You'll be grateful for it someday #atozchallenge 2025 memory

 

"You'll be grateful for it someday."

My grandmother said that more times than I can count. She lived through the Great Depression. (From a century ago, not whatever current garbage.) So I guess she had to accept a lot of crap. 

I don't know. My great grandparents seemed to be doing pretty well, as far as I can tell from going through the old house. Fine China (now stolen), a crystal chandelier (my dad has that), a piano with real ivory keys, jewelry (mostly stolen now), furs (yup, also recently stolen). [Why didn't my Aunt let anyone sell some of this stuff? Well, a thief sold plenty! The police 👮‍♂️👮‍♀️ caught one guy. He's declaring insanity. Trial pending. 🙄] 

Anyway. What terrified me was that ominous one day. Like, just how far would I have to fall to be grateful for an itchy sweater that didn't fit over my, then, C cups (I'm wayyyy beyond that now, oh my, Victoria Secret doesn't even carry my size- just saying)? And I don't mean slightly itchy. I mean I freaked out and genuinely tried to rip off my skin. Chicken pox itched less. I could not calm down. It's terrifying to think I could be grateful for such a horrifying experience. Just how bad is life expected to get??? 🥺😵

#AtoZChallenge Drinking

Drinking

[The following is for entertainment purposes only. It is illegal to consume alcohol while under 21 years of age in the United States.

This is not a confession or accusation.

Resemblance to life is coincidence.]

Legal disclaimer? Check.

Okay, so, I went to wedding with my family when I was 6. The reception afterwards was in a firehouse (very common in Pennsylvania). It was freaking hot. 

At the tables, every place setting had a little plastic cup. (A shot glass, but I knew nothing of that.) I took a sip of the yellowish liquid. 😬🤢

NOT white grape juice.

Tasted how I imagined Bleach would taste. 

(It was sparkling white wine. For the toast. 🥂 ) 

I had to go to the bartender to get something else. Why my parents, grandparents, or Aunt didn't handle this, I don't recall. I guess people were supposed to stay at their table? I don't know. So I go to the bartender to ask if I can get something to drink. Ice tea, preferably. 

They don't have that.

I couldn't drink soda. 

Eventually, after crying, I managed to score a cup of pineapple juice. 

I was seriously thirsty. I managed one more cup. They wouldn't serve me anymore because they needed it to mix for actual drinks. 

The dance floor was a disaster. It was overwaxed. People kept falling. My grandmother accidentally stepped on the corner of the dance floor, and 🐧 she went down, slid like a penguin across the room.

We left soon after. Hang On Snoopy was playing and my cousins were in a pile. Again, not from drinking, just because the floor was slippery. It was a shotty reception. And my first sip of alcohol. 

When I was 11, my mom took me with her to a BABY shower for a woman she worked with. A pregnant 🤰 woman. 

There was a bowl of punch to drink. No alternatives were set out. That's fine, I like fruit punch. After my fifth or sixth cup, the hostess pulled my mom aside.

"Are you sure she should drink that?"

"It's fruit punch. She can't have soda. And nothing else is set out, so yeah."

"Umm... there's a bottle of vodka in that." 

It was a baby shower. 

No other beverages were offered.

The very, very pregnant woman and I had been downing alcohol for three hours. 

And that's how I had my first hangover in sixth grade. 

In high school, we sold "Spirit cards." It was a fundraising thing. A bunch of businesses offered discounts and freebies to anyone with a spirit card.

Applebee's offered a free frozen beverage, such as milkshakes or margaritas. 

My friends and I took our cards to Applebee's. We ordered strawberry daiquiris. They can be made without alcohol. Ours were not. We got free drinks every time. Let me tell you... we were at Applebee's every damn week. 

And yes, I told my mom. She knew. And she also knew that we weren't getting drunk off of one. Hell, she saw me down a bottle of vodka at age 11 without getting all messed up. 

I could tell you about college. I lived in an apartment my freshman year. One time, my roommate and I went away for the weekend. Came home, opened the door, 😵‍💫 the FUMES alone were enough to get a person drunk. We decide to open the windows and clean for a bit.

But I'm gonna skip ahead. 2020, legal drinking! (I was 40.) 

My husband, bff, and her then husband, went to Atlantic City. It was the last weekend before "lockdown." No one was there. It was awesome.

A place had recently opened on the boardwalk. They served slushies. 

They served alcoholic slushies. 😋🤤

So good! And we were staying at a hotel, no driving, so... bottoms up! 

Two years later, this treat appeared at our local beer distributor, Shangys. 

Look, I don't actually drink much alcohol anymore. I've had probably 2 of those a year since. I really like them. I just don't spend money on drinking. 

Not like when I was younger. 

