"The notion that such persons are gay of heart and carefree is curiously untrue. They lead, as a matter of fact, an existence of jumpiness and apprehension. They sit on the edge of the chair of Literature. In the house of Life they have the feeling that they have never taken off their overcoats."
- James Thurber, My Life and Hard Times

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Missing: I once was lost but now I'm found!

I feel like I spent last week in a weird bubble - the bubble of leading the VHS Choir dinner theater. No, I wasn't in charge of the music, but I was in charge of everything else. We did two nights and managed to get people seated, fed, and entertained. Unfortunately, I didn't do anything else (with the exception of writing my column), which is why I can't find the floor of my family room from the clutter and I've got two weeks' worth of laundry looming.

But I'm back now, and I'm going to take a day to relax a little before I jump into taming the chaos, partly because I feel like I've been rode hard and put away wet, but mostly because today's my birthday.

Yes, feel free to raise a glass - you can toast anything you want. If we ever meet, just tell me you wished me well. I share this birthday with one of my favorite writers EVAH, the lovely and talented Erma Bombeck. Erma would have been 82 today, had she lived. She passed away April 22, 1996 from complications due to a kidney transplant.

My kidneys seem to be still firing on all cylinders, and I'm not quite as old. How old am I? Hold your left hand up about a foot from your face, palm forward, fingers separated. Now hold your right hand up to mirror your left hand. Now wiggle your hands back and forth while keeping your arms quiet. What have you got? Jazz hands! Also two-fives. Double nickels. The speed limit on some freeways.

That's right. I'm "jazz hands" old.

So time is ticking, people! I've got to get more written, more published, more sold! Freezer Burn will be released this fall, but in the meantime, Echelon Press has published an anthology, MISSING, to benefit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. I have a story in the mix, "Cleaning up at the Franks," starring my P.I., Peri Minneopa. If you'd like to meet Peri early and support an organization dedicated to finding lost children, order your copy by clicking here.



Before I go, do you have an author or other artist with whom you feel an extra bond, whether it's a shared birthday, or a hometown, or even a food allergy? I'd love to hear from others who feel that special attraction to an artist's work, only to find out later that they share a common bond.

I'd love to stay and chat, but I got stuff ta do!

4 comments:

Diana Black said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Mary Cunningham's is Tuesday and mine is Wednesday. Oh, we February babes are something else, aren't we.

And Erma. I loved her. Still miss her...

And off the top of my head, the thing I share with two of my fav authors is that we all have birthdays within days of each other. You'll have to guess who they are!

Again, HB.

Diana

http://woofersclub.blogspot.com
http://basicblackblogspot.com

Unknown said...

Happy Birthday Gayle. All February people I know are very kind and creative. Im a June baby, so I have a few more months before I have to face my age.
Erma! She was my favorite read. I used to live in Phoenix, and worked just north of Paradise Valley where she resided in 1993-94. I was very sad to hear about her kidney failure. Sad.

Enjoy your day! Do something fun! :) ~ Aggie~
http://nocturnal-intellect.blogspot.com/

Helen Ginger said...

Happy, happy birthday.

What a huge task you took on. You deserve more than just one day in your honor.

Morgan Mandel said...

Hi Gayle,
I bought Missing when I was at Love is Murder. I'll look for your story.

Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com

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