jackson collapsed.  Just by the way they were talking I knew he was dead, and they couldn't release it, so I came upstairs to check the London paper, where they'll release anything, and they're reporting he has died.

It's the end of an era.  SOO sad that he never found peace in all his success.  Join me in praying for his family.