SM Johnson ~Thursday Morning Coffee ~ F*ck OFF, homophobia

click for HAHAT blog hop

Well, now, I received a reminder that I'd signed up to write a blog post for the 2013 Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia, and it's on a Thursday, and how convenient is that? Pretty fucking convenient, I'd say, since I had not a blog topic in mind because my brain is already imbibing alcohol on Bourbon Street, waiting for my body to catch up... (she says, as if she EVER has a topic outlined with neat bullet points or hashtags or whatever prepared in advance. Ha. Who's blog did you think you were visiting?)

Good morning, Darlings, and welcome to Trans Modified Cadets... er... Tripps Modeling Calves (Tripps being pants, calves being legs, get it, get it? No? Aw shit, never mind). Okay, okay, right again, this is your regularly scheduled Thursday Morning Coffee broadcast.

Welcome. We love you here. Well, I love you. I don't even know who the "we" would be. Voices in my head, perhaps,  or the "rest" of me.

International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia is May 17th. (Which, should, by my best scientific calculation, be today). [Hee - go ahead, laugh at me, total date FAIL]

So. I signed up to participate in this Blog Hop for a good cause. Which is cool, yeah, and I'm in like Flynn and all of that, but seriously - could we come up with a better NAME, for fuck's sake? Because really, who comes up with this? As if Hop isn't already gay... (sorry, but you KNOW any "hop" against anything just sounds totally gay - and yeah, I'm married to a guy, but I'm STILL queer so I get to say it out loud and fuck you). We need to fix this name business. Seriously. Not that I don't think fucking like bunnies in the name of destroying hate is a fucking GENIUS idea - I do. Truly. I mean, if people even KNEW how awesomely hot gay sex was, we really wouldn't even be having this discussion, would we?

Yeah - try that on for size, straight people. You know how they used to say, "Once you go black, you never - " Okay, never mind. Bad example. We don't want to be racist while we Kick Ass and Fuck You All Over Homophobia and Transphobia. [Okay, that title is perhaps slightly too long]. We could simplify it, like I did for this blog title - Fuck OFF, Homophobia.

Except I didn't get the Transphobia part in there, did I? Well, shit. There's always a glitch somewhere.

Sigh. I don't know why they have to be commemorated all in the same day (or hop) in the first place. I mean homophobia is the one thing [a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuals] and transphobia, is a whole different thing, [a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward people who's internal gender identity doesn't match their external, or physical (or birth), gender assignment].

Of course, what they DO have in common is that there are plenty ignorant (and arrogant) assholes in the world who just can't seem to MIND THEIR OWN FUCKING BUSINESS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS IN OTHER PEOPLE'S BEDROOMS OR WHAT HAPPENS TO BE BETWEEN SOMEONE ELSE'S LEGS.

We live in a perverted society. It's a fact. (No, I didn't make it that way - sheesh, don't give me so much credit).

Back in my high school days, the perverts scoured rock music lyrics, immersing themselves in the evil so they could scream about the evil, the same as those people "educating themselves about porn" do. If you're going to spend HOURS of your life searching for porn and watching porn and talking about porn, there must be some perverse pleasure involved. Hey, let's not think about pink elephants, 'kay? No, no, pink elephants are BAD, don't think about them. Thinking about them gives them POWER over you.

Oh! Sorry, lost my topic there. Let me scroll up and see if I can find it again...

Perverted society - that's it. If we weren't, no one would CARE what happens in other people's bedrooms or what kind of plumbing exists between someone else's legs. It would be private. It would be not our business who sleeps with whom or who marries whom (btw - WOOT! I would like to take a moment here to give a huge shout-out to my home state, MN, for LEGALIZING gay marriage on MAY 13, 2013 - You GO, girl. I am PROUD to be MN born and raised).

wikipedia

Okay. To address the whole homophobia thing - Ya'all have heard of the Kinsey Scale, yes? It's like... a continuum of sexuality/sexual behavior blah blah blah. 0 on the left is utterly heterosexual, and 6 on the right is utterly homosexual. Most people fall somewhere in between. Which means... if the last person on earth besides yourself was a man, or even your twin brother, or, hell forbid, your childhood bully... you'd probably do him/her regardless of whatever sexual orientation you've claimed until this point. And yes, you'd find yourself physically capable. And probably enjoy it. Barring... you know, starvation or whatever.

