This year, I was ready and prepared with a folder of information I planned to present to two agents and one editor during my non-fiction book pitch. The folder included my business card, my thirty-second verbal pitch, my one-sentence book description, the synopsis, and two sample chapters.

It’s no secret that I suffer from serious anxiety that can be rather debilitating, and I’ve been both blessed and cursed with extremely vivid dreams. Of course, I didn’t sleep well the night before I left for the Conference, and had a first-class nightmare to send me off on my big weekend.

In the dream, my first agent appointment had been moved from 11 a.m. to 9 a.m., but nobody told me. Fortunately, I had arrived early for the appointment, so I was ready. Unfortunately, the agent took one look at me, decided I was lame, and told me she didn’t want to hear my pitch. She talked with me for five minutes and then sent me on my way. I convinced her to take my folder of information, which she grudgingly accepted.

Later that day I was sitting in a chair at the Conference and looked up to see a movie mockery of my pitch playing on a big screen, which the agent had put together. Other Conference attendees sitting around me were watching the movie, laughing about how stupid an idea my pitch was!

Next in the dream, right before my 3:20 p.m. appointment with an editor, I somehow ended up in a taxi that took me far from conference center. I begged the taxi driver to turn around so I could make my appointment, but she refused.

I called everyone I knew to come get me and take me back to the Conference, but of course couldn’t reach anyone. And to make matters worse, during the course of the Conference, I couldn’t get on any elevators, had my make-up all screwed up, and bought a new car in the middle of it all.

Nice!

The other day, I received an inquiry through my Contact Form. Elizabeth wrote in with such an interesting question that I thought it would be fun to create an entire post out of it.

Thanks for letting me post your question here, Elizabeth. As I said before, you are one cool chick to be thinking of ways to send your man off to sea in style rather than giving him grief for leaving.

Here’s her note:

I am the girlfriend of a soon-to-be commercial fisherman. He did it in the past, left it to pursue a career on land, and I of course started dating him while he was in this on-land period. But the call of the sea is too great, I guess. He was recently offered a job on swordfish boat down here in San Diego. I don’t know how often they’ll dock or how long he’ll get to stay docked, but I do know that there won’t be any phone calls while he is out. I know I’ll miss him terribly, and I have no idea how I’ll cope with him being gone all the time but I do know that I want to send him off with something special. Since I’m a complete rookie – is there anything that the men especially enjoy having with them? Pictures, music, food? Any feedback that you have from your own experiences would be much appreciated!

Well, I couldn’t stop thinking of ways to send a guy off to sea! (Rated G, of course, this is a family-friendly blog!) :-)

Here are some of my favorites:

• Gift pack of his favorite treats. Candy, cookies, crackers, chips, etc., to hide in his bunk.
• A special “boat cup” (Not glass, boat-safe, can be bought at fisheries supplies or sporting goods stores).
• A set of boat dishes. George loved the set I got for him.
• New galley towels. They get dirty and ruined so fast, it’s nice to have something fresh and clean!
• A photo of yourself in a frame. My friend took a nice black and white of me years ago that George loved. Unfortunately, one time we had a big fight and I threw it away, but it was nice while it existed :-)
  
• Create a photo book of your best pictures together at Snapfish, Shutterfly, or Costco. They are easy and fun, and you can add quotes and messages on every page if you want.
• A photo calendar. I create them every year and send one with G to look at in the wheelhouse throughout his months away.
• A book. A light read is usually better. For example, skip the self-help or how to improve your relationship, haha!
  
• You can hide a card in his bag for him to find once he’s on the boat.
• You can send him off with many cards labeled with dates, one to open each day or once a week.
• Have kids? Eva just drew a picture of her and George holding hands. We picked out a frame for it, she wrapped it all by herself, and then couldn’t wait to tell him about it when he called.
  