Cats #atozchallenge 2025 memory

This was my boy. He sadly 🌈 crossed the "rainbow bridge" years ago.

 

He loved to play the "winky-blinky" game where he'd shut his eyes, then open one to see if your eyes were closed. He also loved to "help" my husband play video games.
 

This is my other little brother, Mikey Shadow (named for the OCC guy). He claimed dad's shoebox. He also liked to steal the remote. He passed a few months after my mom did.
 

My Aunt and Uncle had a cat who loved to climb. After he tore up two screen doors, they made this one. He loved to climb up it, then meow his head off until a human helped him down. Ahhh... cats.
 
I am Batman... err... Batcat


Greetings, Batcat. I am Two-face.

Have a puurrrrrfect day! Enjoy the #AtoZchallenge

Black Saturday #atozchallenge blog hop

A memory I regret having. A moment I am forced to live through. "B" was going to be for "books," and I was going to try to find a way to discuss how valuable libraries are to authors and book lovers. Libraries in Switzerland, of course, because they are known for being politically neutral. (In America, libraries are now political fodder due to an executive order against them.)

😖
As a writer and book lover, I have BIG, STRONG feelings about that, as it does impact my writing life. MY GOAL of publishing a book that is popular at the library cannot happen if there aren't libraries, which is how the order will eventually result.

But that's political! So I can't, won't, and am not posting this in a post with the Insecure Writer's Support Group label or banner.
I'm skipping creating a post for IWSG this month. 

It would be a self-betrayal not to discuss how scary that order is and how I feel about US public libraries losing their primary funding source. 
As pictured above, you can see I wrote my Congressional representatives. However, not only do I lack faith they'll read it, I now also don't believe they have the power to help.

Black Saturday- March 15, 2025 https://theintellectualist.com/black-saturday-us-constitutional-crisis-2025/

"laws are only as strong as the institutions willing to enforce them."

That quote fits my life. See, I was a ridiculously well-behaved child. (https://www.additudemag.com/autism-in-girls/ ) At one point, I was moved to another class to "set a better behavioral example" for other students. (What idiot came up with that bullshit??? Can I tell you how much no one wanted to be me? OMG.) 

But, I have a younger brother. Unlike me, he has never focused on PERFECT behavior. 

No... no... he was a little troublemaker from the start. He'd push every boundary to see what he could get away with. And whatever punishment or discipline you might think would have worked, you are wrong. Because people tried them all.  ALL. Social Workers were called on a daycare worker, so no, physical violence did not deter him.  It did teach him that hitting was okay, so there went that boundary. Bravo.

Anyway, here is what I know from being stuck with the "juvie" crew and watching my brother grow up. There is absolutely no point to rules when there are no consequences. 

"Don't eat the candy."

And if a kid eats it? The kid has had the reward.

"Seriously, no candy!"

Okay. Kid has more candy.

"What did I say? You're in a time-out!"

That sounds like a punishment. Someone like me would have been absolutely devastated. My brother? He'll piss in your corner. NOT a metaphor. 🍆💦

Eventually, the disciplinarian gives up. 

And that's America now.

The court ruled. A judge told the MAGA to go stand in a corner, stop doing the illegal actions.

But nope!

And now the corner is pissed on. The carpet stinks. And even if someone says to clean it up, it's not gonna be cleaned right. 

No enforcement.

Oddly, people are getting deported and denaturalized (that's where someone born in a country is stripped of citizenship and chucked off to some other country, a citizen of nowhere with no identification or passport) left and right. But they're skipping due process, so the justice system is again cut out.

I'm sure Elon and his DOGe team will be firing all the judges soon. 

"That's not legal! You can't just do that!"

Who the fuck do you think is gonna stop it? 

No, seriously. No one has stopped anything else.

Oh sure, there will be some protestors. Maybe even a war. 

Keep in mind that we're dealing with someone who already wanted to use a nuclear ☢ weapon on a hurricane. And he has now shut down the agencies with the scientists who explained why that would be a bad idea. 

So, if you believe he wouldn't nuke his own country... he already wanted to do that and has fired the people who told him no.

He's pissing in the corner. 

It's not an overreaction. It's a prediction.
But hell, the doctors say my husband and I are gonna die in the next four years. 

And if social security and Medicaid get shut down in the next few months, well shit, I probably won't see my 46th birthday in August. 

But this blog may survive. 

Maybe someone in Switzerland will read this one day and say, "Oh look, an American knew and cared but didn't have the power to do a damn thing about it."

(Additional follow-up from March 18, 2025: )

Apple Tree #atozchallenge 2025 memory

This tree is my brother. 🍎🌳

For Halloween one year, he trick-or-treated as an apple tree. My mom made the costume. Those are red apples on his cheeks.

He was freaking adorable. People loved the costume.

