About rkpaulus

Writer. Mom. Wife. Basketball coach. Lover or all things chocolate. Winner of bubble gum jar! Grace is my oxygen.

Just Five Minutes

Posted on April 5, 2013 by rkpaulus

This is Love.

To tell you the truth, it takes a lot longer than FIVE minutes to type up an itty-bitty blog on my iPhone. Although, I haven’t tried to dictate the words to Siri, who still thinks “Raj” is “Rise” so I’m not holding my breath on that option.

Anyway, I write my first-five minute blog yesterday on the LIRR, heading to Manhattan, and Hubs sits next to me, amused. At first. After six. Then ten. Then twenty minutes of fixing all the words Auto-correct thinks I meant to say, I round out the five sentence story and hit SEND. Off to impress the socks off readers everywhere, because who doesn’t have five minutes to spare?

I promise to tell you all the details of our ultra-fun, topsy-turvy, full of “No way!… WAY!”-moments date, but first: The value of five minutes as I’ve experienced this past week, leading up to yesterday.

This past Tuesday, I make plans to attend a book reading of Ashok Rajamani, the author of the memoir “The Day My Brain Exploded” at a Barnes and Noble in the city. But I haven’t been to a bookstore in a while, so I decide to arrive plenty early to read and research popular Young Adult novels currently circulating the hands of teens. The train two minutes from my house, according to the LIRR website, leaves at 12:35PM. I leave my house at 12:27PM. Sure. I probably didn’t need to zap my coffee those last 30 seconds. But what can I say, sometimes a girl just has to have her coffee. Warm. Continue reading →

Five Minutes

Posted on April 4, 2013 by rkpaulus

“Five minutes. That’s all you get. To be on any digital device today. Else… Else I’ll just go home.” Hubs has made one thing clear.

So on this bright sunny Thursday morning, I bring to you my five minute blog series … Part One: Chasing the train.

We made it. That’s all that matters. As we board the LIRR to head downtown for my nearly birthday date hubs asks me,

“Top or bottom?” The LIRR has two levels.

“You know I like ….

Oops. Five minutes are up.

To be continued…

What would you do if you only had five minutes? Which website would win your time and attention?

Shattered Glass Vase… An Easter-ish Story

Posted on March 29, 2013 by rkpaulus

http://www.stockfreeimages.com/

[A contemplative EASTER piece of sorts]

“This is what I want to say to you, If I had one chance to tell you something…You are loved, more that you can imagine.” Rebecca St. James,

I got a paper cut the other day, and that little stinker just stung right up into my brain. Every time that part of my finger rubbed across anything for a day or so, I was paralyzed with pain. When the scab finally showed up, my other fingers would carefully but confidently stroke over it, remembering how it happened, and at least for a few days, slowing down before grabbing another sheet of computer paper.
Then the day came when I wanted to save a dish. Do you ever do that? How rational is it to think keeping that one dirty dish out of the sink is really going to make your life a bazillion times less busy.
Well, I chose the cutting board that night as my choice for, “You will remain standing clean and pristine against the wall” and ventured to cut up the salad in my hand.

I must have been distracted, and the next thing I knew, the tomato in my hand was sliced along with the palm it was in. Ouch! Continue reading →

One Day. Three Books.

Posted on March 25, 2013 by rkpaulus

April 1 releases I interrupt this BLOG to make a Public Service Announcement. Two, in fact.

After threats to give my laptop a bubble bath by my princesses who are home 24/7, Spring-breaking, I have been warned not to spend too many minutes writing. So, for the most part, besides a tiny bit of this and that, In Search of Waterfalls is In Search of a Vacation this week.

And the SECOND Big Announcement is the Launch of a NEW, very cool, Website called, PlayList Fiction. <—– This is what happens when a very coolio Lit Agency rounds up five aspiring Young Adult Fiction authors and creates a hot E-Book Line! Books! Giveaways! Every Month!!

Today’s the day! April 1st!

One Day! Three Books! Are now available to Download the Drama!

So connect with us ON Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest and let’s get acquainted!

And that’s it! Happy Spring Break, All! Off to Shake it UP and learn from the Dog with a Blog. World of Tweens I live in. What can I say?

***

And you, how are you spending your Spring Break? Any news you want to share? Do you watch Dog with a Blog? Come on… I admitted it!

National Honor Society “Scuberty” Mom

Posted on March 22, 2013 by rkpaulus

2013-03-22 05.41.09 If you’re a frequent Waterfall Seeker, you know I’m a tad nutty. And I have issues with obsessive touching and luscious lips. Sounds R-rated, until you realize I’m referring to a tiny mole. That has a magnetic pull on my fingers. And my allergy to Aleve. On the puffy lips note, that is.

When my kids read my blog, they often roll their eyes and exclaim, “Mom! Really? Did you have to tell the world about that?”

Well, no. Of course not. But then again, why not?

So yesterday morning, as I rubbed the sleepy grit from my eyes, my second Princess was busy pushing toothpaste out of an almost empty tube. Empty because of its use on my face. My face with a— “Mom! That’s huge!”

