Meg's Blog

BC Book Prize Auction

I received a request from BC Book Prize to put a link to their auction on my website, so here it is.  I went to the site myself and there are a lot of great things to bid on and in doing so you will be helping support and promote writers and illustrators in BC.  Not only that, but the BC Book Prize group also tour authors and illustrators around BC to schools that otherwise might not have had the funds or opportunity to have a real live author or artist visit their school.  AND every year BC Book Prize finds local sponsors who make massive donations to buy books for the school libraries in BC.  Which is a godsend, since funding for our libraries over the last few years has been whittled down to a pittance.

So, if you are feeling flush and you have your 8 month emergency fund socked away, and you have topped up your RRSP as well as invested in your TFS, and you have a little spare cash rattling around in your pocket and feel like doing a good deed, check out the auction and see if there is anything that grabs your fancy.

Posted by Meg Tilly on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 in Chewing the Fat

For all of you who voted for my sister…

I wanted to let you know that I just found out that she won the very prestigious the Bellagio 5k tournament and made 124 thousand dollars!  Yay Jennifer!  And I bet if she got into that stupid Tournament of so-called champions, she would have won that as well!

Posted by Meg Tilly on Sunday, July 18, 2010 in Chewing the Fat

Jasmin John-Thorpe

Don figured out what the problem was.  The photo was too big for me to upload, so the thing kept blanking out.  Not to worry.  Don worked his magic and so here it is!  (The beautiful top I am wearing courtesy of my fabulous, fashionable sister, Jennifer, of course!)

Posted by Meg Tilly on Saturday, July 17, 2010 in Chewing the Fat

Summer

Hello everyone,

If you are enjoying your summer even half as much as I am enjoying mine, you must be having great summer!  Will is home and Dave is dropping by all the time and when his lovely fiance Amy is in town, I get the pleasure of both of their smiling faces.  Chats with Emily on the phone.  Life is good.

I love our new/old home.  Never going to move.  Am done.  That’s it.  Finished.  Ah… Bliss!

ALSO another thing that has me dancing is that is is summer fruit time!  So exciting.  I’ve been making weekly visits to the local farms and have been gorging.  The strawberries this year seem especially inspired.  Tiny, tender morsels that bruise easily, don’t last long so you have to eat them up quick.  Remind me of the taste of the wild strawberry patch my sisters and I discovered when we were young.  Full of flavor and so sweet, dissolve in the mouth succulent perfection that makes me feel so happy and grateful to be alive and able to afford such a tasty treat.

Driving back from the farms the car loaded up, warm summer days with a cool breeze tingling the skin, the inside of the car filled with the mingling smells of summer fruit, my husband beside me.  What could be better?

I’ve also bought some blueberries, although they are a tiny bit tart still, not quite where they need to be but good enough to nosh on a handful or two a day and certainly good enough for freezing.  Hopefully in another week or two they will get to that super sweet, taut stage that is blueberry perfection.

The peaches and nectarines are a little disappointing, not much flavor, a slight bitter tang and not the right texture.  Don’t know if they will step into their own later on in the summer or if they are a wash this season.

The raspberries are good.  Not enough to send me into raptures, but perfectly fine, as are the cherries. 

I’m having a great summer.  Went to the B.C. Youth Write Camp in Pentiction.  Yasmin John-Thorpe is the founder/organizer.  A woman with a huge heart.  I seriously don’t know how she and her hearty band of volunteers manage to pull this off year after year, donating zillions of hours of their time, stretching a very limited budget to give these kids and teens this experience.  I had a great time.  The teens wrote their hearts out.  Some serious talent in that group.  Blew me away. 

Here’s a picture of me with the wonder woman that my friend kc dyer emailed me along with this wonderful sentence which I am holding to my heart like Dumbo’s feather.  “Sending you summer writing karma on the backs of blue dragonflys….!“ Seems to be working. 

Oops!  Been so long since I’ve uploaded a picture, I’ve forgotten how to do it.  I thought I did all the correct steps, but nothing uploaded, so I’ll have to wait until my husband gets off-line.  He is doing his weekly writers group meeting with Ken and James.  James has written an enormous manuscript so I imagine Don will be a while, but I’ll have him re-teach me how to post this picture when he’s done.