I would plant myself at a solid 2, I think. I love my husband, but wouldn't necessarily kick a girl out of my bed (pretty sure I've said this before)... though it really depends on the girl.

Ten Ways Homophobia Affect Straight People

The Transphobic piece - you know, I probably don't "get it" much more than your average person does. I'd be the same me inside my head even if I changed my gender assignment, so I still would never escape myself. I had a brief period in... oh, 7th grade, maybe, when I thought how nice it would be to be a boy instead of a girl. But this was fleeting, and obviously NOT the kind of deep-seated gender discrepancy that Trans people experience. So imagine yourself trapped in a body that's all wrong, that doesn't at match WHO YOUR ARE - much more a medical problem than a psychological one.

Be aware that Trans people are not necessarily gay, although some may identify as gay... And please, please, please get this, too - if you feel confused about whether to address a Trans person as he/she Mr/Miss/Sir/Ma'am - there's an incredibly SIMPLE guideline...

Address the person using the gender identity that they are presenting to you. Don't worry about physiology (it's generally none of your business, anyway). If a person presents as male, address them as you would a male. If presenting as female, address as female. See? Easy and respectful and kind, all in one fell swoop.

A really great resource for Transgender information is Matt Kailey's blog, Tranifesto. I've spent hours browsing his blog (seeking information and education) and he's absolutely GREAT at explaining gender dysphoria, and his followers often make extensive and sometimes contradictory contributions to the discussion. You can even submit specific questions to Ask Matt - I have - and he answered (with a blog post) within just a few days.

Stop being scared. Gay people and Trans people are ultimately just... people. Some are assholes, some are not. They hurt and cry and bleed. They get hungry, angry, lonely, and tired. The gamut of emotion, the gamut of the trials and joys of living on this earth belong to ALL OF US - and often we are not all that much different from each other.

So how about this:

Stop sucking, people. I mean, how freaking hard is it to just be kind as you move about this earth space we all share? You'll never like everyone, and why should you? And honestly, if you're a ZERO on the Kinsey scale, the guy who's a SIX isn't interested in you anyway. Get over yourself and get a clue.

Hang out with people you like, and don't hang out with people you don't. It's pretty simple, really. There's no reason to be a jerk.

Just because it's awesome, here's a link to the It Gets Better Project, started by writer Dan Savage:

It Gets Better project.

So now I'm supposed to offer a PRIZE. Ha, and you think I didn't know you read through all my drivel specifically in order to get to the PRIZE part where you can win one one of my books. I'm savvy about these things.

Well, okay. Here's the deal. I'm going to make you work for it.

Yep. I'm not going to make you follow my blog or follow me on Twitter @SMJohnsonWrites, or repost my links or like my FB fan page, SM Johnson Writes . Nope.

What I need from you is this - Visit Matt Kailey's Blog or the It Gets Better Project.... and leave me a comment about something you saw on either site. And don't forget to leave me some way to contact you, either in your comment or by emailing a copy of your comment to DeVante9901 at aol dot com.

Then I'll either draw names out of a hat for a free ebook of mine... or offer one to everybody - since I hate to leave anyone out. I'll even let you choose which one you want. Because this is one area (there aren't many, sadly) in which I have the power of SM on my side. (Grin).

Now... spread the message - everyone go forth and fuck like bunnies and stamp out hate. Because hate sucks.

SM Johnson ~Thursday Morning Coffee ~ TMC Free Reads

Good Morning, darlings, and welcome once again to The Mighty Crayon. Uh. Wait. The Marvelous Clan? Or how about... This Magnificent Club.... Oh, okay, never mind, it's just your regular broadcast from Thursday Morning Coffee (wink). I hope that's what you've come for, at any rate.

This being the month of May, the month of the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival, and the fact that I get to go to one of my favorite places, New Orleans... I am going to offer Three in the Dungeon free on Amazon while I am away getting drunk on Bourbon Street learning more about my craft, from May 23 through May 25th.

(Yes, I will link to it here on May 23rd - so long as the blog auto-posts the way it is supposed to).

Oh! But what if you haven't read Above the Dungeon and Out of the Dungeon yet? I mean, book 3 isn't much good without books 1 and 2, right?

Hmm.....

Well. This is true. So here is my sneaky little trick.

