A Memoir by Lisa Vaughn


Lisa was conservatively raised in a Catholic family in no-where middle America, where excitement is scarce and dreams are for sleeping. Little did she know, at age thirteen, she would suddenly find herself on a totally different path.

Through an unlikely chance meeting of a fellow classmate, she's surprisingly mesmerized, almost consumed, to befriend a girl who is obviously from the other side of the tracks...the cool side. Lisa does whatever she has to just to be accepted into this small club of coolness. Little did she realize, she was signing up for a lot more than social status. The two best friends find themselves innocently taking their relationship to a foreign level neither had experienced or saw coming.

A rollercoaster ride littered with choices and challenges Lisa never fathomed facing, especially in no-where middle America. She will find out what she is made of as she faces the consequences and struggles that come along with going against the grain.

Throughout their six year relationship, you will witness a touching story of human nature at its best...and at its worst. Showing just how far the human spirit can be challenged and pushed to a point where your “fight or flight” instincts naturally kick in. Struggling just to survive in a world where you are not like everyone else, but at the same time you really are. The daily struggles - both internal and external - are exhausting, yet necessary in their quest for one simple human need....love.

Finally breaking through all constraints that hold them back, reaching levels of one-ness that few actually obtain in a lifetime with their partner...only to find once they've reached that special place, it's not quite the right fit...for one of them, at least.

This contemporary story, told in the voice of the teen that lived it, will lead the reader through highs and lows, giving insight to the everyday challenges of the socially unaccepted, which will no doubt leave them rooting for the underdog. A true story of human resilience and the power of love...plain and simple.

*Please be advised, this memoir is real, honest, and raw. If you're looking for your typical 'sterilized' read, I'm not your girl - but if you're looking for a read that is written from the heart, certain to impact you on a human level, follow me! Have I got a story for you!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

The Xmas Marketing Machine - Is It Out Of Control? HoHoHo or NoNoNo?

So there I was, leisurely doing my shopping at Walmart this past weekend, minding my own business, when suddenly I heard IT.  Taking a minute to notice - then to verify - yes indeedy,  I WAS  mindlessly listening to 'It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas' blaring from the overhead system.  Had I been in a coma?  Lost a week or two somewhere? Nope, it was, in fact, only November 4th!  I looked at my husband and we both shook our heads in disgust. 
Then to make matters worse,  the next evening while scrolling through our T.V. choices for the evening, what pops up?  The Grinch Who Stole Christmas!  Again, I shouted out #$%&!? 

Now I know a lot of you out there are more than overjoyed when Christmas rolls around, you simply love it, I get that - I'm the same about Halloween.  But I don't recall seeing Halloween ads and scary movies in August!  Has the 'marketing machine' gone a bit haywire over the years, or is it just me?  
Remember, back in the day as kids - when the highlight of the day-after-Thanksgiving was watching the BEGINNING of the Christmas specials - Charlie Brown, The Grinch, Frosty...dreaming of the long month ahead, making our wish lists for Santa.  I can't even fathom the hell kids go through now, waiting an agonizing two months for the arrival of the 'big day', as the media shoves it down their throats everywhere they look.  No wonder kids are coo-coo crazy this time of year! 

Yes, I am a tad bias, I know, as I don't 'do' Christmas any longer, but I would think for the people that do (and celebrate for the right reasons, not the commercialized reasons) this early shove-it-down-your-throat-earlier-and-earlier-every-year-approach would piss them off slightly, not to mention the pressure it puts on parents that are handed huge wish lists, while picturing their dwindling checking account balance.  Just how DO they do it?
I have to admit, I am SO glad my son is grown, and I do not have to face that pressure any longer.  I've long since detached from the crazy merry-go-round of guilt and debt in order to buy other's affection - and just in time too, as I fear the economy would of made that decision for me anyway. 

So does this early marketing tactic work?  It must to some degree, otherwise, why would they do it?  I just think there should be some kind of limit on when we are forced to start humming along mindlessly to 'We wish you a Merry Christmas'...especially while shopping for our Halloween candy!  
Even Charles Schultz made fun of the commercialized side of Christmas through his infamous holiday cartoons - and that was in the sixties!  Can you imagine what he'd think today?  I can almost hear him now, 'Oh GOOD GREIF...Give it a REST already!' 
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1 comment:

  1. TonjaNovember 8, 2011 at 8:40 AM

    I got a Christmas toy ad in the mail last week from Target. I was perplexed, but then starting thinking about what I wanted to get my kids for Christmas. So I think it works. It should be illegal, but it works.

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