MerrinDonahue.com

I admit it: I’m a tad bit outspoken. Okay, I’m a lot outspoken. I don’t hold back. I’m used to my mouth getting me into trouble occasionally, and I’ve gotten a lot better about biting my tongue. Honestly, I really have. So imagine my surprise when a comment was recently posted to an old entry of mine…..
April 6, 2003
Why?
{excerpt}
On a completely unrelated subject, I stumbled across this tonight, and I am still reeling in horror. Can anyone, anyone at all, please explain why this is okay? I find it to be an insult of the highest order to all things literary. I never thought I’d stumble across a book that I would consider burning, but it appears that one such title exists, after all. To top it off, the illustrious author dedicated the book to none other than the Bard himself. As if this weren’t enough, there’s also one (it’s part of a series!!! called Bard’s Blood—can you feel my pain?) titled A Midsummer Night’s Scream (on a side note: why the hell am I not published yet?). Please put an end to such literary massacres. Help me help you.

posted by Merrin

Then the following comment was left two days ago……

Hi.
It’s the author of the Bard’s Blood books, David Bergantino. If it’s any consolation, the dedication to Shakespeare at the beginning of #1 wasn’t my idea. Didn’t even know it was there until it hit the shelves; I dedicated the book to a friend. That Shakespeare dedication is tacky.

posted by David Bergantino

While I stand behind the message, I should probably point out that I don’t really endorse book burning. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go eat my other foot…..

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Kevin can keep Christmas, because even though it has deep religous significance, it doesn’t come close to the true meaning of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Think about it…..Thanksgiving. Even though I try to be thankful every day for all the blessings in my life, it seems…I don’t know….bigger somehow to have a whole day to reflect on the great things. So here it is: my annual list of things I’m thankful for. Please keep in mind that this is in no way all encompassing.
Today, I’m, thankful for my family. Most especially, I’m thankful for my husband, my mother, my in-laws, and my new niece. Let’s not forget the dogs in this equation, either! I’m doubly thankful that I get to spend the first Thanksgiving ever with my mother and father-in-law, along with my Mom.
I’m thankful for all of my friends, old and new, and those close and those far away. I’m thankful that Tanya is safe for the moment, even if she is in Baghdad. I’m thankful that Allen is happy and doing something he loves (also, it should be noted that I’m WAY thankful that he called me from his flat in London tonight). I’m thankful that Jessica has found her soulmate. I’m thankful that Megan is doing what she loves with her perfect match. I’m thankful that Corey is blessed with two beautiful children. I’m thankful that Courtney had a gorgeous and healthy baby girl (who’s sitting up now!). I’m thankful that Camille and Josh are expecting their first.
Mostly, though, I’m thankful that, at least for right now, everyone I know is happy, healthy, and whole. I’m grateful that I have a roof over my head, food to eat, and people who love me. Those things alone makes me wealthier than 80% of the world’s population.
There’s so much to be thankful for this year. I just wish I had the words and the talent to voice my gratitude.
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

For turkey. That also means that it’s almost time for my annual Thank-A-Thon. I’m working on it right now, but this year I have so much to be thankful for that it will be a while before it’s finished.
Lots and lots on the agenda today: Run and get one more bottle of champagne for tomorrow, run to the bank, get ready for another houseguest, mentally beat Allen up for not emailing me the information I need :), grab lunch, and head over to Southlake for a little shopping with my mom and my mother-in-law. Whew! It’s only 8:18, and I’m tired already!

Have a great day, everybody!

Housekeeping. Ugh. Well, at least my house is spotless. I’ve been cleaning for two solid days in preparation for the in-laws, and I’m beat! In keeping with the theme, I also pruned my Blogroll down to a more manageable size.
Lots has been going on this week, and since we’re down to one car for a few days, we’ve had to be really creative with schedules and such. Hopefully, we’ll get Kevin’s car out of the shop today or tomorrow, so that will ease some of the burden.
Does anybody else feel like somebody just hit fast forward on the clock? Thanksgiving is in SIX DAYS. Can anyone hit pause? Anyone? Bueller?

And no time to say it. Between work and getting ready for Thanksgiving, I’m swamped. However, I would like to say thanks to Allen for calling yesterday. You can’t possibly know how much brighter your voice made my day.
Friday is cleaning day, since Kevin’s parents arrive on Saturday. Hopefully, I’ll be able to find some time to post about everything that’s been going on lately. In the meantime, however, in keeping with the spirit of Christmas shopping, I leave you with this. Don’t try this at home, kids.

Wow. We spent the day out shopping for house stuff, and I’m exhausted. This is the first day in almost a week that I’ve felt nearly human, and I’m pretty sure I’ve used up what little energy I had. On a happy note, however, we did manage to get all kinds of goodies for the house. Have you ever noticed that when you finally grow up, your wish list stops being about you (clothes, etc.) and becomes more of what you want to make your life nicer (candles, art)? Sorry, Kev, that means nothing like this.

Apparently, I’m awfully popular when one searches for “new Harry Potter trailer”. In order to satisfy the curiosity of the masses, I thought I’d save you the trouble and let you click here. Courtesy of www.harrypotter.com.

She wounds me. I am jealous.

It was a busy weekend! We’re back, complete with the puppies, and since I slept through the whole flight, I’m rarin’ to go. Now it’s time to do some laundry and start getting things ready for the holidays. Kevin is posting more pix from the weekend shortly, in addition to the ones he added this morning. Check ’em out!

We’re having a fantastic time so far, and we’re just about to head out for Kailey’s christening. She looks fabulous! I told her to enjoy the dress now, ‘cuz girls only get to wear that much fluffy white a couple of times in their lives. We’ll post pictures later, and then you can all see for yourselves what a great job Courtney’s mom did on the dress.
Oh yeah, before I forget. I want to shout out a HUGE thank you to Brian and Courtney for putting us up this weekend! You guys are rock stars, and it’s been SO great to spend time with y’all!

We’re just about to head out for the airport. Tampa and warm weather, here we come!

So, ABC did NOT air the Da Vinci special. So far, I’ve had no response to the email I sent our local affiliate about just exactly when they plan to air it. Didn’t anybody learn anything from NBC a few weeks ago?

ABC is airing this special tonight. Fans of The Da Vinci Code are celebrating all over the country. All over, that is, except in the DFW market. Our local affiliate is choosing, instead, to air Dale Hansen Roasted.
However, the power and the beauty that is Tivo once again prevails, since it seems that the show will indeed air—-at 3:15 tomorrow morning. Thank you Tivo. Networks piss me off.