The · Toymaker

This is a drawing of the cucumber vine growing outside my window.
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Texas was a whirlwind. I learned a few things, Texas is full of incredibly nice people, they have the best air-conditioning and gas is still in the three buck range. I also learned that I don't particularly care for airports. My flight was delayed for a few of hours because of a fierce lightning storm and my cell phone battery had died so I had to slip into a Zen calm of hurry up and wait. Eventually I made it back to my own hobbit hole and was grateful to be in my own bed.
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Not much rest for the weary though... Sunday, my writing partner, J.H. Everett and I, attended the American Library Association Conference. There is not many things better in my mind than wandering about all day looking at books. The high point of a day filled with high points was getting to meet Christy Ottaviano from Henry Holt. She is the editor that acquired our "Haunted History" series. It was so exciting to talk about it and hear what there thoughts were about the project.
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Then I went home and slept for twelve hours.
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The rest of the week has been spent taking my mom to doctors to get her ready for knee replacement. Anyone know anything about knee surgery? Tips?
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We are going to be setting off some mighty fine fireworks tomorrow. We are also going to a pool party. I see a sunburn in my pasty white future.
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Happy Fourth of July to all!
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Marilyn.

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Why am I running around like a Muppet that's been swimming in a vat of Jolt Cola? Because I'm flying to Texas tomorrow to speak at the Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrators group in Arlington.
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http://www.northtexasscbwi.org/newsevents.htm
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I"m excited... and just a bit nervous. Not about speaking, I can do that for DAYS! But I've only flown once since 9/11 and all I remember was a congo line of pretty much stripping down to your underoos.
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Hey! you travelers out there, what are some tips for surviving airports in the modern age? I know I can't take food on the plane, or can I? Can I pack protein bars in my suitcase? I'm only going to be gone one night but I feel like I'm going to the Himalayas. We are such Hobbits. (And not the adventuresome ones like Merry and Pippin but more like Sam who overpacked.)
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Wish me luck! And if you are anywhere near the Fort Worth Dallas area and have nothing to do on Saturday stop by!
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Marilyn
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Here today, up and off somewhere else tomorrow!
Travel, change, interest, excitement!
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Mr. Toad in The Wind in the Willows
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It has mercifully cooled off a bit from the humid, melty hotness that was this last weekend. Now a pleasant breeze is wandering in off the ocean and it a pleasure to be in my studio. Sunday was a lazy day and I doodled up a few new toys for the first time since I can't remember. It felt good to make something just for the fun of it.
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Here's a little peak at them. They're going to be dancing finger puppets of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" I tried to draw Goldi as the nasty, ill mannered, bratty, little girl that I think she is.
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How bout you? How do you beat the heat? We went for pitchers of lemonade with lots of ice.
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Marilyn.
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One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.
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~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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I spent a delightful day yesterday in Pasadena, with fellow artists Ev Stanton and JR Johnson at Art Center College of Design. We were there to cheer on our drawing teacher Bob Singer who gave a wonderful talk on his career as animation designer. The posters said, "Bob Singer, Living Legend" which while being true, cracked us all up.
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Art Center is a really good school. Really good. Artists that go there go on to be animators and car designers. The coursework is very rigorous, with classes lasting five to eight hours. It was exciting to see all the creative things that the students are doing. I also got to stock up on drawing pencils which made me extremely happy.
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After Bob's talk we sat in the cafeteria, drinking sodas and chatted with one of the professors, Michael Humphries. What a neat guy! Feast your eyes on his webpage.
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http://web.mac.com/humphriesart/iWeb/Site/Production%20Design.html
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Like I said, it was a delightful day.
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Marilyn

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I've recovered for the most part from the complete burnout of last week. From the the sad little pile of ashes has sprung a new desire to draw like nobody's business! It helps to have insanely talented friends pull you up and get you going.
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My art teacher, Bob Singer and "Mad Skills" Andy Mitchell came over early on Saturday before our OC Illustrator meeting and helped me solve some puzzles that I was working on. I'd done some practice drawings of Henry VIII but was still pondering his "Kingliness"
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I also doodled up these color studies.
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I've been pondering this report on kids and reading. Interesting stuff.
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http://www.scholastic.com/aboutscholastic/news/readingreport.htm
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Back to work!
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Marilyn
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PS If you want to see more of my friend's Andy's awesome illustrations go here.
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http://ajmitchellart.typepad.com/ajmitchell_art/

Happy Father's Day to all the dads in the world.
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My dad has given me lots of advice over the years. "Take the shot" was one of my favorites, that and "You don't want to look back and say, shoulda,woulda,coulda."
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How about you? What advice has your dad given you that turned out to be the good stuff?
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Marilyn.