Bye for now.

Posted by Meg Tilly on Saturday, July 17, 2010 in Chewing the Fat

Well, I for one am not planning on watching

Unfortunately, my sister didn’t make it into the top 20 which was a disappointment, however, it was still very exciting that she got into the top 50!  And who knows she could have been 21 and missed by the tiniest margin.  We’ll never know. 

What I do know, is that you guys were GREAT!  A few days after I had made my request, up she was in the top 50.  It was very cool that you guys responded in that way.  And I wanted you to know how much Jennifer and I appreciated the support.

On the writing front, I got several chapters in and realized that it was just a meandering mess.  Figured if I was bored with the story after just 30 pages, the reader would be as well. 

Actually, to be more accurate, it wasn’t “the story” I was bored with, it was the fact that there wasn’t “a story.“ 

Oh, I had convinced myself that there was one, but really, there wasn’t. 

Sigh…

Posted by Meg Tilly on Thursday, June 17, 2010 in Chewing the Fat

Last call at the poker booth

Hello everyone,

Today is the very last day for voting on who gets to play in The World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions!  Come one, come all click here to cast your last minute vote for my sister, Jennifer Tilly. 

I’m on pins and needles, hoping all of us have done enough.  We got her into the Top 50, that we know for sure, but was it enough to get her into the top 20?  Eeeee…nervous!

Anyway, if you haven’t voted, have a moment on your hands and think, “Hey why the heck not?“  Then vote, vote, vote!

Thanks!

Posted by Meg Tilly on Tuesday, June 15, 2010 in

Jennifer and Phil

Well, Phil broke the record and then some and I found this cute video of Jennifer and Phil on youtube and it was cozy in a weird-poker-world sort of way.  So this is probably not a video for the under 16 set.  There is no swearing or anything, it’s really kind of sweet.  But it is the poker world, with chips and cash and stuff and it seems so fun and jaunty and like a happy party, but I don’t want to misrepresent the other side of the poker life that plagues so many people who aren’t as skilled as my sister and Phil.  So that’s why the age recommendation.

Posted by Meg Tilly on Monday, June 07, 2010 in Chewing the Fat

Yay!

My sister’s boyfriend, Phil Laak has broken the Guiness record!  You can read about it here.

He’s broken the official and the unofficial record and he is trying to hold on 100 hours.

Posted by Meg Tilly on Sunday, June 06, 2010 in

Back again

Okay, so here it is.

“Hey everybody (another mass email)  Phil is trying to break the Guinness book of world records for sleep deprivation while playing poker.  (yes they have a record for everything)  The record currently is 75 hours.  Phil so far has been awake approximately 24 hours.  You can see a live 24 hour feed at www.acejones.com.  To read more about just google Phil and click on “news”
Love, Jen”

Also, Jenny’s going to be on Craig Ferguson tomorrow night, Friday, June 4th.  I love it when she does his show.  The two of them are very funny together!

Posted by Meg Tilly on Thursday, June 03, 2010 in Chewing the Fat

Jennifer and Phil

Phil Laak, my sister’s boyfriend is trying to set a new world record for the most… wait, I can’t quite describe it.  I’ll go back to my sister’s email and let her describe it for you, but I’ll put the link here now for those of you who are interested. 

Be right back!

Posted by Meg Tilly on Thursday, June 03, 2010 in Chewing the Fat

Dumb old wind

Well, Alan Colmes was super sweet. 

Unfortunately, we were having a lot of wind and it must have knocked a branch down on the phone line right in the middle of his show, because the phone cut out, and me, I heard the click, but I thought it was just Ann doing some sort of radio connecting business or something, so I kept talking, and talking and talking, until finally, I realized that cozy Alan guy wasn’t chatting back. 

It wasn’t that he was so mesmerized by my interesting conversation, he wasn’t saying, “uh…huh…“ or “really, you don’t say” because he wasn’t there anymore!  It was a dead phone I was blathering into.

Sheesh!

