August 18th, 2007 by Kateastrophe
Howdy all. Just a quick note to tell you that SOS Installment #3 is actually going to be posted on SUNDAY, Pacific Time due to several conflicts taking place today. I won’t be home until late tonight to post, so some of you will have to wait until Sunday morning. Sorry about that!
It doesn’t mean I don’t love you all dearly!
August 14th, 2007 by Kateastrophe
So um, after traveling like crazy and having late, late, late flights (even later than I thought last time I posted about it.) I came back to a house that HAS to sell in the next six weeks, a new house that will be done in six weeks, a huge party to throw for work and a bunch of other crrrrrap.
So I’m once again apologizing to all of you and telling you that I won’t be posting frequently for a while. I suck.
Installment #3 of Soap Opera Sunday is, however, pre-written, so I promise not to let you down there.
Thanks for your patience. Have a lovely day.
August 12th, 2007 by Kateastrophe
It’s that time again! Soap Opera Sunday is in full swing and Brillig and I are loving how many of you are getting involved! Sorry that our button isn’t ready, that’s my bad (sort of.) but I promise it will arrive soon in all it’s glory!
This is installment #2 of my favorite high school soap opera, so if you need to catch up and read #1, it’s located here.
And now, the saga continues . . .
————————–
Laine had never been with me to my grandparents house. It is my happy place, my paradise. They have a large diving pool, an in ground hot tub and gorgeous landscaping in the large backyard. My grandmother is an interior designer and the house is decorated to perfection. Hermie, their full time housekeeper is and excellent cook and we had amazing meals every day. My favorite room is the guest bedroom, which is all pink and white with the two most comfortable twin sized beds in history. Sleeping in there is like waking up in a pink, lacy dream. From the first day Laine arrived we knew we were in for the summer of our lives. Gorgeous, sunny
Now, I should probably tell you a little bit about Laine.
Laine was always the gorgeous friend. With her thick dark hair, gorgeous huge green eyes and high cheekbones, she had won some modeling competitions and seemed to have a large flock of male followers wherever she went. We had a joke in our group of friends that whenever we met a group of guys, we always introduced Laine as “the taken one” even if she wasn’t, because if we didn’t, pretty soon most of the guys were fighting over Laine. Now, looking back, I realize this was a bit of an over exaggeration. We all had our fair share of male suitors. Laine just always seemed to have one or more on the verge of obsession, and whenever one was shooed away or took off, another was never far behind. There had also been several instances of stolen boyfriends. So basically, Laine was perfect and gorgeous and she was spending the summer with me and my perfect boy. Does anyone else feel impending DOOM? No? Well, if so you are smarter than I, because I didn’t. Stupid, stupid Kate.
We were having the time of our lives. My grandmother had pretty much given us unlimited use of her sweet car (Volvo station wagon baby! But it was new, leather and had a sunroof! Woot!). I was sixteen, Laine was seventeen, we were hot and we knew it. That’s all we needed. We drove back and forth between
Now, not to forget Jason, the dark haired, green eyed soccer playing god from EFY. I had his number and we had plans to get together in a week or so.
As luck would have it, on Laine’s third day in
From that day on, Jason, Laine and I did something together almost every day. There were other meetings with other hot boys mixed between (other stories for other days) but Jason really consumed most of our time. We met his family, met his best friend (intended as a set up for Laine), went on sailing excursions, went and toured his office, went out to dinner again and again and again. I sat in the front seat with him when he drove. We sat next to each other at dinner. He asked me when we could be alone, we hugged and snuggled and did things like that . . . I was gaga for the guy, and from every indication, he felt the same way.
BUT.
I was totally oblivious to what was going on around me.
He had fallen in love with Laine, and she with him. And, as I was the vehicle and enabler keeping them together, they had no intention of ever telling me. So letting me believe he was gaga for me too was the best way to keep them together.
————————–
Now, the fun part of Soap Opera Sunday! Other people’s soapy stories!!
Here is the list of our participants for the week:
If you’re participating this week, PLEASE remember to link your post back to me and my fellow conspirator Brillig so that your readers can find the whole soapy list! Rules are here if you wanna play too!!
August 12th, 2007 by Kateastrophe
Yeah, um, so I pre-wrote my Soap Opera Sunday for this week KNOWING I would be out of town and knowing I wouldn’t have time to write it. I’m so clever.
