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!'
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
MondayMindset Of A Hippie-Chick: With A Lil Help From My Friends...
Happy Monday all! If you've been here before, chances are you might of caught me ranting about the world going koo-koo or perhaps some kind of negative poo-poo post about society in general...well today I am putting 'Negative Nancy' to bed and focusing on the good in my life, after all, that is what I'm all about at my core - it's just been a bad year...we'll leave it at that.
Actually in the midst of my wallowing, I was suddenly brought back to the 'lighter side' of life, taking note of the GOODness in people - through my social networking contacts, of all things! Those fantastic people out there that don't know me from Adam really, made me realize not everyone is out to take me for everything I'm worth (or not) - some are genuinely just nice people - YES they DO still exist! And I have proof!
My twitter friends are a huge part of this realization - Facebook too. I've slowly been building a sturdy foundation of fabulous authors, artist, fans, and just great people in general, that all help to promote and support my work through whatever means they can. It truly warms my heart to think total strangers are more than willing to pass along word of your book to their friends and contacts, and in turn, that gracious effort mushrooms out to numbers I cannot even fathom. How cool is that? And nothing makes me feel better than to reciprocate - promoting their work as well. It truly is a 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' kind of world in there. Not only has it brought attention to readers that otherwise never would of heard the likes of me, it has shown me a softer side of this hardening world we live in - giving me hope to keep trudging along...wherever it may lead me - who knows? But I do know along the way I've 'met' some awesome people that give me a reason to believe in myself once again, even on days when my tank is running a little low on confidence, they seem to pick up the slack for me, refueling my energy for the fight.
And for that, I am truly grateful and know I couldn't - or wouldn't - be where I am today if not for them.
So to all my twitter followers and facebook friends that I hang out with on a daily basis, I'd like to send out a great big SHOUT OUT and Thank YOU from the bottom of my heart for helping me through this journey we call life - and for promoting my memoir and me, as a person - You are ALL awesome!
And here's an example of that awesomeness! Amelia James (@trashywriter) graciously sought me out for a one-on-one interview on her very 'adult' blog - so if you'd like to see another side of me through the unique questions of our lovely Amelia and her fun 'outside-the-box' questions (that I had a blast answering) please click here and tell us what you think!
http://trashystreasures.wordpress.com/2011/11/07/author-interview-lisa-vaughn/
(Please note: link will be open after 8am EST on Monday ~ And again, it is an 'adult only' site)
Thanks for stopping by! Follow me @thegiftedones - I'd love to have another fab friend to help out! :)
Actually in the midst of my wallowing, I was suddenly brought back to the 'lighter side' of life, taking note of the GOODness in people - through my social networking contacts, of all things! Those fantastic people out there that don't know me from Adam really, made me realize not everyone is out to take me for everything I'm worth (or not) - some are genuinely just nice people - YES they DO still exist! And I have proof!
My twitter friends are a huge part of this realization - Facebook too. I've slowly been building a sturdy foundation of fabulous authors, artist, fans, and just great people in general, that all help to promote and support my work through whatever means they can. It truly warms my heart to think total strangers are more than willing to pass along word of your book to their friends and contacts, and in turn, that gracious effort mushrooms out to numbers I cannot even fathom. How cool is that? And nothing makes me feel better than to reciprocate - promoting their work as well. It truly is a 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' kind of world in there. Not only has it brought attention to readers that otherwise never would of heard the likes of me, it has shown me a softer side of this hardening world we live in - giving me hope to keep trudging along...wherever it may lead me - who knows? But I do know along the way I've 'met' some awesome people that give me a reason to believe in myself once again, even on days when my tank is running a little low on confidence, they seem to pick up the slack for me, refueling my energy for the fight.
And for that, I am truly grateful and know I couldn't - or wouldn't - be where I am today if not for them.
So to all my twitter followers and facebook friends that I hang out with on a daily basis, I'd like to send out a great big SHOUT OUT and Thank YOU from the bottom of my heart for helping me through this journey we call life - and for promoting my memoir and me, as a person - You are ALL awesome!
