Books, Boys, and Boooooos!

How was everyone's Halloween? Hope it was great!

First off, the winner of my Halloween contest (both GHOST HUNTRESS books and a copy of THE OTHER SIDE: A TEEN'S GUIDE TO GHOST HUNTING AND THE PARANORMAL) is........

Lucile aka Book Sp(l)ot

Please contact me with your snail mail address at marley_gibson AT yahoo DOT com.

Since we've got a boys theme going this week, I'll sign off with a report from my school visit to Boston College High School. It's an all-boys private school here in Boston and it's very prestigious. I spoke to two groups: one was the middle school book club where we talked about the GHOST HUNTRESS series and the paranormal and the second was the senior AP writing class where we talked about the publishing world. Great kids and a fabulous time with them. Here I am with a few students and the amazing librarian, Tia Esposito, who brought me in. I just loved visiting!



So, Halloween night, my sweetie and I went to see PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, which I think was very well done. So funny, all last week leading up to Halloween, I had a ton of radio interviews and every single one of them asked me what I thought of the movie. I guess as a ghost huntress myself, I have some credibility when it comes to things like that, eh? Well, I thought the movie was brilliant. Filmed for $11,000, no crew, a cast of a handful, very suspenseful and accurate towards some of the tools actual investigators use. I thought the special effects were realistic and well done, but I wanted to smack Micah. He never listened to Katie. He kept dabbling in something he had no business dabbling in. And he brought in a Ouija board into the house...uh-uh...no way.



Well, I won't spoil the plot if you haven't seen it. I highly recommend the movie.

Have you seen it yet? What did you think? Did it scare the patookie out of you? LOL!!

Hugs,
Marley = )

What I didn't know then...

It's pretty simple:

Boys tease you if they like you.

I know! It's true! Sure, people told me that and I poo-pooed it (because I thought they were just trying to make me feel better), but it's honest-to-God the truth. It's something in the male DNA or the testosterone or something, but they love to tease girls. The more they like you, the more they'll tease you. Especially if you react to the teasing. Why? It keeps you thinking about the guy. If he teases you, you're aware of him. If you think he's being mean, then you hash about it and dissect it and wonder what's up. Well, mission accomplished for him because he is now on your radar.

I wish I'd known this. I mean really known it was true.

It started in kindergarten when J.C. wiped his finger paint on me. I told him to stop, but he kept doing it. Little did I know he liked me. All I could focus on was my new red jumper that my grandma from New York sent me now looked like a used smock and I was gonna get in troooooooouble! Stupid J.C. Then, at lunch, he sat next to me and poured his milk on my sandwich. What an idiot! Of course, I cried and Mrs. Eagan got me a fresh sandwich from her kitchen and told me, "J.C.'s teasing you because he likes you." Yeah, right. He was teasing me because I had just moved to the south from Boston. Well, that's WHY I thought it. But you know, looking back at the memories...I'll be dog-gonned, he did like me 'cause he tried to hold my hand on the playground. Paint me surprised.

Then, in second grade, J.D. came all the way across the playground and pushed me off the seesaw. I fell in the dirt and tore my tights. (Again, with me destroying my outfit and getting in trouble.) But Mrs. Strother told me he liked me and was just playing with me. The strong-willed little animal within me, sought him out and pushed him back. Then, my cousin stepped in to defend my honor and challenged J.D. to a "duel." The next day at recess, they made paper/cardboard swords and had a duel over my honor. (Are you laughing? I am, just remembering this!) My cousin was triumphant and J.D. was defeated swiftly by the Reynolds Wrap over the cardboard sword. Of course, in the end, J.D. bought me a cookie at recess, asked me to a dance and then kissed me on the cheek. So, wait...he really did like me?

