SWITZERLAND FORUM

[Emeritus]

!!!!!!!MONDAY!!!!! Back later.

[cklaurence]

Checking in as well. See you when you get back. Have a great day, Em!

[Emeritus]

LOL, I can't say that it was a great day, but I got though it. We can count difficulties as trials or as opportunities to grow. I think that I hit about .250 today. Hey, I've done worse. Most of my problems I bring on myself by allowing people to volunteer me. If I had been smart, I would have cultivated the image of an irascible crank from the time that I moved back to Beaumont. It's too late now, though - people know a pushover when they see one.

[dredwak]

To NFL Fans:

Now that another remarkable NFL season has concluded, let me express my gratitude on behalf of all 32 NFL teams for your incredible support. Record numbers of you watched at home, made your way to the stadium, and connected with the NFL in numerous other ways during the 2011 season. Your love of football is what makes the NFL special.

We are proud of the quality of the game today. From the individuals and team skills on display in every game to the record-breaking achievements of future Hall of Famers, the 2011 season was extraordinary on many levels.

It finished up with some of the most exciting playoff games of recent years leading to a tense, drama-filled Super Bowl between the Giants and Patriots that was the most-watched show in the history of television. What a tribute to our players, coaches, and fans!

As good as it’s been, I believe the NFL’s best days are ahead. Our responsibility in leading the league is to protect and enhance the bond between our game and the passionate fans who sustain it. We know we have to earn your trust every day and prove we are worthy of your amazing support.

Our commitment to improve everything we do is ongoing. We are not done yet. From the game on the field to the fan experience at home -- and everything in between -- there are ways we can do even better. We owe it to you, the fans, to believe in better and strive for more. Our game has always evolved and that will continue. I encourage you to visit our new web site – NFL.com/evolution – to explore how the game has improved over the past century. There are more good changes to come.

Our mission is captured very simply in these four words:
Forever forward. Forever football. Thank you once again for your passion and commitment to the game we all love.

Roger Goodell

[cklaurence]

Something tells me you wouldn't have been any good at playing the crank, Em. You are simply stuck being the good guy. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it.

I'm having some design changes made here at Switzerland, which should show up in the not-too-distant-future. If you take a look at my website when you get a moment, you will see it's brand spanking new! Yes, the new site is up to celebrate my association with Purple Books and of course, the coming release (March 4th) of the re-worked, updated and (I think) much better DEMONS. Purple Books has titled it THE MYSTERY OF JESSICA BENSON, as you already know, and I'm really getting excited about its release as it gets closer. Let me know what you think about the new design of my website, please...

[cklaurence]

LOL@dear Dred. Got that letter as well. Had this insane desire to shake him until his hair fell out when I read it--how about you? Thank you for posting! Check out my new website and let me know what you think. Be sure to look carefully through the Gallery of pictures!

[cklaurence]

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT PAGES OF THE NEW WEBSITE. FOR SOME REASON PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TELLING ME THEY DIDN'T NOTICE THERE WAS MORE THAN A HOME PAGE--ALTHOUGH I THOUGHT IT WAS PRETTY CLEAR. AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE (BELOW MY NAME) ARE THE DIFFERENT 'ROOMS,' (i.e., "Contact," "Gallery," and of course, our own Switzerland, the "Football Forum"). THE GALLERY HAS OVER ONE HUNDRED PICTURES, MANY ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BLOGGED HERE (OR STILL DO) AND HOPEFULLY WILL CONTINUE IN THE FUTURE. OTHERS ARE FROM PLACES MENTIONED IN MY BOOKS OR FROM SIGNINGS AND MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

HOPE ALL IS WELL...

[Emeritus]

Boy, I hate to show my ignorance, but new website where, ck? I'm having a world of computer problems, but I'd love to check it out when I can.

[cklaurence]

Okay Em. You probably come straight to Switzerland and have long ago forgotten that you originally got here through my website. Switzerland is attached to it as the "Football Forum." (BTW, did you happen to notice that Pats as One stopped by yesterday? The post was under "Is it Still PreSeason" or something like that. Just came by to say hello, but it was really nice to see an old family member here.)

Anyway, back to the website. Go to www.cklaurence.com - and check it out. The gallery page has loads of pictures, many of them are people who blog here that I have met over the years. Some have met, as you know from reading the blogs here, at Faux and at Facebook and are now together. We actually do have 'family' that has come from Switzerland! Check it out and let me know what you think of it. You can conveniently return to Switzerland by clicking on "Football Forum" when you are finished viewing the website.

[cklaurence]

HELLLOOOOOOO! EM? Hmmmmmmmm..... Hope the computer gets fixed soon. This place can get really lonely when you're not here!

[Emeritus]

Sorry, ck. I'm up to my knees in alligators. I haven't forgotten you and I look forward to a chat. I'll be back when I can. Have a great Friday!

[cklaurence]

Thanks Em! I guess you'll explain the alligators when you return. Until then, happy Friday to you as well. See you soon...