I'm going to drop coupon codes so ya'all can have both books free from Smashwords, RIGHT HERE and RIGHT NOW.

Above the Dungeon - use coupon code TX53B

Out of the Dungeon - use coupon code LB94C

There. The coupons are good till... hmm, the 10th of June, I do believe.

And you know - if you like my Dungeon series, you really should check out my Vampire DeVante books, available from Rebel Satori Press in paperback or ebook (Amazon) (Smashwords) - they're more vampire than erotica, but you know how I am - the erotica tends to sneak in there when I forget to close the door.

Here's what I'll be up to...

My list of planned activities...


ELANA DYKEWOMON: RECLAIMING THE SCENE FROM YOURSELF

In both memoir and fiction we often have a clear vision of what will happen when we start to write a scene. We are sometimes trapped by our own expectation of what should, would or did happen in the scenes we create. Instead of allowing them to unfold naturally, we try to force them into our “fixed” idea of what they should be. This is because we think we “know” what happened and what we want to show. Elana Dykewomon, author of seven award-winning books, will lead this workshop in exploring the various ways to reclaim your scene from your own expectations. Bring your preferred writing implements.

JESS WELLS: THEME IS WHERE THE ART LIVES

Go from a wordsmith to an artist by understanding the key role that theme plays in your fiction. Deft handling of theme and it’s multiple facets is what drives plot, characterization, setting, in short…it’s the key to making art. Work with Jess Wells on identifying the theme in your work, crafting the “only to discover that” moment in your plot/story-arc/characterization, and the way to make your characters the embodiment of theme.

Friday, May 24 at 6:30 p.m.: GLITTER WITH THE LITERATI

Come to our welcome party and experience true Southern Hospitality in the beautiful courtyard of the Hermann-Grima House—a chance to meet the authors that will be speaking during the weekend as well as some of New Orleans’ colorful characters. There will be plenty of “spirits” along with tasty treats. Prior to the Civil War, prosperous Creole families enjoyed an elegant lifestyle in the Vieux Carre. Walk through this meticulously restored residence and experience the Golden Age of New Orleans. Built in 1831, Hermann-Grima House is one of the most significant residences in New Orleans. This handsome Federal mansion with its courtyard garden boasts the only horse stable and functional 1830s outdoor kitchen in the French Quarter. Location: Hermann-Grima House, 820 Saint Louis Street.

I haven't been to the Glitter with the Literati party before, so that'll be a new experience. I've been told it's definitely something I shouldn't be missing.

Aside from these Master Classes, there will be panel discussions - and this conference tends to offer a wide variety of topics in writing and publishing, including how to blog and tweet effectively (yeah, in one ear and out the other - LOL - I do whatever the fuck I want, in that regard).

And in between is, of course, all the fun to be found in the French Quarter. 

We stay at Olivier House, just half a block from Bourbon Street, and right smack dab in the middle of EVERYTHING. The staff are fabulous, the hotel itself a crazy warren of unique rooms. 

We shall breakfast at Cafe Beignet, and lunch at Magnolia Grill. And dinner at the Gyro stand... in between liquid delights.

Hmm... We shall spend most of our killing-time time at Johnny White's Hole-in-the-wall.

And a trip to the Quarter must must must MUST include a visit to... Boutique du Vampyre (which has a sneaky connection to Johnny White's, actually... via our favorite bartender and Boutique owner Marita...)

Hmmm.... what else to I love? Oooh, latenight or hangover morning breakfast at the Clover Grill - hell yes! And the bar just down Dumaine, not too far from the leather shop, that welcomes dogs.

Ahhhh, sigh, there is so much to love! And some of my favorite people are attending - Sven Davisson from Rebel Satori press, and his partner Nate - whom I love love love and adore. And Emanuel Xavier - oh, yay! I adore him, as well. And I can't ever forget Greg Herren... or Ceceila Tan... or... or... there's just soooo many people to love at Saints and Sinners. Yay!

Have a great weekend, darlings!

SM Johnson ~Thursday Morning Coffee ~ A Tiny Sip

Good morning, darlings, I hope you're having a lovely Thursday. Go pour yourself a cup of coffee - (Why yes, I'll have some too. Thanks).We in the upper Midwest are relieved as all get out to welcome May and to report that April's fucking-crazy-snow-shit-bastard has MELTED. Thank the gods for that newsflash, hmm? That's the "pro." the "con" is the whole world here looks dirty and ugly, now.