In sixth grade, the guys in my class all decided that they would declare "war" on the girls. Suddenly, they were shooting rubberbands and paperclips at us and popping our bras. Whenever Mrs. Gilchrist left us alone, the room turned into downtown Baghdad. The boys would chase us around and snap our bra straps and then whap us with the flying office supplies. Some girls would cower at their desk and beg for mercy. Others would fight back, being almost as aggressive as the guys. Not me. I wanted to cry. (What? I was 11 years old!) Why? 'Cause those paperclips rolled up inside paper launched by rubberbands hurt like blue-blazing Hades! This one guy in particular, C.S., seemed to enjoy using me for target practice. I was convinced that he hated me with the passion of a thousand suns. A point proven when he maimed me so badly that my bra strap broke and I had a red whelp on my arm. (Imagine this today...it'd be on Larry King or something with the 11 year old being arrested for assault! LOL!) So, what did brainiac me do? I told on him. Yeah. Not a smart move. That ended the teasing...and his apparent "like" of me.

In tenth grade, I might have caught on a little more to the inner workings of the male mind, but I still wasn't convinced about this whole "I tease you because I like you" thing. On the basketball bus one night returning from a game (I was a cheerleader), I somehow got into an arm-wrestling match with L.O. that resulted in him literally holding on to my wrists, arms and hands all the way on the hour plus trip. Now, I had a massive crush on him, so any contact was heaven for me. But I thought he literally was staving me off. Holding me away. Then, why not push me away instead of holding onto me over the seat of the bus. Hmmm...if I'd known then what I know now, I'd know that he liked me because he was teasing me. Duh!!

And, it happened at work yesterday! Not in a romantic-like kind of way, but a good friend kind of way. A co-worker was giving me crap about something that was close to my heart and I got really offended by it. Being the consumate professional that I am, I told him that he had really offended me and hurt my feelings. Then, I get an e-mail from him that said:

I was only teasing you because you and I are such good friends. I didn’t mean to offend you in any way. You are too nice and sweet! You know I would never intentionally hurt you in any way. You are a mega sweety!!!

So wait...he was teasing me because we're good friends? DOH!!! Why didn't I see that? 'Cause I was being a silly girl. We're still silly, even when we're "grown up." Go figure!

Any of you have any experiences like this? Do you think we'll ever learn?

Hugs,
Marley = )

SORORITY 101: ZETA OR OMEGA?
SORORITY 101: THE NEW SISTERS
writing as Kate Harmon
May 2008, Puffin Books

Currently carrying around Simone's Leaving Paradise in my bag, but haven't had time to read lately. I will, though!

High School Guys: What We Know About Them Now That We Didn’t Know Then

Today's title is actually the theme for this week here at the Buzz Girls' Blog, and I can promise it's going to be fun!

I'm up first...

Up until I was in about 11th grade, I pretty much felt invisible around guys. Like I wasn’t pretty enough or funny enough or smart enough to stand out in a crowd, so why bother? I’d just hang back with my friends (who pretty much dressed in the same bland and oversized clothes) and watched the world go by.

The thing was, I had been going to school with many of the same kids for years, and guys had never paid particular attention to me before…so my thought was, why should they now?

What I was overlooking was the simple fact that we were all changing, and I was paying them new and more notice, whether I was showing it or not. I mean, wow, that formerly chubby guy was now football buffed. That twerp who sat beside me in sixth grade was a head taller now--and WHAT a head! And the guy with the locker above me actually needed to shave…

So this is what I bring to the table to girls in high school:

You may feel invisible, too. But guys totally notice you. Even the ones who look right through you and pretend not to know you’re alive. Even the ones with popular, fashionista girlfriends. Even the shy or geeky ones (especially the shy and geeky ones). Even the exchange students or the guys who “just transferred here for one year and can’t wait to go back”.

They are looking. So know it. Run with it…play with it…have fun with it. Who cares if you’re not the prettiest or the smartest or the funniest? You’re YOU and that in itself is fabulous. And like I said, the guys are noticing.

As a matter-of-fact, here’s a few checking you out right now:






What I'm Reading: The Second Virginity of Suzy Green by Sara Hantz

Tina

Tina Ferraro
Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress
How to Hook a Hottie, January, 2008
The ABC’s of Kissing Boys, Spring, 2009
www.tinaferraro.com