Category Archives: Events

Things I Would Rather Be Doing (Assuming the Weather Was Nice Enough for Weather Dependent Activities)

  • Reading a good book
  • Visiting family
  • Watching Survivor
  • Sitting around a campfire
  • Making s’mores
  • Eating s’mores
  • Walking in the sunshine along the river
  • Wilderness camping
  • Writing & editing a novel
  • Binge-watching home shows like Flip or Flop, Love It or List It, Desert Flippers
  • Getting a pedicure
  • Getting a massage
  • Decorating a Christmas tree
  • Planning parties
  • Eating stuffed crust pizza

Things I Absolutely Wanted to Do Since I Was a Child and Have Done as an Adult

  • Go to the top of the Empire State Building
  • Visit the Redwoods Forest
  • Swim in the ocean in the Cayman Islands
  • Swim in the ocean in Hawaii
  • Go on a vacation without worrying about how much money I spent (Because I knew I had enough, not because I’m an idiot.)
  • Take random road trips at the spur of the moment
Swimming at Grand Cayman

Characters in the new murder mystery dinner party I’ve written

  • Sir Yale Kristof Oratorio – Winner of 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award~~Hollywood Producer and Director Sir Yale Kristof Oratorio is one of the most feared and revered persons in the Industry. He is known for his obsessive commitment to excellence and tyrannical control of the minutest details not just in his movies but on the entire film set. Rumor says he once ordered a caterer to be executed for failing to provide enough sesame seeds on his bagel. Nobody actually killed the guy, but he never catered in Hollywood again. His latest movie, Try & Die 5: Keep on Trying, hit number one the first weekend it was released and stayed there for three weeks, pushing his lifetime earnings well over a billion dollars and already garnering Oscar buzz. Sir Yale has hinted that the movie he currently has in production will be the pinnacle of his success and his farewell gift to the industry before he retires.
  • Alison Andretti – Top female director and producer in the U.S., Alison is known for being fast talking, hard working, tough as nails, but with a soft heart. Her most recent film, To Bridge The Space Between Us, was the movie that knocked Try & Die 5 out of the top spot. Alison is quickly making her way to the top of a very male dominated industry and not everyone likes that. But she has a quick smile and has always said that her motto is “Kill them with kindness”.
  • Craig Daniels – The star of the Try & Die movie franchise, Craig Daniels is everything a movie super spy should be. He’s suave, cultured, and can kill with more than just his looks. Although he had some success in years past, it was his breakout performance in the first Try & Die that garnered him a People’s Choice Award, which was followed up by an Oscar for Try & Die 2, Try A Little Harder, and nominations for each film since.
  • Dexter Mascherada – This self-made studio mogul learned Hollywood from the ground up and knows every facet of the industry, plus he is good to the people who work for him. This has made him one of the most popular directors in Hollywood over the last decade. Known for the lavish spreads he insists upon for his cast and crew, and extravagant gifts for his movie stars, Dexter is the epitome of the hard working, down to earth guy who happens to be a millionaire.
  • Ephraim Joaquin – Although he was raised in Southern California, Ephraim prefers to play up his international heritage to demonstrate how worldly, sophisticated, and intelligent he is. His striking good looks carry most of his movies, as the large majority of them are done in Hebrew or Yiddish with English subtitles, something he has the luxury of doing thanks to his earnings and Oscar for his first English speaking role in The Silence Speaks a Thousand Words.
  • Fiona Plie – From Broadway to Hollywood, Fiona has danced her way into the hearts of movie viewers everywhere. Her lithe and nimble steps and classic beauty belie the steely will that has forged her career. With a body as strong and flexible as her mind, Fiona is known for doing all of her own stunts, even going as far as learning martial arts to star in Sir Yale’s 2010 action flick Backlash Baby.