How much snow? According to some source or another, FIFTY-ONE fucking inches.

Yanno... it's not that it falls, and it's not that I have to drive in it, or wear my Sorels (mine are NOT this cute, for the record) for days on end - it's that you have to move the shit... off the car, off the porch, off the driveway... which is highly inconvenient. It's also that I kept getting my car stuck and needing to call in "boss's wife-pretty-please-with-sugar-on top" begging kind of favors, when I know the drivers (and the boss) are tired as hell and probably more sick of the white stuff than I am. (Why yes, I did notice that the driveway was FUCKED for the second time, and yes, I chose to attempt to drive into it anyway. I will be a stubborn creature of habit).

This is a stupid, stupid place to live. But... it is what it is.

One very nice sight to see - underneath much of the snow is grass that has been sucking up all the lovely melt-off and, as it becomes exposed, the world is already looking a bit healthier. The squirrels are fat and busy. The robins, however, look a bit disgruntled, like angry birds.

The Canadian geese have been back for about a month. This week, driving Sprite to school, I noticed a lone goose on the sidewalk wandering among the kids. There's a bit of a story here...

A pair of geese make their home in the school yard. Not a flock, just the one pair. And at the beginning of April they were hanging out and waddling too and fro, doing their funny goosey honking thing and making the kids squeal and shy away (the pair was not shy at all)... and then one morning I saw a lone goose (or gander, I surely cannot tell) pacing the side of the road. And then I saw her mate. Also on the side of the road, but not alive. (Cry) Rumor has it that they mate for life, so I drove home feeling not very good at all. Cursing careless distracted drivers of cars, snowstorms, and whatever else.

But it does look as if our loner has adopted some of the children, and that is interesting. I hope none of them are mean to her/him/it.

Ooooh, Jeremiah Quick is taking shape and filling out at 25,000 words already. This baby is... sigh... really, really dark. Blissfully dark, I hope.

I have numbered chapters, and have a pretty nice flow between Now and Before... and...

Jeremiah has stolen her, our unnamed protagonist. It is... a little bit mean and, I think - I hope - a lot delicious.

Because there's something about a stolen story, you know?

I'll give you just a tiny, tiny sip...

And then he appeared in front of me, almost smiling, almost making me smile, because he was wearing the old, old jacket, the one with the spikes, and it instantly took me back in time, my heart soaring at the sight of him – yes! This. My friend and teacher. Jeremiah.

He cupped my cheek with his left hand, and for just those few seconds, looked like he wasn't lonely. And his mouth came close to mine, his breath warm against my lips, and it seemed an eternity of waiting happened between the breath and the kiss.

He released my face first, and then my lips, and walked behind me, tugging the flogger from my shoulder as he circled around me.

I braced and tensed for the thud, and this time the tails landed on my back.

It felt like… well, not much different than the massage of his fingers, really – heavy and warm, not biting, but there, unable to be ignored.

It came again, a definite thud, not frightening, not exactly painful.

I counted to two on my fingers, then waited a beat, two, and then… three. This one definitely hard enough for me to catch my breath. And… fou – but no, it didn't come. Wait, wait. I was already anticipating his rhythm, I guess – because it was what I had come to expect – fast or slow, there was always some discernible rhythm.

But… nothing. And then he was touching my hand, curling my fingers into my palm, lowering his head to kiss my fist, holding it enclosed in his hand for a few seconds, shaking his head gently.

I tried to follow his silent message. It was obvious he didn't want me to count. Because… this wasn't punishment?

Oh! Why did he make it so difficult? If he'd just talk, I thought I could bear it.

And then there was a rhythm, all right – and nothing I'd have been able to count on my fingers. The tails fell and thudded, one lash after another, and I reacted not at all at first, but later – and I have no idea how much later – with struggles and wiggles and flinging my head back and forth, trying to hard not to make sound, but my back was unbearably hot, some kind of mush and burning, and what I didn't identify as pain with the first few blows, and maybe not even the first quarter of an hour – now I knew as the worst torture I'd ever been subjected to.

And all of a sudden I knew exactly how to make it stop.

I heaved, and cried, and stopped fighting the burning in my eyes and just let them fill with the tears he wanted.