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Staring at the wall and rocking back and forth.
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Wednesday, I sent an entire packet of Madagascar art, eighty three pieces, to Scholastic. I have used up hundreds of pencil leads, reams of paper and cases of Diet Coke. Erasers? Don't ask.
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And now I am tired. I want to do stuff but I don't have the energy. I think I just might take a day off.
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Yep, I just might.
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Marilyn.
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"Leisure, some degree of it, is necessary to the health of every man's spirit."

~ Harriet Martineau
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I spent all day yesterday walking the LA Convention Center at Book Expo America. Was it cool? You betcha! It was like the biggest bookstore you can possibly imagine... times eleventy five! Every publisher worth their binding was there and then some. There were new books EVERYWHERE!
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On top of that, most of them were passing out SWAG! I brought home bookmarks, stickers, first editions, and two book bags.
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I met up with my friend Jane Hammerslough, the author of "The Search for Vile Things", the book I illustrated last year for Scholastic. They had a galley of the book and we got to talk to the sales people about it! The word on the street is that lots of library buyers are taking notes! More coolness!
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It was a super good day! Better than Puppy Biscuits!
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Sketchbook = check
Pencils = check
Digital Camera = check
Windsor Newton Paintbox = check
Map to the Huntington Gardens where my OC Illustrators group is spending the day sketching the gardens in bloom = check
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The words no mother ever wants to hear...
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"Mom, I don't feel so good.
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Did you have a nice Memorial Day Weekend? We sure did. The Hut Warming Party for my writing partner Ev Stanton was just incredible. So many interesting people! Thank you, Stanton Family!
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Sunday, I got to have lunch with my best friend, Julie who lives up in Davis. We tried out a little place called "The Old Vine Cafe" I fell in love with it for several reasons. The food was great and they make their own jam and nut butters. There were lots of veggies on the menu. And most of all, the efficient waiters kept those water glasses and coffee cups filled, which is the just the thing you need if you are having a delightful "solve all the world's problems" conversation with your best bud.
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If everyone on the planet had a best friend as completely awesome as Julie, the world would be a far better place. Stress levels would go down, therapists would be out of work, and the sky would be just a little bit brighter color of blue.
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http://www.oldvinecafe.com/
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Also...
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Toy Friend Becky sent me this cool picture of a fairy family that she made for her daughter. Nifty, don't you think?
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You can make your own fairy furniture here...
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http://www.thetoymaker.com/Toypages/29FairyFurniture/29FairyFurniture.html
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Now back to work!
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Marilyn.
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My friends are my estate.
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~ Emily Dickinson

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Because we are slacker parents,
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and last night was Open House until late,
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and today was only a half day at school,
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and because, come on, it was Indiana Jones!
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Because of all those things, we ditched the kid out of school and went to the nine thirty A in the M showing of Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull.
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Was it worth it?
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Final Score....
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Eating popcorn at nine in the morning = not the best idea I've ever had.
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Seeing the new Indiana Jones Movie the day it came out with your Mencats... = PURE SOLID GOLD.
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This movie was so much fun,
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I’m not saying that it was Citizen Kane, just one, very delicious and satisfying movie going experience.
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Have a great weekend!
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Marilyn
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When the internet goes down I’m like a beached narwhale. No email, no web, no house phone. I don’t know how I managed to breath before computers.
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The internet went down yesterday and so first thing Monday morning I call Roadrunner Cable. I can’t get through, too many people are in front of me. I NEED email. I NEED internet access! I NEED TO READ DILBERT! How am I supposed to get anything done without email?
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Refusing to be stymied, I notice that one can press two for service in Spanish. Hmmm, I speak Spanish more or less, I wonder if that wait line is shorter, so I dial again, punch a bunch of buttons and end up having this conversation with a twenty year old customer service representative in the Dominican Republic.

“¡Hola! Soy yo Marilyn. Tengo un problema con mi internet. Quiero hablar con una persona en ingles.”
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Big pause.
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“I’ll have to talk to my supervisor about that.”
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Bad hold music.
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“I’m sorry, but this is the Spanish speaking customer service hotline. Let me transfer you to the English speaking one.” (I know from experience this means getting transferred to Toronto. It’s a long way from the Dominican Republic to Canada. I feel my chances of speaking to a live human slipping away.)
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“ NO! Wait, that line is too busy. I couldn’t get through. If I speak Spanish can you help me?”
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Another polite pause…. “Well, I guess.”
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I switch to Spanish. While we are waiting for her creaky slow computer to load my account information we chat about beaches, California, Disneyland, the weather. She tells me that my accent doesn’t suck. I am chuffed. A repair guy came out this afternoon and climbed a telephone pole to replace a melted coaxial connector.
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Today I love technology.
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Marilyn