• Find out the address of the place they’ll be unloading their catches, and have something waiting for him there each time they unload. I like to send George his magazines, pictures, and the kids’ artwork. We go to the post office and select the bright,  fancy, decorative envelopes so it goes in style!
• A new CD or a mix-CD of his favorite music.
• Several magazines.
• A small portable DVD player and a couple of movies.
• A new boat blanket or sleeping bag.
• Fresh new boat pillow case.
• Nice new boat shower towel.
• Have a phone that takes and sends pictures? George loves receiving new pics whenever he gets cell coverage.
• You can also get “creative” with your cell phone pics, if you get my drift. Not for everyone, but it won’t go unappreciated! :-)

Anyone else have additional ideas? Let’s grow the list! This was fun!

(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

“Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid of standing still.”

(Chinese proverb)

“In your rocking chair, by your window, you dream such happiness as you may never feel.”

(Sister Carrie, by Theodore Dreiser)

“Say, how long ya gonna stay, Huck? Say you’ll stay always. We can have just booming times.”

(Huck Finn, Mark Twain)

“God will not look you over for medals, degrees, or diplomas, but for scars.”

(Elbert Hubbard)

I came across this video last night. At first I thought George had simply captured the vast winter ocean, but upon closer inspection, I noticed our signature buoys in the background. I’m no Dungeness crab expert, but I think that is what’s called a “string of gear” and the buoys are attached to crab pots that are resting at the bottom of the ocean.

I’m sure someone out there can help me out if I’m incorrect. I’d ask George, but…well, I have no idea where he is :-).

I recently upgraded my blog to allow for videos (to the tune of $60—yikes!). I hope you enjoy these first two short clips, which George recorded during the last Dungeness crab season.

This is all practice—thanks for bearing with me as I keep upgrading Highliners and Homecomings!

So, here’s a traditional post. I’m not giving up on the audio post, though, and will keep trying! :-)

After a couple of weeks without hearing from George, I talked to him twice this weekend. He is fishing in a remote location with neither civilization or cell phone coverage, so he reached us via satellite phone and we got caught up.

He’s doing okay but I could tell by his tone that he seems to miss us.  He asked specifically to talk to the kids more than once, and he even called right back when the connection was lost.

The little ones and I spent four days in a row last week in our front yard underneath a brilliant and hot sunshine. They had fun in their kiddie pool, reading books underneath a shady tree, and going down a small slip ‘n slide.

They were satisfied with their little yellow slip ‘n slide, that is, until they tried out the mother of all slip ‘n slides at Grandma and Grandpa’s house.

THAT slip ‘n slide is fifty feet long, ten feet wide, and set up on an amazing rolling lawn. It looked like so much fun that I even tried it! I picked up Vincent, sat him on my lap, and went down on a plastic tube. We caught amazing speed, the slide was super slick…so much so that we flew down, skidded past the grass and wiped out in the middle of the street.

Don’t worry; Momma took the hit!  I kept Vincent safe by holding him up as I slid across the street and scraped up my left shoulder, hip, and ankle. Then, we all reassured a concerned Eva that everything was fine after I climbed back up the hill and used the hose to clean out the gravel in my wounds.

The sun has momentarily disappeared and Eva has a slight summer cold, so we are going to take it easy today, heal and rest up for the next round of sun and fun. Can’t wait!!

Our Always Alert (and recently shaved) Mandy

Our Loving and Gentle Toby

Club Soda, Bread, Yogurt...and One Vincent

Shark Shirt, Hawaiian Shorts and Dinosaur Boots at the Village Green

The awesome kind of sun where a temporarily solo mother of two toddlers can bring out the sidewalk chalk and go through the alphabet with her daughter…let her son sneak inside to grab more sugar-free, off-brand, push-up Popsicles…and teach them both how to do that slip n’ slide once and for all.

Since George is fishing all summer for blackcod and halibut, far out of communication range—and stays out for a long time—I’m glad the sun has decided to come out. I believe it relieves my worries/pressure by at least 70%!

Cheers to a blessed and beautiful day!

(I hope you enjoy Eva’s sidewalk chalk artwork. Would that we all added our age to the end of our signature!)