  • Gracie Encanta – Considered by many to be a modern day Marilyn, Gracie has long been type-cast as the ditzy bombshell, a role which she doesn’t seem to mind. She’s beautiful, flirtatious, and not above using her charm to get the things she wants. Her string of ex-personal assistants tell a different story though, of a dark fury hidden behind her stunning looks. And Sir Yale once hinted that he fired her from his movie Crazy Daizey when she proved too crazy for his standards.
  • Heather Sunshine – Heather inherited her fortune when both hippy-minded parents died in a tragic tuba accident on the set of Band of Misfits, one of Sir Yale’s first directorial attempts. Although he never claimed responsibility, the director made sure that Heather would never need to worry about money after that. Since then Heather has found a permanent place in Hollywood’s society where she considers herself “an influencer with a conscious”.
  • Ison Yu – Celebrity blogger and professional gossip Ison Yu makes his living by turning up the secrets stars don’t want revealed. Some celebrities hate him for this, but enough of them try to ingratiate themselves to him that Ison is able to keep tabs on much of the Hollywood scene. He often shows up at celebrity events, movie sets, and even private gatherings without an invitation, knowing that most people won’t question him.
  • Jennifer Goodhouse – She’s everyone’s favorite girl next door. An actress from childhood, Jen has grown up filming Sir Yale’s action comedy movie franchise Dandy Candy. The latest (and rumored to be last) installment, Dandy Candy 8: Gumballs of Steel, did poorly in the theater but Jennifer didn’t let it get her down. She went on to star as Craig Daniels’ love interest in Try & Die 4: Try, Try Again which got her an Oscar nomination and a star on the Walk of Fame.
  • Steven Sebold – Reality TV host Steven Sebold has spent the last year trying to make the leap onto the Silver Screen but has so far only landed small parts, and all of them thanks to his family connection to Sir Yale. His youthful good looks and boyish charm make it difficult for fans to take him seriously in roles such as “Rich Cousin #1” in Try & Die 3: Try As I Might. However, rumor is that Steven is up for a part in Alison Andretti’s upcoming film Softly Rings the Workman’s Hammer.
  • Tony Zamboni – Hollywood producer Tony Zamboni is brusque, fast talking, and Italian to the core. His quirky superstitions, (for example, he insists on eating spaghetti with gravy and wearing checkered socks to bed before every opening night,) keep the general public thinking of him as fun-loving. But those who work closely with him will tell you that Tony is ruthless and calculating, with a heart as cold as ice.
  • Valentina Vergucci – Fashion designer to the stars, Valentina has dressed all the hottest celebrities. She is known for her use of flamboyant colors and unusual fabrics, such as the orange burlap dress that Heather Sunshine wore to the Golden Globes last year. Valentina got her start designing costumes and hit gold when she won a design Oscar for Sir Yale’s 1930s period piece Canary College. For good or bad, her crazy looks for the red carpet are here to stay.

Good Things Happening In August in the QCA

  • 4th – English Channel Swim Challenge awards & speaker
  • 4th & 5th – Yard Sale for Haiti
  • 7th – Zapdos raids begin in Pokemon Go
  • 10th-12th – Tug Fest – Tug of War across the Mississippi River
  • 11th – Tug Fest parade & fireworks — Rumble Over the River
  • 12th – Family GaGa Ball Tournament
  • 19th – Dinner with my Trivia team
  • 20th – Updating Red Cross Lifeguard Instructor water skills meeting
  • 26th – HyVee Family Health Fair
  • 27th – Aquatic Staff Picnic & Meeting

 

Tugging for Iowa

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

  • Thunderstorms
  • Beaches
  • Book stores
  • The Legend of Zelda
  • Warm sunshine
  • Cabins in the mountains
  • Fresh oranges
  • Dinner with family and/or friends
  • Reality TV
  • Office supplies
  • Sharpies
  • Unlimited data on my cell phone
  • Caramel
  • Walking along the river
  • My birthday (in a couple weeks!)
  • Traveling
  • Laughing so hard my stomach hurts