Happy New Year ya’ll!!! I can’t believe 2006 is behind us–it went so fast! It seems like just yesterday that I was celebrating my 30th birthday. And now my thirtieth year is done and a whole new year awaits. Wow, time really does fly when you’re having fun. 🙂

I’m not a big holiday person, so I don’t do anything big for New Years Eve. Actually, the past five years I’ve started a tradition of celebrating New Year’s alone by reflecting on the previous year, releasing unnecessary baggage (this is usually coupled with pitching things into the fireplace, lol), and setting my goals for the year ahead. A quiet, introspective, spiritual time that I truly cherish. I think the idea of New Year’s Resolutions is a good one, and I like to put a lot of thought into mine. Starting the new year with a clear direction will only help you get to the goal faster…

Looking back on 2006, I can’t deny what a monumental, milestone-filled year it was in my life. I turned 30. I shifted the main focus of my attention to pursuing a career as a writer. I embarked on my life-altering cross country road trip. I welcomed the birth of Isabel Santillan and my first official nephew Devin Anthony Casher. I added another member to my own family by adopting Jayjers. And I started work on my second book. To name a few. Yup, there is no doubt about it – 2006 was hands-down the best year of my life.

I’m trying to make 2007 even better 🙂 I’ve restrategized on the publishing front, and am going to come at this goal from a whole other angle which I’m convinced will increase my chances of success (stay tuned for more on that). I’m systematically ridding myself of all toxic influences (people and substances), and have committed myself to achieving better overall health. And I’m making room for love in my life (for real this time). Yup, my goals for 2007 are simple: Get Published, Get Healthy, Find Love. And not necessarily in that order 😉

Randomly, the final hours of 2006 ended up being just as eventful as the previous year. In an interesting twist of life, I ended up not having to ring in the new year alone after all because the Poet showed up on my doorstep out of the blue a couple of hours before midnight. Crazy, just crazy. Haven’t seen him since Albuquerque and then BAM, there he was, lol. It was nice to catch up and reminisce–the whole thing had a very ‘full circle’ feel to it… He was such a big part (and catalyst) of “the change” this summer, having him there I as did my whole “out with the old” ritual seemed fitting. Though it was also a bit odd cause I happen to be crushing hard on someone else right now too (I know, we should all have my problems, LOL)… But John is family, pure and simple, and it was very good to see him. The rest will sort itself out.

Well, I hope everyone had a very safe and happy new year… I have a good feeling about 2007–I think there is great potential for good things to happen, not just individually, but within the collective. We’re on the verge of a major shift methinks (love that word!), and the forces of war and evil are about to be dethroned in favor of something more… constructive. For the first time in years I’m looking forward and I am inspired, hopeful. Here’s to hoping I can sustain this ridiculous optimism well into the new year 🙂

Ever come up for air in the middle of a week and wish you could magically be transported back to the previous weekend? Yeah, that would be me right about now. I’m coming off a pretty amazing weekend in LA, and would give anything to be back there right now…

Ever since the life-changing road trip, I’ve been trying to satisfy my persistent wanderlust by taking a mini-road trip every few weeks. Last time I stayed close to home, venturing only as far as Big Sur, but this time I decided to head down to Southern California for a writer’s retreat. Great idea–I came home so inspired.

First stop was Irvine, where I got to visit with my beloved bubbly doll Jordana. Quality time with Jordi is always good for my soul, but this time she helped me with some research as well. Jordana is a behaviorial psychologist, and over dinner I interviewed her about some therapist stuff to help me with this chapter I’m working on. Lots of good info and it totally got my juices flowin’ for the rest of the weekend.

I stayed with Jordana Friday night, but got a room in Laguna Hills for Saturday night because history has shown that I write incredibly well in hotel rooms, lol. And after checking in early, I actually did spend the entire afternoon holed up in my room, papers spread all over the bed, editing and writing. It was awesome–I was totally in a zone and got so much done. Nothing feels better to me than creative productivity…

Rounded out my trip by hooking up with another one of my writer friends that I met at the BWRC in Dallas – Mr. James W. Lewis. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again — I love my writer friends 🙂 A chance to commune with another author about the ups and downs of the “bidness” always lifts my spirits and refocuses me, and my visit with J-Dub was well-timed and very good for my soul in that regard. He’s a talented brotha, incredibly good peoples, and I’m proud to call him friend. I swear, ole boy went from colleague to homeskillet in record time! LOL!

