Yesterday I was very fortunate to get to be allowed to move in three very different worlds, as well as meet a writer who I’m a huge fan of in person. Right now I’m geeking out about her like a Superfan.

I oddly went from:

1.) Applauding at a Thanksgiving party with preschoolers. To…

2.) Being a guest on a live, R rated video show about screenwriting and show business, along with a Showtime TV show actress (Look) and a former model and student, both in their 20’s. To…

3.) A lively reading of a wonderful anthology/essay collection about loss and change in the lives of women over age fifty. Where most of the audience was over sixty.

I usually have a salad bar of social anxiety and I talked so much, by the end of the evening, I lost my voice. Interesting day.

I’m a working Mom and while I know it’s all about balance (ha—what’s that?), the guilt still creeps in sometimes. It’s much easier now that my three year old Bex is in preschool three and a half hours a day to get writing done.

The weird-but-great day started with writing my blog per usual, then heading off to my son’s first-ever preschool Thanksgiving party in the late morning.

OMG, there is hardly anything in the world cuter than little munchkins dressed like pilgrims and Indians, singing holiday songs on “stage” and telling the assembled parents and teachers what they are thankful for.

Is wearing the multicolored construction paper Indian feathered hats terribly un-P.C.? It probably is, isn’t it? I must admit, it did hit a spot of nostalgia for me since I made and wore those too, as a child in small town Kansas. I know the schools and the kids don’t mean it to be offensive in any way, I apologize if it is.

Anyway, Bex is a little under the weather and crabby on and off as a result, and the poor kiddo was dying to get off the stage and get to the cupcakes and cookies while his wonderful teachers lovingly encouraged and wrangled him. He’s sort of like a baby alligator.

I heard one of his teachers say to the other, in proud, hushed tones about my boy: He’s really doing a good job!

That warmed the cockles of my Mommy heart, as Bex’s little face started to crumble, threatening earth shattering tears by the end of the performance. The teachers were rooting for him, too.

My spirited boy. My precious angel. The most difficult one in the whole class to keep in line and the only kid who simply refused to eat any of the healthy Thanksgiving spread, ingesting only frosting off of cakes and iced cookies and then throwing himself on the floor in a public sugar tantrum.

Wow, I may just win Mother of the Year for this one!

My husband I were both at the school for the occasion and Bex had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the car because he wanted to stay. Of course he did, there was more sugar there he hadn’t eaten yet!

We may just have to curtail the sugar ingestion a little bit. Please don’t judge, I wanted him to have a good time at his little holiday party. Sigh.

Of course my kid was the only one having a tantrum at the whole party amongst all of the other well-behaved angels. And luckily his body cast sticking out of his shirt doesn’t draw any extra attention! Like, ever.

So, that happened. But it was fun and sweet before the monkey freak out.

Then yesterday afternoon, I got to go on the live Internet video stream discussion panel on Geekweek Live! With my managers and friends, TV and film producers Jeff Katz and Rich Marincic. (www.Geekweek.com)

Geekweek is about all things geek—cool entertainment and show business talk and news, as well as sports stuff guys love (like pro wrestling). Warning: the show is not about Mom Blogs, although I did mention mine, and there is R rated language (!) be still my virgin ears.

Also, ahem, there was some discussion about strippers and an R rated old movie starring Angie Dickenson and William Shatner playing on the video screen behind our heads, as we discussed the potential pros and cons of a screenwriting/moviemaking contest on Amazon.com and discussed The Biz.

I don’t mean to shock anybody, but I have never, ever heard anyone say the “F word,” certainly not a mother, have you? Heavens, no. And moms have obviously never been naked in our lives or had sex. We know this, because you can only get pregnant by immaculate conception.

So, seriously, listen to how crazy this is: The video of our panel yesterday already has something close to 40,000 views on Justin.TV (!)

The way it works is you can watch it live on Thursdays from 4pm to around 5:30 or 6pm, and afterwards it’s available to watch anytime here:

http://www.justin.tv/geekweek/b/274110232

It’s long, around two hours, but you can watch pieces of it. I had a blast being on and I hope I get invited back.

Right after that taping, my husband Nick and I sped over to a bookstore called Diesel in Brentwood Village to see my talented writer and editor mother in law, Linda Gravenson, give a reading of her newly published book, along with some of her collaborators.

The book is called In the Fullness of Time: 32 Women on Life After 50

(Available on Amazon.com, etc.)

The reading was wonderful, rich and heartfelt, and I got to meet Abigail Thomas, an incredible writer with a fascinating life story. Stephen King is a big fan of hers and his quote is on the front of her book, and he is no slouch.

Full disclosure: My husband is currently working on a project to hopefully bring part of Ms. Thomas’ amazing story to life, Nick has written a screenplay based on Abby’s book (Oh yes, I call her Abby now!)-

The book I’m talking about, a memoir, is called A Three Dog Life. It’s a sad and painful story, but triumphant and awesome. Available pretty much anywhere, check it out.

And we are hopefully going to make the book into a movie. We meaning Nick and I’m married to him. If the planets align, that is, and I have a feeling they will, on this one. The screenplay (which Nick wrote, of course based on Abigail’s book) has been getting a lot of attention and it has been sent to a certain A List actress to read.

Time will tell…but I think success follows Abby around.

I even got to have dinner with Abigail Thomas after the reading, along with a group including my close friend Britt, my MIL Linda and Gretchen Haight and Joan Nicholson, who also write beautifully in the collection, and gush all over and hug Abby (probably) inappropriately two or three times.

I hope she doesn’t see me as a skeevy stalker.

Then I promptly lost my voice in the car on the way home from my Big Day Out. But I didn’t forget some of the lessons learned that day, including this quote Abby said. It works for writing and just for life:

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.

-Samuel Beckett

Maybe this will become my new motto as a mother. I’m gonna try to fail better.

XOXO-

-Heidi

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XOXO- h