And immediately, the flogger was on the floor and he was facing me from the other side of the wood, blocking me from seeing myself in the mirror, leaning in and lapping at my face.

In the silence, I could almost hear him thinking, coaxing, Yes… cry for me. You know I love it.

Hands patting my hair, lifting it from my neck, blowing cool breath into the sweaty mess, and then he was walking around me, too close, until he was directly behind me. I watched him in the mirror as he took one last step and leaned, pressing a hundred tiny spikes into my sensitized flesh, hard enough that not only did I absolutely groan out loud... but I also came.

Just. From. That.

Ahh, Jeremiah, we're both just... fucked, aren't we?

And he… he took his silence and left, yet again.

Oh! This is what I'm reading (Imajica)... very slowly, but not at all painfully. I made some lame attempt to position it so ya'all can see that I'm about halfway through. Ahhh.... Gentle, and Pie 'oh' Pah, and Jude.... traveling through the Dominions in search of... well, I'm not even sure I quite know what they're searching for yet. It is the kind of book that gets me so deeply distracted that I chew my fingernails away and start nomming on my fingerTIPS (which I do not really recommend, btw).

I have been reading it for a record number of weeks, mostly because it is somewhat big and bulky to carry around - which I attribute to myself being spoiled by the portability of my kindle. But - there are books that are better to experience in physical form, and this is probably one of them. The sort of books where you flip back a few pages to remind yourself of something, or to check if you understood a passage correctly, and frankly, I detest trying to do that with the kindle. Hence... the loveliness of the library. And I do hope that libraries continue to exist forever and ever and ever. Don't you?

Speaking of... I need to go renew it, and then fall in some more.

Have a lovely and safe weekend, my darlings.

SM Johnson ~Thursday Morning Coffee ~

Good morning, darlings. I suppose ya'all are looking forward to the weekend, which for me is the end of a seven day stretch off, and the beginning of a 6 out of 7 day stretch on. Yay me. And they've been calling every day to offer (beg?) me some extra shifts, which, frankly, instills a sense of dread in me, wondering what I'm in for. But there's no use worrying - we shall find out soon enough.

This is the first Thursday this month that hasn't been marked by significant snowfall. It's been the weirdest month ever, with school being closed last Friday and the Friday before - each time because of 11 to 12 inches of sticky heavy white snow, at a time of year when we are desperately ready to be done with all this weather aggravation. It's planting season, for fuck's sake.

Last week I was wandering around work minding my own business when a co-worker said, rather casually, as he walked past, "Coffee was kind of boring on Thursday."

I suppose some people would have a response like, "Gee, thanks a lot for the beautiful and loving stroke to my self-esteem. I needed that."

Not I. No.

I do a little hop/skip thing that makes a nearby patient almost choke with laughter, and say, "What? What? You READ me?  Really, you do? Yay!" (Insert little cheerleader bounce, and the momentary desire for having pom-poms in my hands to shake and wave and make an actual spectacle of myself).

The same day, a newbie girl at work, who says she's never in her life read a book just for the fun of it, has downloaded both my free short stories and the first book in the Dungeon series. I am slightly concerned. I mean... it's one thing to pop someone's fiction reading cherry, but seems almost cruel to pop it with M/M BDSM erotica. extraordinarily cruel, actually. I've probably ruined her for tolerating the fictional bedroom door being closed, forevermore.

(Evil grin).

I can live with myself.

Later - a friend from the Netherlands sends a message re: Above the Dungeon - something along the lines of "I feel like I could meet these people at a club just about anywhere."

Does she have any idea what a tremendous compliment that is? I mean, maybe she does. I work really hard for my characters to read like real people, and it is gratifying to hear I'm getting it done, because when I look back to younger years and remind myself of the writer I always wanted to be, I can't always see if I'm getting there.

I was wailing to one of my earliest beta readers, and fellow writer, Sean Henry of Oakland, about getting stuck in the fluff, that maybe the 3rd dungeon book lacks heart, but I wanted to write erotica "better" than what I'd been reading. Even still, maybe I was being lazy and my focus should have been more on works that have some meat in them, something with a purpose bigger than pure entertainment value... like... this.... (and sent him what I have of Jeremiah Quick).

I'm not talking about political writing, or even imparting a message, per se, or a call to action like 'save the dolphins' or 'what the fuck is UP with this climate change, anyway?' Nothing like that.