I forgot to factor in the absolutely annoying fact that my mother does not have wireless internet. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to move the freaking computer hutch in an attempt to plug my laptop in. So I’m trying to figure out a solution for posting my saga without a)having to do any heavy lifting and b)having to re-type the story from my laptop screen. Because I’m lazy like that.
So . . . I will figure out a way to make it happen and I promise to get it posted for you ASAP.
Don’t forget to tell me if you’re writing a SOS and also, don’t forget to follow the rules and link back to Brillig and I so your readers can find the other great stories.
Kisses and hugs and thanks for the patience.
August 9th, 2007 by Kateastrophe
So, apparently there’s some big-ace storm that hit the east coast and all the planes are either cancelled or delayed. Luckily, I am on the delayed end of the spectrum rather than the cancelled end, but either way, I’m stuck at the airport.
I have no real reason to post, no true coherent thoughts, but I thought I would pass the time by posting.
So, we all know I live in Phoenix, the hottest freaking place in the US. I was in DC this week for work, and while I realize the area gets very humid in the summer time, the temperature isn’t usually unbearable. I was looking forward to a much needed break from the heat.
I must be cursed. Because this week in Phoenix, it apparently barely rose about 101 and 25% humidity. This week in DC? Where I was in stead of Phoenix? Oh yeah, 102 with like EIGHT MILLION PERCENT HUMIDITY. I felt like I was stuck in Hell’s sauna. Seriously. I usually love me a little humidity and what it does for my hair and skin. This morning, while trying to see some sights, I was basically a giant walking ball of sweaty stickiness. I was DRENCHED from head to toe. I was, naturally, walking everywhere and I started to notice that if I stopped walking for any reason other than to enter an air conditioned building, I could feel the heat throbbing through my body. So, I just.kept.walking. Forever, it felt like. However, it was totally worth it.
I’ve never been to DC, despite flying into Baltimore at least once a year for the past ten years to visit my Dad and Step-mother. In spite of the horrendous weather (and now horrible airport conditions) I LOVE DC. I love pretty much everything about it. I love the beautiful green parks. I love the way the city is situated. Most of all, I love the history and the symbolism of the city. I was in absolute awe all morning while walking around. I’ve traveled quite a bit, and the only other place I have felt this much awe was in Rome. Around every corner was another amazing building or special memorial.
I was lucky that I woke up at the crack of dawn and was able to see most of the amazing things to see without crowds.
I got even luckier and had someone traveling with me who was willing to go to the Washington Monument by 6:00 AM and wait in line for tickets to go to the top. I loved it. LOVED it. I loved the view of the city and how fitting that monument is for the amazing man George Washington was.
I was the ONLY ONE at the top of the stairs at the Lincoln Memorial this morning. It was a pretty special experience, honestly. I have always loved Lincoln and his attitude and persistence, and I’m glad that his memorial is so incredible.
I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the founders of the country as I read the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution and the Bill of Rights. I am in awe of the challenge that those few men took on in order to do what they thought was right for their fellow men and for generations to come.
My favorite part, however, were the war memorials. I have mentioned before that my Step-father Mike, who passed away a few years ago was a Vietnam Vet. I believe I have also mentioned that my brother Sean served for several months in Iraq at the beginning of the war. I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned that my Grandfather is also a Veteran of Korea. I know I’m not alone in my respect for our troops and all they have done and continue to do for our country and I also know I’m not alone in feeling a special bond with any veteran because of my family’s personal sacrifices.
I was very emotional as I walked through the new WWII memorial, which is absolutely amazing. I saw one lone old man, obviously a WWII veteran, sitting on the side of the Field of Stars wiping tears from his eyes. I can’t even imagine what he must have felt to see this amazing memorial to the men and women he served with who did not make it home as he did. There is one star for every 100 people who died. There are 4,000 stars. That is a number of lives lost that I cannot even begin to comprehend.
The Korean War Memorial wasn’t one I had heard much about or seen too many picture of, but I loved it was well. I love the look and feel and felt almost haunted by the faces of the men on the wall behind the bronze statues.
Then, my very last stop of the day, was probably the most special to me due to my relationship with my Step-father. At the Vietnam Veterans Memorial I was again moved, this time to tears, watching a man in his early sixties, wearing a plethora of Vietnam Vet gear, find a name on the wall, step back, and with tears streaming down his face, salute.