[cklaurence]

Just want to keep the page warm...

[cklaurence]

Switzerland can be a really lonely place...

[Emeritus]

When it rains it pours! Everybody that I know had an emergency at the same time. I've been giving rides to a friend who totaled her car, taking care of business for somebody who had a stoke (and apparently they hadn't taken care of anything in months) and serving as an emergency substitute at Lamar University here in Beaumont - all while under the weather myself. Have you ever had a cold give you an ear infection? I don't recommend it. None of these were serious problems, of course, but they came all at once. I hope that the payoff is that I'm in the clear for a while. I hope that you, at least, have been well?

[cklaurence]

Aside from tap dancing alone here in Switzerland, Em, I've been fine. This place is dead, dead, dead when one of us is not around. I really need to do something about it. I am hoping the new novel will bring new life, but really--it was my blogging at Faux that brought people here in the first place. I haven't been back there in about 2 years, and try as I might to get some of our old Family back by inviting them time and again at Facebook, alas, I've been a failure.

Geesh! I thought I submitted this early this afternoon. I got distracted and went downstairs to do a few things and then completely forgot about it. Just came back to see if you'd answered, a oddly enough all I saw was my unsent message. Of all the things I miss from my youth, I miss my mind the most.

[Emeritus]

ck, it seems dead everywhere! There are a sad few souls around at Fox and on Facebook, but nobody seems to have any enthusiasm. Maybe everybody has the February blahs.

[cklaurence]

Yes, maybe so Em. Too soon after football season to be excited about next season. Those that just missed the playoffs or lost during the playoffs are just getting over the sting. Those of us that were out of it from the beginning are just plain burnt.
I just got my manuscript back from the editor, so I have to read it and see what (if any) changes have been made. They said the only changes were in punctuation, and if that's the case, I probably won't have any complaints, assuming the changes don't mess with my style. I'll let you know...

[Emeritus]

Anytime that an editor doesn't demand a rewrite, you are in good shape.

[Emeritus]

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[cklaurence]

Anytime that an editor doesn't demand a rewrite, you are in good shape.

LOL, Em. Nope, not one rewrite. Doesn't like my frequent use of "--" but no complaints at all about my wording, just my style. Hurts just bad, though...

[Emeritus]

Since I would get on students about the unnecessary use of quotation marks, I will not say a word about it. The most frequent actually error that I saw was comma blunders and they seemed to get more frequent every year. I found myself wishing that they had all learned from my Sixth Grade English teacher. She was a martinet, but her students learned the correct use of the language.

[cklaurence]

It wasn't my quotation marks, Em--it was my dashes. That goes to my style, but they left enough of them that it wasn't worth fighting about (especially since they didn't touch my verbiage). I'm looking forward to seeing the galleys...

[Emeritus]

I don't know how you use the dashes, ck. Do you use them in place of an ellipsis (...)?

[cklaurence]

I sure wish I could get you to read my book when it comes out, Em. That's really the only way you could understand my style. Well, actually, you can see from the way I write here how I use the dashes or you'd have to read DEMONS, because they edited out maybe half of my dashes and replaced them with either "..." or commas in MYSTERY. You're my most consistent blogger and best buddy here, and probably the only one who has never read my book(s). How can I change this??? I know you're kind of highfalutin' about your reading material, but you've got to let your hair down and have some fun once in a while... It's about football and murder--you can't go wrong!

[Emeritus]

I'll get back to you on that ck. I promise. In the meantime, consider yourself lucky to have the book to occupy your time. I'm not handling the end of football season comfortably.

[cklaurence]

Me either, Em, but I haven't been handling the actual football season very well either, so I've had all season to practice being miseralbe . Misery loves company, you know...

[cklaurence]

Where are you dear Emeritus? I'm missing you to the MAX!!! Hope all is well in Beaumont. Do you need anything at all? Please let me know--I would gladly have anything you need airlifted in to you, or bring it to you myself if necessary! You don't usually go this without any word, so I'm beginning to get ferklempt!!! Hugs...

[Emeritus]

I'm really sorry, ck, but the real world has been intruding. I'll get back as soon as I can.

[cklaurence]

I understand, Em. I've been having a pretty tough time myself. I guess it's because it's been such a long time since my last novel was published, but I can't remember all these last odds and ends getting me so crazy as they have this time! It seems as though it's one thing after another. Little rewrites and minor changes--lost pages. No, I just don't remember all of these glitches, but then again, after all, the publisher put the wrong manuscript up in the end and the novel came out full of errors, so hopefully, all of this stuff that's causing me an awful lot of anxiety, in the end will save me the aggravation when the publication is released. DEMONS never came out in electronic form at all, so let's see how it goes with MYSTERY, because it's coming out in electronics first--close to March 4th. I don't understand that at all! All the electronic availability is listed in "Novel Thoughts" on my website, www.cklaurence.com - have you ever visited? I'm going to have to get a copy for my hubby because he has the Nook and seems to enjoy reading books that way now. I'm still a page-turning kind of a girl...