And here's an example of that awesomeness! Amelia James (@trashywriter) graciously sought me out for a one-on-one interview on her very 'adult' blog - so if you'd like to see another side of me through the unique questions of our lovely Amelia and her fun 'outside-the-box' questions (that I had a blast answering) please click here and tell us what you think!
http://trashystreasures.wordpress.com/2011/11/07/author-interview-lisa-vaughn/
(Please note: link will be open after 8am EST on Monday ~ And again, it is an 'adult only' site)
Thanks for stopping by! Follow me @thegiftedones - I'd love to have another fab friend to help out! :)
Sunday, November 6, 2011
You're NOT Dreaming! It IS SixSentenceSunday! Quick Six From The Gifted Ones
Six Sentences(& 1/2) from Chapter 22: Curtains
Attempting to get me back on track and thinking in a positive light, he wrote three words on an erasable board we kept tacked to the outside of a kitchen cabinet. It read: “WE SHALL OVERCOME”. Three straightforward words. They were just simple words at first, that I would glance at in passing. But over time, they took on significant meaning. Slowly they became my source of strength and motivation on a daily basis. I repeated the phrase every time I passed by, especially before I headed out the back door, out into the world. WE SHALL OVERCOME became my mantra.
***
Thank you for visiting - To find out exactly what I was 'overcoming' please discover my memoir at the links above ~ Print & Ebooks available.
Now go curl up with a good book and enjoy your Sunday!
Attempting to get me back on track and thinking in a positive light, he wrote three words on an erasable board we kept tacked to the outside of a kitchen cabinet. It read: “WE SHALL OVERCOME”. Three straightforward words. They were just simple words at first, that I would glance at in passing. But over time, they took on significant meaning. Slowly they became my source of strength and motivation on a daily basis. I repeated the phrase every time I passed by, especially before I headed out the back door, out into the world. WE SHALL OVERCOME became my mantra.
***
Thank you for visiting - To find out exactly what I was 'overcoming' please discover my memoir at the links above ~ Print & Ebooks available.
Now go curl up with a good book and enjoy your Sunday!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Get Your SaturdaySample HOT Off The Griddle! A Bite From 'The Gifted Ones'
Excerpt From Chapter 22: Curtains
That night I went to a place so dark, very reminiscent of the night my mother ripped Selina's army jacket from my back. And here I was again, alone. My fate unknown. How ironic. One horrific incident caused by my parent's ignorance - forcing me to defend the love of my life - and the most recent incident, caused by the love I had defended. If that doesn't f*%# with your head, I don't know what would.
Every time I closed my eyes to escape my hell, snippets of our lives together would flash through my mind, like a movie trailer. Starting from the day I first laid eyes on her - all the way through our adolescence, and beyond. We had literally taken on the world - just the two of us. And we had won! Against all odds, we had actually won. How sad to let all that effort go. Our special bond, our gift that separated us from the rest of the world, all those years - now useless. We had somehow become just like the rest of the herd. How did that happen? Was it inevitable? I refused to believe that. We were NOT like everyone else! Had the time we spent in THEIR world finally wore us down? Or were we just human, plain and simple? I needed something to blame, something to hate. So many unanswered questions clogged my mind, but not a lot of answers. I reminded myself to continue breathing.
***
Thanks for stopping by...if you want to find out if I continued breathing or not, check out my memoir at the links above - Print is on sale for $9.89 (Amazon) & Ebooks are only $.99 for a limited time.
Make it a great weekend folks!
That night I went to a place so dark, very reminiscent of the night my mother ripped Selina's army jacket from my back. And here I was again, alone. My fate unknown. How ironic. One horrific incident caused by my parent's ignorance - forcing me to defend the love of my life - and the most recent incident, caused by the love I had defended. If that doesn't f*%# with your head, I don't know what would.
Every time I closed my eyes to escape my hell, snippets of our lives together would flash through my mind, like a movie trailer. Starting from the day I first laid eyes on her - all the way through our adolescence, and beyond. We had literally taken on the world - just the two of us. And we had won! Against all odds, we had actually won. How sad to let all that effort go. Our special bond, our gift that separated us from the rest of the world, all those years - now useless. We had somehow become just like the rest of the herd. How did that happen? Was it inevitable? I refused to believe that. We were NOT like everyone else! Had the time we spent in THEIR world finally wore us down? Or were we just human, plain and simple? I needed something to blame, something to hate. So many unanswered questions clogged my mind, but not a lot of answers. I reminded myself to continue breathing.
***
Thanks for stopping by...if you want to find out if I continued breathing or not, check out my memoir at the links above - Print is on sale for $9.89 (Amazon) & Ebooks are only $.99 for a limited time.
Make it a great weekend folks!
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