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I've been drawing tons of lemurs. I'd no idea that they came in so many varieties! And they are cute, cute, cute, bouncing around like little elves wrapped in oversized plush pajamas. I also found that a few lemurs look like Count Orlac's pet science experiment accidentally put in the dishwasher and gone horrible, horribly, wrong.
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But, cute or not, they ALL are interesting!
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What animals do you find most fascinating?
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Marilyn.
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Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eyes for an instant?
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Henry David Thoreau
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Some days just boggle the mind. I check my Spam inbox every day because usually tucked between the ads for things like friendly girls that are bored and want to chat and people that want to send large amount of money into my bank account are emails from editors, art directors, friends, etc that I really want to receive.
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This morning there were two hundred bounce notices because someone is using my email to send spam to sell watches.
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GRRRRR!!! So if anyone has any tips on how to deal with Spam, Phishing, or how to keep your email safe, let me know! I really don't want to change my email address but it may come to that.
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DANG YOU SPAMMERS!
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Marilyn.
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Drawing away here. I've finished eighty-five pencils sketches for a book I'm illustrating on Madagascar. I have six more to go. They are, in no particular order....
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• A drawing of an elephant bird standing on a beach
• A boat full of strange animals
• Two globes explaining how weather works in different hemispheres
• Two boys, covered in red mud, swinging clubs made out of dead shark meat
• Two boys pretending to have a lemur stink fight
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• And last but not least, a drawing showing eight different kinds of lemurs.
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Once all ninety-one drawings are finished then I can move on to coloring them in.
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Some day, in the not so very distant future, after my Scholastic book comes out in December, I would like to do school visits. I figured out a way to make skull masks, tarsier hats and Komodo Dragon hats out of paper...as modeled by my imaginary friends here:
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That is something that I think would be quite fun.
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Well Friends, It's a big day, a milestone, half a century, I am older than dirt today.
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So far I have been spoiled into the stuff of legends! This morning I received from my mencats... a bracelet from Tiffany and Co, a plate of donuts, World of Warcraft Burning Crusade, and two Indiana Jones books, a compendium of comics and "Snakes, Why did it Have to Be Snakes" Awesome!
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Yesterday, the wonderhub took me to the spa for one of those Hot Rock Massage things. Let me tell you, that was an experience worth repeating... daily! My back and shoulders have almost forgiven me from drawing eight hours a day for the last month. That’s good because I was starting to look like the love child of Quasimodo and a T-Rex. Only fourteen more drawings to go!
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I've also received money from my mom for clothes, chocolates, kitchen towels, a very nice gift card for Restoration Hardware, a silver waste basket for the new bathroom, wine bottle stoppers, many lovely, lovely books, and wonderful birthday cards.
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It's been a bit strange turning fifty. When I was a kid, I couldn't see much past twenty-one. I figured that by then I would have finished college and be married and on the way to becoming a mom like my mom. However, it took me a couple of extra years to finish college, I didn't get married until I was thirty-two and I didn't become a mom until I was thirty-eight. Maybe I'm a late bloomer. Life is funny that way, things usually don’t happen like in the movies.
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It seems to me that in the movies fifty-year-old ladies are either super moms like Mrs. Walton or icy career queens of that sort that Judi Dench plays all the time. You also have Madonna still looking twenty something, sort of… she’s fifty too. I’m a little more hobbit shaped, which is fine by me. If you know of any good middle-aged lady role models let me know!
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I guess us normal folks will have to make our own way, enjoying all the good stuff as it comes rushing towards us.
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Hope you are having the best of weekends. I know I am! Hee hee hee!
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Marilyn.
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"Time and trouble will tame an advanced young woman, but an advanced old woman is uncontrollable by any earthly force."
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~ Dorothy Sayers

Here are a couple of sketches I did of Danny Elfman. I've been listening to a lot of Oingo Boingo and Elfman's film scores lately. Elfman definitely wins the best eyebrows in showbiz title.
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He also wins an award in my heart for this graduation speech.
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http://www.ncarts.edu/pressreleases/Releases2007/June07/dannyelfmanspeech.htm
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He talks about the twist and turns a life can take and how they sometimes do actually work out for the best. What hopes and dreams have been part of your path so far?
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Marilyn.

Just in case you thought I was kidding....
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I'll explain more when my head stops spinning. What a day! Yep, that is chocolate fondue.
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Must go lie down.
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Marilyn.

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Normally, life around here is of the genteel and comforting suburban variety. "Gee, Hon, those tater tots were great!" "Mom, let's watch Burn Notice reruns!" The last few weeks have been non-stop work... but the next seventy-two hours are going to be different.
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Here's what the plan is...
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Football stadium
Bagpipers
Photos for newspaper
Fondue
Limo
Balloons
Children's Book Illustrators
Lounge Singer Richard Cheese
House of Blues
Flower Show
Girl'sDay Out
Cocktail Party.
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Gotta run! Gotta find some pants that fit, shoes I can run in, floss, contacts, ack!
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Have a great weekend! What do you have planned?
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Marilyn