I have always been a very patriotic person, a person proud to be an American, but today, I think I changed. Today, I was hot, sweaty and verging on miserable, but I was humbled and grateful and prouder than I have ever been. I loved every minute of my hot sweaty day, and now I sit here in the airport for hours, verging on miserable again, but my heart is swelling with pride for the country I am blessed to have been born in. I am grateful beyond words for so many people sacrificing so much, be it time, energy or even their life, to ensure that we have the freedoms we have.
I didn’t really mean for this post to turn so sappy, but I guess that’s just what happens to me sometimes. And now, I say goodbye, because a small miracle has occurred and my plane has just arrived and I will be boarding soon.
Thanks for putting up with my sappiness! I’ll make it up to you, because the second installment of Soap Opera Sunday is already written and ready to be posted!!
August 5th, 2007 by Kateastrophe
This Soap Opera is going to be a long one, so I’m going to spread it out over a few weeks. Sorry about that, but there’s just too much juicy detail to cram into one blog entry. So here she goes . . .
Every summer in high school, I went to a “church camp” run by the LDS Church Education System. It was (and still is I suppose) called Especially for Youth or “EFY.” It was always great fun, spiritually uplifting and a TOTAL meat market. It was amazing how many kids at this camp aimed to give us spiritual experiences ended up hooking up in like a day. It was insane! My first two years going I met some awesome people and had a wonderful time, but I’d never met any “special” boys. Until year three in
That summer was the first time I think I was . . . appealing to the opposite sex. I had finally outgrown some of my baby fat, learned how to dress a little better and I was having the best summer of my life. I’d just sung with my high school choir at Carnegie Hall and now I was in sunny So.
At this camp the hot boys were EVERYWHERE. I was ironically in a group with my best friend’s boyfriend and all of his friends, and there was one I had an interest in. On the first day I met a beautiful boy named Nathan who I had decided needed to be my boyfriend. I was having a blast with these two boys until I saw HIM.
He was tan, dark, silky haired, dimpled, green eyed god that I just knew I had to marry. He was gorgeous. He had a soccer player’s body, I could just tell. He had a gorgeous, slightly crooked smile. He was beautiful. And I had to have him.
Then, on the third day of camp, he sat next to ME at lunch. I was immediately smitten. He not only played soccer but also football. He had an illustrious engineering internship (while in HIGH SCHOOL!) at JPL and was working on the Mars rover project. This guy was gorgeous, funny, athletic and SMART. And the green eyes . . . oh the eyes. I was madly in love. And he was interested in me! I didn’t know what to do with myself.
Then, the icing on the cake. It turned out that his family lived close to my Grandparents house and better yet, they had a sailboat in the harbor of the town my grandparents actually lived in. And even BETTER than all of that, he was spending tons of time sailing that summer and he wanted to come hang out with ME after EFY was over.
So, while still dabbling in my interest with the other two boys (I mean why put all of your eggs in one basket says me?), I had my sites set on Jason. He was perfect. I loved him. At the last dance we spent most of the night together, dancing with each other and taking pictures. We laughed and made plans for the next month. I was excited for Laine to meet him and he had a friend he wanted to set her up with. It was all perfectly perfect.
The next morning the camp was over. My Grandma arrived to drive me back down the coast to her house and Jason and I exchanged phone numbers, hugged good-bye and made plans to meet about a week later at his boat in
I drove away giddy with excitement, making plans for our summer together in my head. There would be kissing and hugging and snuggling and it was going to be the BEST.SUMMER.EVER.
I should have known it was all too good to be true. But I have always been a little too optimistic and dumb when it comes to romance. Stupid, silly me . . .
………………………………………………..
Now, as promised, the fun part! Other Soap Opera Sunday’s for your reading pleasure! For more soapy fun run and check out:
Fourier Analyst
Brillig the Great
Novembrance
Mimi
Temporary?Insanity
Canadian Flake
Die Without Yourself
Now, if there are more of you who played along, in order for Brillig and I to give you linky-love, you need to make sure to let us know that you played! Send either of us an email, or let us know in our comments somewhere and we’ll make sure you get added to the list! Also, please make sure to link back to us so people can find the rules and find the complete list of participants!
Now, go forth and read!!