More... letting the world (as if the world is watching me - ha) in on my skewed but unique view, putting my heart into something... writing that HURTS the way bleeding onto the page is supposed to hurt.

Sean has the interesting perspective of NOT having been a continual beta reader - meaning he hasn't read much of my stuff since I asked for his help with the Oakland bits in DeVante's Coven a few years ago (and kicked off his photography gig, oddly enough)... so he can see a difference between old stuff and new stuff. And he said something along the lines of "Perhaps the fluff was time well-spent learning craft."

Ahhhhhh.... (happy sigh).

Yes. That works for me.

What can I say? Feedback is my stroke-and-soothe-and-pet.

The learning and reaching never ends, and I'm not even sure I've hit my true stride yet, but I'm always working toward improvement. Watch me. One of these days I'm going to write something that blows you the fuck away. Yeah. That.

Have a great weekend, darlings! I'll be trying to set up my KDP Select "free days" for Three in the Dungeon. I'm thinking May 24 - 26, while I'm carousing in New Orleans at Saints and Sinners. So then I also have to figure out how best to promote this event (or.... even, how to make it into an actual event).  Aaarrggghhhh, this is a trial and a chore. I hate shameless self-promotion. But I want to give ya'all a heads up, because you really ought to read Above the Dungeon and Out of the Dungeon so you can be all ready to nab Three in the Dungeon from Amazon for free. (There, how was that for shameless self-promotion?).

(Pssst, Laffingeyes - did I bore you this time? Maybe next week I'll write about something kinky... you never know with me).

War: Allie's War Book 6 - available now

Good morning, darlings. Monday post today.

Have I mentioned JC Andrijeski's Allie's War series here, like ever? (Quirked eyebrow, little frown).

Oh? I have?  here and here and here and, most importantly, HERE.

Well, I suppose. It is my favorite series of my whole life. Perhaps I've said that a time or two, as well.

(Bright smile). Well, then, good! So today all I have to do is announce that War: Allie's War book six is now available as an ebook format! Yay!

If you've been an Allie's War fan, then of course you need to go buy this book, soon, sooner, soonest. Like GO. NOW. BUY.

I can't get enough of Allie. And especially of Revik. Come on in, your friends are here. What are you waiting for?

My links go to Amazon - just because it's easiest, but Allie's War is also available on Smashwords and Barnes and Noble and elsewhere. So visit your favorite ebook seller and enjoy! (Other than "enjoy" I am saying NOTHING  - other than this one hurts - I don't want to spoil anything.

SM Johnson ~Thursday Morning Coffee ~ Tatts and Stripes and Snow, Oh my!

Happy Thursday, darlings!

I wrote about my tattoos and posted pics over at tumblr, so feel free to check that out. (Ignore the couple of typos... I have no idea how to edit anything over there). I'm sure I've done it already over here, but maybe the story is a little more evolved this time around. Or maybe not.

Northern MN/WI is absolute INSANITY as apparently we are being subjected to the NeverEnding FuckingWinter of 2013 (TM).  I have put my boots away at least three times now, and at least three times I've had to dig them out from the back of the closet. (I have a huge and unholy terror of being forced to endure wet socks). We've been getting significant amounts of snow every week. When I say "significant" I mean enough to break out the city snow-plows - this is not right for April.

I have been noticing for about the last four years that we don't get really warm weather until nearly the end of June, and then continue to have unseasonably warm temperatures right into November. As a kid, good weather started in April and was over by mid-September. I remember wearing Halloween costumes over parkas and snowsuits, and the adults carried steaming mugs of hot cocoa. The last couple of years my kid wore their costumes over nakedness, and we moms wore sweatshirts and carried iced vodka drinks (because trick-or-treating is more fun when alcohol is involved. Trust).


That's about all I've got for Coffee today.

Oh - well. Have I mentioned that I have the best hairdresser girl EVER? I love my stripes (she hates when I call them "stripes" - LOL). And although I pretty much hate pictures of myself, my stripes are so awesome that I almost made myself late for work trying to take a picture that I don't hate. Or at least that I don't hate as much as I hate most of them.

I guess this one will do. Love, love, love the contrast of highlights and low-lights. So worth the money.

Happy Thursday, darlings. Hope your weekend is snow-less. Sounds like mine won't be.