Whatever hits the fan ...

.... will not be evenly distributed.

This one hits home for me, because a lot of sh*t hit the fan this fall. You see, I've been helping co-chair this major event for the Master Gardeners. I mean -- MAJOR. It's a one-day mini-conference and we usually have 500 attendees, 70 speakers, multiple buildings used, lunch served, etc.

So yeah, I was co-chairing -- then my co-chair bailed out on me. She just quit. Walked off. Left me with "what the hell did you work on and did it get done?"

I had to scramble for all of November just to catch up then all of December to make sure things got done.

And you know what? I still wrote another book, came up with a promo plan, and managed to work full-time (and more) at the Paycheck Job.

Which just goes to show -- stay away from the fan. You never know when "it" will hit.

If you think you have a problem, remember

A billion Chinese people don't care about your worries.

Truth, right? Anytime I feel oppressed, put-upon, or overwhelmed, I think of this. All of life's 'problems' are really a matter of perspective, right? There are people out there right now whom I do not know who are in a life and death struggle.

Makes my worries about an upcoming leisure trip seem trivial.

So stop, take a deep breath, and remember to ask yourself: how many people will die if [insert event here] doesn't happen?

If the answer is zero, then it ain't important.

If you're the smartest person in the room ....

you're in the wrong room.

Ain't it the truth? Have you ever been someplace and you look around and you're like -- how did I get here? Why am I here?

That happened to me not long ago. I was at a gathering of a bunch of what I thought were like-minded people. It wasn't until about 5 minutes into the gathering that I realized, "oh, hell, I'm in deep doo here."

I kept my mouth shut and got out without injury, but it was a near thing.

Note to self: always make sure you know the scene before joining the scene. It might save some aggravation.

Faith, Hope, and Love can work wonders,

but ruby slippers never hurt, either.

Just got back from a trip to the land of Oz. Specifically, from Kansas and a visit to the Wizard of Oz museum in Wamego, KS. Go ahead. Look it up. Or I'll help:

http://ozmuseum.com/

This is an amazing collection of memorabilia that is a Must See for any Oz fan. Not just movie stuff, but interesting things about Frank Baum, the books (all of them, all 40 or so), those who wrote the "other" books (not the original 13 by Baum) -- in short, lots of interesting stuff.

And let's not forget the Oz Winery, just down the street. Also a good spot to stop. I scored some Flying Monkeys Wine and Can't Find My Way Home White (sampled and they were good).

So go ahead, click your heels and take a trip down the yellow brick road. You won't regret it!

Faith, Hope, and Love can work wonders

but ruby slippers never hurt, either.

You know, sometimes you need that little something to get you past the problem. Sometimes it's just a bit of a push, or maybe ruby slippers.

I decided this year to tackle the dreaded Promo beast. I'm doing a few things here and there to see if anything helps. I'm doing a GoodReads giveaway of my first Deadly Landscaping book. Details are here if you care to enter.

Will this be my "ruby slippers"? I'm not sure, but I'm really curious to find out!

Drive carefully --

-- it's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker.

{start winter peeve}

You there, you driving that big-ass monster SUV or truck or behemoth on the road. Quit tail-gating me. I'm doing a reasonable speed for the road conditions. There's not just a slight coating of snow, there's inches of snow. Trust me. It's slippery out here. I know this road and I know where it can turn to ice. So get off my butt. You have 4-wheel drive. You don't have 4-wheel stop.

{end winter peeve}

Enough said.

Everybody is ignorant ...

... only on different subjects.

This one seems so obvious until you really think about it. We all have a blind spot, a Thing We Don't Get.

Mine is popular culture. I have no idea who Kim Big Butt is or how she's related to whoever and why people care. The same is true for most music people unless they were born in the 1940s and 1950s.

But I can tell you about the history of comic books in America, and discuss American Realism and Naturalism in fiction, and also help you troubleshoot your computer.

Some people can tell you how to game the system and get something for nothing. A dubious talent, but a talent, nonetheless.

It's all in how you look at it, right? We're all ignorant, and we're all smart -- just in different spots.

But when I see pictures of Miss Big Butt, I do have to wonder, I admit....