Okay, it’s starting to rain and the holidays are right around the corner, so I probably won’t be able to get away again until late-January or February… But the juices are flowing, and I think I can get a lot of writing done over the next few weeks as I’m barricaded in the house… That’s the plan anyway. 🙂

Well, the first four days of December have been 70 degrees and sunny here in Santa Cruz. It’s way strange, but I’m enjoying every second of it 🙂 Santa Cruz, especially in Fall, is one of the most beautiful places in the world. My Sunday bike ride down West Cliff only affirmed this incredibly biased opinion. Spong-e requested that I post pics of the outing on the blog, and I always do my best to accommodate requests from friends (Huh, J-Lew?) 😉

Looking across the Bay towards Monterey…

The lone sailboat on the open seas…

Picture perfect sunset from the outside of my new office at Cowell…

Hope that helped with your nostalgia fix Sponge! I can’t wait to see you, cook, and catch up over a bottle of Bonny Doon’s best Riesling 🙂 And for the rest of you — I got a empty spare bedroom and two kitties who LOVE it when mama has company… So come check out the scenery for yourself before the rain shuts down Highway 17, lol.

So yeah, I know I’m a little late, but Happy Thanksgiving Ya’ll! Or as Poet John would say, ‘Happy “We stole ya land, killed ya fam, and got the rest of you living in utter poverty” DAY!!!’ lol Not that attempted mass extinction of the Native Peoples is a laughing matter, but it is interesting how the origins of some of our Holidays get completely overlooked or sanitized.

I’ve never been big on the Holidays myself. I’m all for a day off work, but I really don’t appreciate society dictating when I should be thankful, celebrate my love for my partner, and buy gifts for all my friends and family. Think about it – the Season of Giving. Everyone is supposed to be charitable from November thru New Years. My question is–why for only two months? Why can’t we be charitable and giving 12 months of the year? And does the mere existence of holidays and holiday rituals let people off the hook from being attentive, loving, and generous the other 360 non-holidays???

Oh well, at least we get a day off work. 😉 Naw, I’m just playin’, there IS a bright side to the Holidays, and I DO have a lot to be thankful for. This has been an incredibly blessed year for me, filled with a lot of love. I don’t feel half as inspired to hate on the holidays as I usually do 😉 The holidays also brings families together, and lately, I’ve really enjoyed our “family times.” I swear, Devin makes family functions so much fun, and we all seem to get along now. Devin is Magic!!! 😉

The Sunday before Thanksgiving we had a pre-Thanksgiving at mom’s house, complete with gumbo and pumpkin cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. This was an awesome day because it was really small, just the “core” family. Sometimes I really miss those times when it was just the five of us, four of us, three of us… Every time you add another person to the mix, the dynamic changes, and while I love those other people, I do get nostalgic for the times when it was just me and the twins… But the family will only get bigger from here on out, as people get married and more babies are born. And I have to admit, watching the onset of the next generation is cool in a really trippy way.

Thanksgiving at Auntie’s was chill and low-key. All the married family members were off with the in-laws, so Bill, Kim and their families were absent. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to not having Bill around on the holidays. It always feel like less of a holiday when he’s not here–I guess after 28 years, you just get used to having folks around 🙂 But we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless, hanging out watching football and being entertained by Big Eric. Now begins the countdown to Christmas, which is going to be historic this year because the Jackson Fam will be coming to Cali for Christmas for the first time EVER! I am so excited that I’m not even going to bother breaking out my Grinch costume this year–between Devin’s first Christmas, a Casher Family Reunion, and a week off work, the holidays are going to be off the chain. Bring it On!!!

So Friday was an awesome day 🙂 I’m hard at work on WHEN LOVE ISN’T ENOUGH, and in the spirit of syncing up with the energies of the Universe, I’m using this Retrograde to do a revision of the first half of WHEN LOVE. In chapter six I set two scenes “on location” — one in Big Sur, and one in Carmel. When I wrote the scenes months ago, I had relied primarily on internet research — I’ve never been to the waterfall in Big Sur that Tony takes Samantha to. But it’s been on my to-do list for awhile to take a field trip, hike to the waterfall, and rewrite the scene to make it more vivid and accurate. Ditto for Carmel.

