Super Bowl and Love

I’m super excited for this Sunday. I’ve waited all season long for it. And in a few short hours, it will be here! The Super Bowl!!!! I get giddy just thinking about it. I love everything there is about the celebration. I love the anticipation. I love the fact that two of the best teams in the NFL will face off in an epic battle for the title of “Champion.” I love the tortilla chips and the chicken wings and the hot sauce that tastes sooo delicious. I love that I can swig beer after beer, yell at my television set and laugh with my friends all at the same time. What other day is such a thing even possible??? I love the half time show (Katy Perry and her lions) and the commercials (the one with the puppy and the horse chokes me up with tears every single time!) I think, by now, you get the picture. I love this game!

And, as I’m preparing in the kitchen for tonight’s festivities, when I’ll happily greet my family and friends at the door and invite them to gather around the television set in my living room, it hits me how much the Super Bowl is like a good romantic comedy. I can almost see the incredulous looks on your faces and the roll of your eyes as you read this. I can see your eyebrows arch up in disbelief as you wonder silently how I can make such a comparison. Football and love? Isn’t that an oxymoron?

But it’s true and I can prove it. Think about it. From the very first page of a chick lit book, there is that sweet sense of anticipation that you feel in the pit of your stomach when the heroine of your story meets the love of her life. You know something magical is about to happen and you’re right.

Then somewhere down the road as you read further into the story, there is the battle between our heroine and the incredibly handsome, dashing man who has captured her heart as they fight off the feelings they have for each other. There is always an obstacle in the way of their happiness (jealous friend, or vindictive ex) or a comic misunderstanding that keeps them apart. But the point is, they have to battle through it to find love, just like in a football game.

And then, at the end of the story, who doesn’ enjoy the sweet taste of victory when our couple finally realizes that they are meant to be together. I can almost see the confetti rain down and the bucket of Gatorade being doused . . . and someone, somewhere is going to Disney World.

You see, love is just like the Super Bowl . . . well, maybe not exactly. There are no cute commercials with a puppy and a dog and no half-time show with Katy Perry and her lions, but . . . you get the picture.

I hope you enjoy your day, whoever you root for. Happy Super Bowl, everyone!

Erin

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Its not you, Monday.  Its me.  Im sure you are a very lovely part of the week, but Im looking for different things from my days.  Lets face it: Weve grown apart.  Ive changed.  Theres just something about you that makes me sad.  You dont bring me as much happiness anymore as the other days.  And dont we all deserve happiness? 

Lets face it: I can always count on Tuesday to get me closer to the weekend.  Wednesday is the hump that puts me over that work hill.  Thursday is filled with memories and throw-back pictures. Friday is just plain fun.  With Friday, I can let down my hair and forget about all that stress of the week.  Friday doesnt judge me by what I do: I can be crazy and wild, I can be who I want to be and Friday will always understand.  Friday gets me! 

But Saturday-ahh Saturday! Saturday is the love of my life.  Saturday is filled with possibility and promise.  Saturday is exciting and daring.  I can go bike riding or to the beach with Saturday.  I can go skiing or to the museum or the park with Saturday.  Saturday takes me out to dinner and the movies.  Saturday takes me out dancing and to an after-hours bar, overlooking the Manhattan skyline with a cocktail in my hand.  With Saturday, I can sit quietly at a coffee house in the morning, reading the newspaper and then go shopping in the afternoon.  Saturday LOVES to shop!  With Saturday, I can go away on a mini-vacation or a staycation.  Saturday is who I want to be.   

Im sorry to do this to you, Monday.  You certainly deserve better.  I just cant be in your life anymore.  Trust me-as much as it hurts now, youll move on and forget about me.  Give it time.  Time heals all.   You need to look for someone who will make you happy.  I know theres someone out there for you.  As a matter of fact, I hear Sunday is available.

Erin   

Obsessions

TheTwelveStepPlan_Ebook

Everyone has them.  They come in all shapes and sizes.  They change as we get older.  We are proud of some of them.  Others, we blush at the thought of.  We either keep them close to the vest and hide them away in secret compartments, taking them out when we think no one is looking, or we expose them for the whole world to see, not afraid of showing them off (even if some people may think you are a little crazy because of it.) 

I have my own list.  It starts with chocolate and ends with episodes of Downton Abbey (with karaoke singing and red wine added in there for a touch of flavor).  These are my obsessions, things I can’t do without.  My guilty pleasures. Some I’m very proud of-cholocate covered strawberries, anyone?  Others, I keep hidden out of view.  If you heard me singing, you’d understand why I don’t let many people know about my karaoke obsession.

But still, these are the things that make me happy.  These are the things I look forward to. These are the things that I savor, enjoy. They bring a smile to my face, a laugh to my lips. 

And just like with any obsession, it can be a hard habit to kick, even when you know too much of it can be a bad thing (giving up chocolate to lose a few pounds is impossible for me.) You find that your once rational mind starts to become cloudy, murky at the thought of it.  You may find yourself salivating at the prospect, even daydreaming about it. You may be in total denial over it, invent excuses as to why you simply can’t do without it (chocolate is good for the heart and so is that extra glass of wine!)  You may hide it away because you don’t want to witness the canny glances exchanged by your family and friends (my husband once caught me eating an entire box of Godiva in the basement laundry room and gave me that look!).

My latest book deals with this very dilemma.  It’s about my main character’s, Sadie Rollins, who happens to be obsessed with a celebrity.  Sadie is rational and intelligent in every sense of the word . . . rational except when it comes to her obsession (sounds familiar?)  She is a college professor who seems to have everything she would want out of life; everything except that her life is boring.  She’s missing out on that kick, that sense of adventure, the living on the ledge; the exhilaration and adrenaline that only an obsession can provide. So, in order to add color to her otherwise very black and very white life, she decides to “let it out” and pursue the object of her obsession . . .

What transpires is a journey that has her questioning everything she believes in. And perhaps so will you. As with my other books, “The Twelve Step Plan” is a romantic comedy (another one of my obsessions-a great love story that gives you a laugh or two along the way) and it’s available for pre-sale on Amazon, just in time for the Valentine Day season.  (Thanks again to Littera Designs for the wonderful book cover!)

Erin