She’s referring to the teenage-sized zit that screams ‘look at me’ to the right of my nose. “Mom. Tell me you’re NOT going to blog about it. Because that would just be so weird.”

Continue reading →

Finding Beauty in the Beast

Posted on March 20, 2013 by rkpaulus

One of my favorite scenes! And the backdrops! These high school students displayed superb artistic talent!

After attending the theater [said with a bit of Broadway flare] this past weekend as Locust Valley Jesters performed the musical Beauty and the Beast, I’m still going to sleep with the songs in my head. It was that good! 🙂

Beauty is my all time favorite. I mean, come on, as a reader/writer, my connection to a character who walks on stage with a book in her hands is instantaneous. And when the Beast takes Belle into his library, it’s like the equivalent of putting Nemo back in the ocean. She’s home, away from home. Continue reading →

Picture Beauty… And the Beast

Posted on March 18, 2013 by rkpaulus

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I am not a Disney Princess girl by choice. But when you have four daughters in a span of a decade, you’re bound to be surrounded by flowing dress-up gowns, sparkly tiaras, and Disney Logo jammies galore.

I do love, and I mean LOVE, one particular Disney princess. Through and through. Her name is Belle, [no relation to the Vampire lovin’ teen from Twilight,] and I love her story, just as much.

But before I get into my heart to heart connections with the reading addict turned princess, I want to share the pics from our front row seating at this weekend’s production of the Beauty and the Beast musical by our very own Locust Valley High School Jestors! And let me just tell you, these kids put on a Broadway quality show, from start to finish. As the opening curtain parted, I was transported to my favorite place: where story and music collide… into “A Tale As Old As Time…”

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Hope you enjoyed the pics! Come back this week for some more blogs on the show and the story that stole hearts on the North Shore of Long Island this weekend!

And you? What’s your favorite Broadway musical? Have you ever acted in a show? What’s your go-to theme song?

Facebook Lent-ills

Posted on March 15, 2013 by rkpaulus

freestockimages.com

Anyone give up Facebook for Lent? I did. But not completely. Simply, because although some might think I’m addicted, I’m not. Sure, I might post a tad more than the average person, but I attribute that to the extrovert in me that cannot stay contained. And I simply don’t worry whether anyone “likes” the random things I share. I just share. And I’m pretty sure someone out there smiled, or at least smirked. That’s good enough for me. My five-year old actually gets mad at me now. When I laugh at the cute and witty things that leave her lips and whip out my phone, she immediately warns me, “Mom! Do Not! Put what I said on Facebook.”

“Ummm. O-kay.” Status update… loading… loading… complete. Oops.

I suppose it’s a tad criminal to steal funny moments from your kids and put them on display. But some moments are just too fun not to share. Just sayin… Continue reading →

A New Pope and YOLO Thinks

Posted on March 13, 2013 by rkpaulus

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I know, I know, the big news of the day is the New Pope! For the 1.2 billion Catholics around the world, this is Huge, really. And he’s Latino! Heard all about the white smoke and his unique entry, when Jorge Mario Bergoglio asked for prayer rather than expressing the traditional blessing in his opening greeting. Wonder if he knew when he was a little boy that some day he’d be making his debut as the Pope? Did he ever attend a Career Day at his school, walk by the Faith Pathways booth and linger, feeling drawn to the calling, long before he knew this was the path he’d take? And quite honestly, I need to do a bit more research, because I still can’t figure out why he’s going to be called Pope Francis. I’m sure it has something to do with tradition and history and inspiration. Forgive me for my ignorance.

According to the CNN report, “Francis has a reputation for being a voice for the poor.” And the new Pope refused to elevate himself on a platform above other leaders on stage. I’m not Catholic, but I like the guy already. He has definitely made a splash in his first moments.

Bringing me to a perfect place of transition. Sort of! 🙂 I’m in the process of having a few months of firsts as an author, and I can honestly say that I never imagined it quite like this. Had my first Book Reading last Thursday, and I didn’t faint! Actually gave the audience permission to push me over and take the mic and finish the reading in case I did. Faint, that is. Continue reading →

Masala on the Mic!

Posted on March 11, 2013 by rkpaulus

2013-03-07 19.59.10 Thursday morning arrives and I am a different person. Even a year ago, I might have spent weeks preparing for a speaking event. Thought of what I was going to say days ahead of time. Picked my outfit the night before. And rehearsed plenty before the day of.

Today is different. Because I learned something from the past. All that extra prep just makes me nervous. And I get more antsy than if I just plan minimally, think through the basics, and leave the details for the day of.

So I wake up, thank God for kids who help me with laundry, and thank God again that we replaced the ink cartridge on the printer a day ago. Print out a few pages, pick out a black dress (can’t go wrong with black,) and head out to get my hair blown out. Simply because it doesn’t cost much and when my hair looks nice, I feel like I can fly. Or at least have a bit of confidence in front of strangers. Continue reading →