I had Friday off due to Veteran’s Day (god bless the veterans and their loved ones), and decided to head down to Big Sur and rewrite this chapter already. Great idea. I had the best freakin’ time and it reminded me so much of my road trip! (note to self: plan another road trip) For one day, I got to taste freedom again, and I cherished every second of it. And I got alot of writing done!

I left Santa Cruz around noon (after a quick stop at Target to get the new Sugarland and Keith Urban CDs–reviews to come). The weather was great, and there was barely any traffic. I forget how gorgeous Highway One south of Monterey is. The road is almost completely coastal with breathtaking vistas along every curve.

I was constantly pulling over to snap pictures… I just couldn’t help it — it was so dang pretty!

My first stop was at Limekiln State Park, where I hiked through the forest alongside a roaring creek to a 100 foot waterfall. It was so awesome, I have no idea why I don’t do this more often. Brought my manuscript with me, and literally scribbled notes and sentences while I was hiking. It was too funny. But I wrote some really good stuff out there in the forest, and accomplished exactly what I set out to do.

Next stop was Carmel, where I received even more visual inspiration. I can’t even tell you how much I love this little town. I definitely have to have a house here when I grow up, in addition to the ones in Sedona, Hawaii, and Savannah. I got there right at sunset, and the colors in the sky were just incredible. I’m convinced autumn on the Central Coast hosts the best sunsets… After an adventureful day, it was nice to sit down and enjoy a totally serene moment. So good for my heart, so good for my soul.

(More pics from the journey up on Flickr)

I returned home totally refreshed and inspired. Re-wrote two chapters and even did a little laundry, lol. Folks, do not underestimate the healing power of a day trip. We’re heading into winter, the season of hibernation, where most of us will be homebound due to cold, crappy weather. While you still can, jump in the car, drive somewhere pretty, and have a picnic. Catch a sunset. It dosen’t have to be super-elaborate to be therapeutic. I hear Santa Cruz is a lovely destination this time of year 😉

Well I vented quite a bit during the Primaries in June about whether or not “voting” makes a difference. So much has been so messed up for so long that I really feared our country, under the current leadership, was in an inevitable downward spiral. But I sucked it up and did my duty yesterday anyway, reading up on the propositions and candidates, and turning in my absentee ballot. Listened to the results and predictions pour in during breaks of Dancing with the Stars, lol, and watched with wide-eyed satisfaction as state after state went BLUE.

First of all, this whole red/blue thing is a little out of control. Talk about stereotyping, lol. But that said, it is an apt metaphor for the polarized political landscape of our country. Red became identified with conservative, republican and pro-Bush. Blue seemed to represent the stunned and outraged minority. Well, thank the Lord, the minority is now the majority.

Democrats kicked some serious ass in this election, completely taking over the House, and likely the Senate in a history-making power shift. Folks have woken up! People are paying attention! Hell freaking yeah! The President may finally, finally be held accountable for his poor decision-making, and most importantly, he can be prevented from doing any more damage on his way out the door! This is great news people, really great news.

And a female Speaker of the House?!?! I love it. I actually know two people who work for Nancy Pelosi (hey – I’m only two degrees away from some serious power ya’ll), and she is a smart, strong, outspoken woman who is not afraid to call “Bullshit!” when something stinks. This is a wonderful development. All we need is a female President to really round things out 😉

After the exodus-inducing train wreck that was the 2004 election, it feels so good to feel hopeful for once about the future of our world. Call me idealistic, but I really think the tide is turning in a positive way. Maybe we’ll hear more truth than fiction now… Maybe we will stop the killing and start the healing. Maybe I can go to sleep at night without wondering if its cruel to even think about bringing children into this world. But I can feel it–change is coming. And not a moment too soon.

PS: I also have to give props to the lovely people of Santa Cruz for passing Measure K, a law that requires police to make enforcement of marijuana laws on adults their lowest law enforcement priority. That’s right people, focus your resources on real criminals and terrorists and leave the stoners alone! LOL!!! Take that South Dakota!