Lara Zielin

STATUS: Can’t wait for tomorrow’s Packers game against the Lions. It’s been my dream forever to attend a Thanksgiving football game. Now, I am! Hooray!

FAVE LINKEY-POO RIGHT THIS SECOND:Punky Brewster, Nell Carter, Bea Arthur — they all show up in this NBC 60th anniversary special, and they’re all singing. A Dreamgirls song.

So. Y’all. I went to Lambeau. I saw the Packers play. I ate brats at 9 in the morning. I drank Leinenkugel’s and screamed until I was hoarse. It was the party of the year, and I had so much fun I can hardly stand to think about it. So this post is devoted to all things Packers (those cute peeps in the pics with me are my parents and Rob) and here’s hoping they tromp the Lions on Thanksgiving. Keep scrolling until the end because there’s an awesome video that Rob took of the whole place erupting (especially yours truly) when the Pack gets a touchdown.

Go Pack, GO!

STATUS: Loving the South Park “Imagination Land” series.

FAVE LINKEY-POO RIGHT THIS SECOND: The photos from and commentary about a 1971 Sears catalogue.

So, I don’t know when sporting goods companies realized that women were actual customers, but thank god they did. Check out this pink Packers shirt I bought to wear to the game on the 11th. The G even sparkles. