ODE-ious Monday: Ode to my Alarm Clock

Yes, the odes have reared their ugly heads again. And since I have to get up so stinking early tomorrow morning (um, THIS morning), I figured my alarm clock was an apt subject.

Enjoy the silliness of it, and hope everyone has an awesome start to the week :)

Ode to my Alarm Clock

We were never a good pairing.
Face it, we were doomed from the start.
Incompatible in every single way.

I enjoy late nights at the computer writing,
and late mornings
Snuggled beneath the covers.

Dreams flow through my head.
I'm relaxed, muscled fluid,
No worries bearing down on me

That's when you speak up. 
Pierce the happy little cocoon
I drift within, weightless and free. 

You're loud. Rude, really,
with your constant BEEP BEEP BEEP
tearing me from slumber


Oh sure, you offer other options.
Rainfall, babbling brook, birds chirping,
and even the radio softly playing.

But, let's get real.
None of those will wake me,
none will get me out of bed.

No. Loathe as I am to admit it,
your annoying and incessant beeping
works; you get the job done.

So while we aren't a match made in heaven,
I will go to sleep, each night, with you by my side.
I may not like it, but you're here to stay.

Hugs
~J

ODE-ious Monday...and a GIVEAWAY. :-D

Happy Fall! This is seriously my favorite time of year. I do enjoy summer activities, but the heat and humidity aren't on my faves list. ;-) Fall for me is just the perfect time of year--past the heat of summer, before the subzero temps of Minnesota winters, and not as messy/muddy as spring time.

To celebrate my love for the season, I'm posting an ode AND a Fall giveaway. Details on how to enter to win a copy of any title on my backlist follow the ode. :-D

ODE TO FALL

The slight chill in the air,
the crisp smells,
the trees on fire with color.

Curling up with a good book,
long walks without melting,
serious cuddling with the sweetie.

Bonfires, roasting marshmallows,
sitting outside without swatting
a single mosquito.

The perfect uniform, my fave,
jeans and a sweatshirt,
no obsessing over daily shaves. ;-)

Pure heaven with school in session,
long, quiet days to write with no
interruptions or "Mooooooom!"

Weekends are breaks again,
no work, time with family,
to play, laugh, and enjoy.

Fall is my favorite time,
time to be me again,
and live free.


Okay, so how do you win? That's what you're wanting to know, right? All you have to do is post a comment to this post and tell me your favorite thing about fall. It can be anything at all! The contest will run all week. I'll randomly choose a commenter in a week - on 9/27/2010 - and the winner has the choice of any of my titles - you can find a list of them here.

Good luck all!
~J

ODE-ious Monday

ODE TO THE 10-YEAR OLD MANUSCRIPT

There you sit languishing away
on my hard drive.
You've not been forgotten.

Through the years, I've thought
of you often.
With fondness. With longing.

You were my first attempt at writing
more than a few pages.
And you're not half-bad.

Lately, you've been on my mind
on a daily basis.
Teasing me with what-ifs.

I opened you today and began to read.
Curiosity got the better of me,
and I just had to peek.

Although there are many cringe-worthy
passages, overall, your story
still touches my heart.

So instead of just reading, I find
my fingers typing--deleting, adding,
revising to fit me as the author I am today .

Maybe, just maybe, some day soon
I'll be ready to share you
with the world.

ODE-ious Monday

Tomorrow is our 14th wedding anniversary, so I thought it fitting that today's ode would be to that special man...

Ode to my Husband

I know how lucky I am.
Even when I am my crabbiest, my lowest,
I know how lucky I am to have you.

The man who makes me laugh,
who can make my heart skip a beat
even after 14 years.

The man who gets me,
who supports me even when my ideas
are crazy at best.

The man who sees the real me,
who holds me when things get tough,
but knows when to step back.

The man who supports me,
who cheers me on even if my dreams
seem lofty and out of reach.

I couldn't do without you.
Each day with you by my side
is that much brighter.

Love ya, baby. Happy anniversary.

~J

Ode-ious Monday

Well, this past week hasn't been the greatest. Had the ickies and was horizontal much of the time. Today, I'm feeling semi-normal and am back into the swing of things. The day job was the focus today, much to poor Seth's dismay. He'll just have to deal though, becaue the job is going to get much of my focus this week, since we have our family camping trip the weekend of the Fourth and I can't really bring work with me.

Those who know me are well aware of my feelings about camping. I admit, I usually end up having a good time, but camping in general isn't my thing. There's the sleeping on the ground (or air mattress which I insist on, but it still isn't my comfy bed), the bugs, the heat and humidy, the bugs, cooking on a fire (which I don't do well), the bugs, the lack of showers, the bugs, the scarcity of flushing toilets, and did I mention the bugs? Seriously, I don't do bugs...for proof, see this post.

As I said, in all likelihood, I'll come back and be able to tell you what a great time I had with my family, but you never know. LOL

I'm going to hit the mattress now. I'm super tired and have an early day tomorrow. I'll leave you with this ode... With all the poetry makin' going on in the house, I have odes coming out my ears and I figure it's only fair to share with everyone. :-)

ODE TO SUMMER VACATION
I remember the excitement, the anticipation.
Squirming at my desk as the teacher rambled on,
I counted down the days, the hours, the minutes
until you arrived.

The long days, the sun beating down, the late nights.
Oh, I enjoyed it all, loved it, lived it with abandon.
The beach, the bonfires, the fireworks are all still
so fresh in my mind.

I smile as my kids now look forward to your charm,
laugh as they chant, "No more pencils, no more books..."
They cross off each square on the calendar boldly,
anxious for the fun to start.

I'm happy for them, knowing the memories they'll have,
but for me, you've lost your luster, your appeal.
Oh the sun still beats down, and the days are long, the nights late,
but in such a different way now.

How many times will I hear, "Mooooom..." followed by
such silliness as "He's looking at me", "She took my *fill in the blank*",
"Can I have money?" "Do I have to?" Or my personal favorite,
"She's breathing my air!"

There will be good times in the days to come,
great even. I know this very well. The memories will
bring a smile to my face, and some day, I'll yearn for these years,
wonder where the time went.

But today, I am weak, selfish. I look at the calendar,
and again count the days, the hours, the minutes.
Two weeks of summer vacation have passed...
Only eleven more to go.

Night all!
~Jess

Ode to My To-do List

What do I have to do to make you go away?
I diligently cross items off, yet you remain.
Not only that, but you seem to grow,
Not only by a few items, but rather exponentially.
How is this possible?

I've crumpled you up, torn you to bits,
Set you ablaze, tossed you in the trash.
But even when not in front of me physically,
Your laughter echoes in my mind
reminding me of all the things I have yet to do.

You keep me awake at night,
Distract me from enjoyable things.
Foolishly, I have hope that you will one day disappear,
Or at least take a vacation, so I can enjoy one myself.
I'll continue on, drawing lines through each task.

Writing this accomplished something--
"Write blog post" gets stricken from the list.
And as soon as I hit "Publish Post"
I can add "Post blog post" to the done column.
It's little victories like that that keep me going.



~J

Ode to My Wrist

Oh, why dost thou betray me so?
Was it the hours of typing whilst on deadline?
Was it swinging the bat with the kids at the lake?
Was it the two tons of groceries hauled in the house?

I wrap you lovingly, and bath you in ice.
Will the ache be relieved? Will the pain diminish?
Will my tender attention and care be enough?
It must be, because I can promise,
all the above WILL happen again.