Oh, PS, if you need the rules, check out this post.
Smooches!
August 3rd, 2007 by Kateastrophe
Well, I’m about to board a plane to DC, so I don’t have a lot of time, but I wanted to post what is quite possibly my favorite picture of Matt and I to date for my Flashback Friday. My sister took this picture of us at Laguna Beach about a year and a half ago on a gorgeous, slightly rainy/misty day.
What I love most it Matt’s face peeking out from under his hat. Also, anyone who knows Matt knows he pretty much only wears blue plaid button up shirts. This one is his favorite. He calls it the “Go-to” and gets very upset when he can’t find it! His goal is to have a picture taken in the “Go-to” every place we go. Haha. He’s so cute I just want to squeeze him. I’ve been traveling a ton lately and I’ve been missing him terribly. Now I’m off again for ten days and I want to smuggle him into my luggage. But alas, I cannot. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?!?
OH! I must tell you that I’m very excited for my first Soap Opera Sunday. I’m starting on a long saga of drama, betrayal and love! So you MUST come check on Sunday. It’s going to be so fun!
August 1st, 2007 by Kateastrophe
So a while ago my BFF Brill-brill announced that she had Soap Opera Sunday news. I should have said something too. Because together, the two of us have Soap Opera Sunday news!! So listen up, peeps because this is going to be super fun.
First, a little background . . .
Towards the beginning of her illustrious blogging life, Brillig came up with the GENIUS idea to write “Soap Opera Sundays.” See, we all have hilarious/dramatic/crazy stories from our past that are fun to write about, so that’s exactly what she did, and then she gave them a sweet title and now, people line up (theoretically of course) to read her Soap Operas.
Why you ask? Well, almost every time Brillig has posted a Soap Opera Sunday, someone comments or emails her to say that her story reminds them of something that happened to them, etc. Several have even asked her if she minded if they stole her idea. Well, ladies and gentlemen, no stealing necessary! She (and now I as well) is OFFERING it to you! AND! Everyone who participates will get extra linky love and, if this thing goes well, lots of extra traffic too.
Okay. So. Just what do we mean by “Soap Opera”? Well, we’re looking for personal, true stories (though you won’t hear us complaining about exaggerations…) filled with drama, heartbreak, scandal, romance, etc. What we AREN’T looking for is stuff that’s too hot and heavy–please keep it rated PG. Basically, if “throbbing member” is a phrase that I’m likely to find in your story, then Soap Opera Sunday isn’t for you… So, think MELODRAMATIC as opposed to TRASHY. Otherwise, the sky and your past, present, and future are the limit!
So, here’s how it’s gonna work. If you want to participate (and it’s open to anyone!) you will post your own Soap Opera Sunday on your site using our spiffy button (which I am having designed as we speak) and then link back to mine and Brillig’s sites so that anyone who reads your soap opera and wants to read more can readily see who else is playing. Then, in return, once your post is up, you give us your link, which we will add to our own Soap Opera Sunday posts for the week as we receive them. See? You get two free links! Just for playing along!
We’ll do this every week! If you only participate once a month, that’s fine. If you wanna play every single week, that’s great! Your level of involvement is entirely up to you. But every time you post, you get a new link from both of us.
(Putting your post up on Sat. afternoon or evening and letting us know right away is probably your best bet for fast linky-love. Posting on Sunday morning is okay too, but we might be slower about getting your link added…)
This is just the beginning, darlings! Soon, we’ll implement a blogrolling widget and “Who’s the Soapiest?” award!
And YES, this starts THIS WEEK! So start thinking now about what you want to write! (Also, you can, of course, repost something you wrote in the past–We’ve read an awful lot of Soap Operas on your blogs in the past, just without that particular label! It just needs to be reposted and, again, linked to us to be considered.)
Need ideas? Feel free to browse Brillig’s previous Soap Opera Sunday posts or consider these topics:
*First Kiss
*Internet Love
*I liked him/her, they just didn’t like me
*They liked me, I just didn’t like them!
*Love Triangles
*Relationships with Older Men/Women
*Crazy family secrets/drama
Etc! The possibilities are endless!
Brillig and I will soon write up a more concise set of rules, so that we can link to it in the future, but here it is in a nutshell. Woohoo! This is gonna be so fun! We can’t wait to read your stories!