And then, you should have seen me when I realized.  Up I leapt from my comfy chair with my nice glass of ice water at my elbow.  “Hello?  Hello?“  I was saying into the phone.  “Hello?  Hello?“ a little louder.  “Oh no!“  I started running around the house, I got the portable phone, “Hello?  Hello?“  Nothing

I ran downstairs to my work room, grabbed that phone, “Hello?  Hello?“  Still that dead flat nothing.  “S__t!“ 

Don was watching the Blackhawks and the Flyers duke it out on the hockey game he recorded.  “Don,“ I called.  “The phones don’t work!  The phones don’t work!“ 

I knew Alan was gone now, the show must go on, and all that rot, but still, I was trying the phones. 

All the downstairs ones, then down into the basement storage room that is jammed full of my daughter’s stuff, hopping over boxes and her sofa and an upside down coffee table to try the last final phone jack in the whole d__n house. 

I plugged it in.  “Hello?  Hello?“ I said, expecting nothing. 

“Hello,“ said Ann. 

I almost fell over in shock.  They were still there.  “We went to commercial break,“ she explained, calm as can be.  Wow.  I wish I had her cool.  She put Alan on and we finished the interview. 

I’m not sure if I made sense or not.  I’m not sure if I was coherent.  I wanted to be.  I didn’t want to let all the people out there who had lives like me down.  The ones who don’t get the chance to speak out.  But I don’t know if I did them justice. 

What I do know is that Alan Colmes is a VERY sweet guy. 

Posted by Meg Tilly on Wednesday, June 02, 2010 in Chewing the Fat

Ahem…

Uh… so my friend, Gerry just called and apparently I got the date wrong. 

When he first told me, I glanced down at my calendar slid my finger along the days of the week, no poor Gerry must need a new glasses prescription, because there it was very clearly, Wednesday and then there underneath it was scribbled Alan Colmes Show 8 pm and then nestled right next to it was a big solid 2.

“Um…“ I said politely, “No, I think I got it right, it’s written right here, Wednesday, May second.“

“May.“

“Yes, May.“

“It’s the May part, Meg,“ Gerry said dryly. 

“The May part?“

“June, Meg.  I think you mean June.“

“June?!“ I squeaked.  “Oh my God!  It’s June!  I better fix that right away.“  I hung up to the sound of Gerry cackling in a pleased sort of way.

ANYWAY… for those of you who actually notice those sort of piddling little details… Alan Colmes (Fox News Radio) has graciously invited me to on his show this Wednesday night, June 2nd, at around 8 pm PST

Posted by Meg Tilly on Monday, May 31, 2010 in Chewing the Fat

Alan Colmes

Hi everyone,

For those of you who are interested, Alan Colmes (Fox News Radio) has graciously invited me to on his show this Wednesday night, May 2nd, at around 8 pm PST to talk about Gemma and whatnot. 

A shout out to the fabulous Tooraj Kavoussi for arranging it.

On another front, we have done our final haul with the movers!  Phew!  It has been a month of boxes, packing and unpacking, hauling furniture this way and that, and today we finished!  HURRAY!  My time is my own now.  To squander recklessly, or gently savor, anything goes.  The main thing is we are done, done, DONE! 

The movers were very sweet.  Used the same guys for all three moves.  Starting to feel like family, seeing them so much this month.  Made them some of my hot coffee cake this morning, hot tea and coffee and they ate it pipping hot, steam rising.  It was raining.  Oddly cold weather for the final gasps of May.  One has an Uncle who apparently does a mean smoked salmon and he wanted to send us some.  Very sweet boys. 

And yes, I know they are probably in their mid-to-late twenties, but I’ve gotten to the age where young men in their mid-to-late twenties seem like boys to me.  Grown men/boys.  One of them even has two small children of his own running around at home.  But it’s like when I see their grown-up faces I’m also seeing/imagining their child’s faces as well.  Probably because they aren’t so much older than my own children and it seems like just yesterday that they were all living at home.  Tumbling out of their bedrooms sleepy-eyed, pajama clad.