My brother absolutely hates that I have all these cute pictures of him as a child. 😂

Revenge of the older sister!! Ha ha ha.

I love him. 

2025 Theme Reveal #AtoZChallenge Bloghop

Please check out the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge
#AtoZChallenge
a-to-zchallenge.com


My theme this year is going to be memories. A sort of alphabet of an autobiography, if you will. 

It's what we are, and one never knows when they could be gone. So I'll put some here. Hopefully they'll be interesting. 

IWSG and AtoZChallenge Reflecions

InsecureWritersSupportGroup.com

This month, the IWSG asked about dealing with distractions during writing. 

Well, I just failed to complete the A to Z Challenge thanks to the distraction of pain. My right wrist is so unstable. Typing HURTS. I have failed to overcome this.

Plus, my diabetic husband has been turned from short-term disability to long-term disability. He has gotten worse. Three weeks of laying on the couch, doing NOTHING, but he got a hole in his foot. How??? 

Just dealing with the insane life changes is ALL I can do right now. I lack the fortitude to deal with anything more.

 

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme was to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in school libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html

I didn't make it. I gave up due to pain. 

Hopefully I will be able to do the challenge next year.

Hopefully I'll get the physical strength to edit the book more, and mental health to submit the query letter again (which hopefully is better?), and the emotional fortitude to keep going.

Thanks to the people who visited in April. 

I feel that I left more comments than I got, but that's how it goes. I did what I could when I could.

Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Otis the Cow Bull

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


This is a short conversation Lenore has early on, before going on Teen Writer Season 3. It shows how she interacts with peers.

"An udder is an organ formed of two or four mammary glands on the females of dairy animals and ruminants such as cattle, goats, and sheep."

https://barnyard.fandom.com/wiki/Otis

Barnyard movie DVD on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3VZtAcD

Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

No Money #AtoZChallenge

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


This is a scene where Lenore is aware of the lack of money her father has.

Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Muffin #AtoZChallenge

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


Muffin is the name of Lenore's roommate. She prefers to be called Contessa. 

Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Lenore #AtoZChallenge Main Character

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


Lenore is the main character. Knowing as much as possible about her helps craft the story. A character sheet is normally only seen by the author, but I'll share this private look:

Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Kiss #AtoZChallenge

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


Here's the scene where Lenore and Geoff, hiding (fully-clothed) in an empty bathtub, almost kiss. Geoff is especially cheesy with his lines.



Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Jainism #AtoZChallenge

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


Jainism is the religion of a contestant in Lenore's group. This scene takes place on family day.



Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Ideals #AtoZChallenge

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


Ideals.

Why does winning Teen Writer Season 3 mean so much to Lenore right now?

What does she fundamentally want and most believe in, that which fuels her life goals and principles?

Her family wants her ideal to be: (especially her abuela/ grandmother)

"Tradition. The ancient traditions of worship and sacrifice must be preserved and upheld."

Lenore wants her ideal to be:

"Respect. People deserve to be treated with dignity and respect."

But currently, she's dominated by the ideal of:

"Certainity of home." She's afraid she and her father will lose their home. And she's afraid because he plans to sell their house and move them to an apartment in another school district-- the one where the girl her mother killed had attended school. He sees it as a way to save money. She sees a school full of students who hate her even more than the ones at her current school. (Hated for her mother's crime.)

Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Hello Harvard Housekeeper #AtoZChallenge

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


Three "h" words in this excerpt are Hello, Harvard, and Housekeeper. Together, they make a kind of catchy title. 

Once Lenore "accepts the call" as they say in the Hero's Journey format, she goes to the set of Teen Writer Season 3. It's set in an actual private school, part of which is being renovated. The contestants are being shown around and stuff. It's basically "B roll," mostly just establishing the setting quickly. 

Not much is revealed about Lenore here, other than perhaps establishing her economic background. 



Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Geoff #AtoZchallenge

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


Geoff.

I can't bring myself to call this character the "romantic interest." 

Something does happen between him and Lenore. But he lies about it and creates a rumor about doing intimate actions with Lenore. I see him as pond scum. She may be more forgiving and tolerant than I am.

Many days later, family day happens. And Geoff fakes a relationship with Lenore. But Lenore's roommate calls him out.



Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

E F #AtoZChallenge Ephraim and Franco

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


I fell behind because my wrist isn't cooperating with my typing desire.

Ephraim and Franco.

Ephraim is Muffin's stepfather, or "bonus parent" as they say in her family.

Franco is Lenore, the protagonist's, surname. 

This scene is after Lenore has a negative experience with a guy, a fellow Teen Writer contestant. Muffin references Lenore's dad's former football career. 🏈 And how Lenore's mother had a hit-and-run that killed a girl Lenore's age, though the cause was related to saving a life. 

Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