Where Ladybugs Roar

Confessions and Passions of a Compulsive Writer

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

The Weirdness That Ate Yesterday

I need to visit blogs today in a major way. (Unfortunately, I need to clean my house today in a major way also.) So much to do... and little kidlets around now to obstruct all activity.

So, we just got back from a ten day trip yesterday....

(Actually... every day is weird for me. I just told the son he couldn't have olives for breakfast. He came back to tell me that dad has given him permission to use the can opener. I told him he still couldn't have olives for breakfast. Now... he is having a brownie instead. I'm such a good parent.)

(This is after I had to end a strange argument between B and T that started when B started bragging she was the first one awake. "I'm the first one awake! I watched you wake up! Can you believe that? I was the first one awake!" I ended it by saying, "I was the first one awake and NO you may NOT hork my blanket. Go get a different blanket!" It's cold here in Washington.)

Where was I?

Oh. Yesterday. So, B locked the keys inside the car. I went out and tested two doors (saw the other two were locked and looked longingly at the keys) and came back inside to get the husband to break into the car. (We only have one set of keys... the husband lost my set.) The husband went out to the car and was half-way through breaking into the car when the daughter discovered she could climb through the back gate/window. I'd never considered the possibility that my daughter had locked each door individually rather than use the power lock on a door. (I should have.)

I'm also still struggling with that lame rib injury, but that isn't weird... so we'll set it aside.

So, I was on Twitter, catching up with everyone when I noticed an agent starting a thread on sex in YA. Most of you know I'm fairly conservative... despite the steamy vampire scene I posted on here a few weeks back. My big hot button issue is underage drinking in YA, but I do tend to post an opinion on sex and profanity in YA. Well, as much as I hate to debate, I got sucked into one. I've discovered few people are lobbying to keep YA with age-appropriate limitations... and "it's reality" is the new justification among YA writers. If popular media inspires reality than really we're creating this beautiful new reality involving sex, drugs, profanity, and no restrictions or consequences... but, once again, I don't like to debate. No one changes their mind... and I typically have people get all snarky and shout things like "I have different ideas on what's allowed than you do, so stop trying to tell me what to think or what to allow my children to read!" It never fails... and yes... it happened yesterday too. I just ignored it.

So, someone asked me for examples of books where there were no consequences to sex or drinking and I provided them. For sex, I pointed out that Shiver had absolutely no consequences to sex. (Wake was my example for drinking... but really it could be an example for everything, but I haven't read the later books in the series... and I won't.) Five minutes later, I was tweeting back and forth with Shiver's author. Yes... I was tweeting back and forth with Maggie Stiefvater. Yes, it was surreal.

Yesterday was weird. Our dog came back from living on the farm. (zombie dog?) No, he was being kenneled on a farm while we were gone. He had a blast and he seems moody today actually. I can hear him muttering, "I got to live on a farm and play with other dogs and no one told me to stop barking! What is this crap??? Oh... and she took me running. RUNNING! AND she brushed my fur. WHY did you bring me back here??? WHY????" No. I really can hear him saying that. Nanaimo is just like that. He's moody and he likes to mutter... more than other dogs.

Okay... enough goofing off. I should go do... things. *eyes laundry* At least I won't get into a debate with a best-selling author today over her sex scene if I'm busy doing laundry... there is that.

3 comments:

  1. ROFL to that last part Wendy! Hahahaha. And I'd be moody too if I'd been allowed to run and play and frolick in the green grasses of a farm ... only to be brought back home where I have to just lie around, be good, and ... well ... pretty much how you're feeling right now!

    So you should post about your convo with Maggie. Or even just post the tweets you shared. THAT would be way interesting.

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  2. Coolest. twitter story. ever!

    I wish someone would make me a breakfast brownie...

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  3. Wow, you twittered with the author of Shiver!

    I'm like you, I believe if there is going to be stuff like that in a YA novel, there should be consequences. I just read Willow, and there was a sex scene toward the end with no bad consequences. Actually, it was good consequences. And she was 16=too young in my opinion.

    Oh well.

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