Those times seem closer than usual this last month.  Probably from sorting through all the pictures and boxes of memories, finding homes for the plates and coffee mugs and art projects that they made when they were young. 

Posted by Meg Tilly on Monday, May 31, 2010 in Chewing the Fat

hello

I’m writing again.  Yay!  Cautious hopeful.  Didn’t want to say anything until I was sure it wasn’t a false start. 

Anyway, that’s all.  I’m excited.  Hopeful.  Feels like spring inside.  Tiny delicate buds appearing on fragile new growth branches.  Full of promise and possibilities.

Posted by Meg Tilly on Sunday, May 23, 2010 in Chewing the Fat

Be careful out there

I had finished my workout.  Yes, I’m back on the wagon.  Those road trip/moving chips and candy and desert-because-I-deserve-it calories, have come back to bite me in the butt.  Or to be more precise, to jiggle on all the body parts that one doesn’t want to jiggle. 

Yes, I triumphantly lost 12 1/2 lbs to see in my 50th birthday and then I promptly gained back 8.  Sheesh!

Anyway, that wasn’t what I wanted to blog about. 

I was in the change room at the gym and I heard this older (than me) woman talking with her friend.  She sounded scared.  She was saying how the only things she buys to eat are things on sale, how she’s cut out buying coffee out, meals out, how she decides what her meal will be by what she still has left in her cupboard and when that’s gone she doesn’t know what she’s going to do.  Cutting back where ever she can and still she’s barely scraping by.  And my heart hurt for her.  And there are so many people in her position right now.  Their retirement funds and savings are not producing any income, and I thought to myself, the terrible thing is, what this woman doesn’t realize is that it is going to get much worse before it gets better. 

See, the debt situation worldwide is way worse than people are aware.  California is seriously on the verge of bankruptcy and it is a much larger population than Greece.  They have not been able to pay their debt obligations and have had to issue IOU’s, they haven’t been able to pay all their employees.  They are short on their budget by around 20 billion dollars, and the cut back they are implementing only save around 2 billion.  If you live in California do not hold municipal bonds. They may have to default on them.  If you live in the States and have municipal bonds, please check the credit rating of your state.  I know that you get a good tax break if you buy Municipals in your state, but it won’t do you any good if they have to default on the payments and you loose your capital.

And Greece is just one country in the Euro zone, MANY have a similar debt to GDP ratio.  I don’t know what is going to happen there.  Britain is carrying an unsustainable debt load as is the US.  How they are going to fund social security, medicare and the new health reform is beyond me?  The numbers don’t add up.  And Canada (which is considered one of the countries that is stronger fiscally) next year Canada’s debt is going have risen up to 68% of it’s GDP.

Richard Russell of the Dow Theory Letters wrote this recently. 
“Do your friends a favor. Tell them to ‘batten down the hatches’ because there’s a HARD RAIN coming. Tell them to get out of debt and sell anything they can sell (and don’t need) in order to get liquid. Tell them that Richard Russell says that by the end of this year they won’t recognize the country.“

Now I don’t know if he is right or not, but he has lived through A LOT!  He is 86 years old and smart as a whip.  And he is not the only one issuing dire warnings. 

Anyway, I know this is a reoccurring theme sometimes on my blog.  It’s one of the reasons that I stopped writing it for a while.  Because I didn’t want to bore you to death with financial mutterings, but I worry about all of you out there and I want to warn you to be safe and be careful and get out of debt in whatever way you can.  And downsize and have an emergency stash, because who knows what’s around the corner and it’s better to have a safety stash and not have to use it, than to be blind-sided if the s—t hits the fan.  And the financial fundamental around the world are not looking good. 

I don’t know if it’s going to be deflation or inflation, or deflation and that then swings into inflation/hyper inflation, nobody does. 

I do know that it is tricky times right now.  Nothing is straight forward.  I do know that NOTHING has been fixed in the banking/financial sector.  The problems are still there.  I do know that you all must be careful.  Don’t risk what capital you have chasing after income.  Be safe.  Don’t take unnecessary risk.  Find a way to earn more and spend less.  Save. 

Much love, Meg

Posted by Meg Tilly on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 in Chewing the Fat

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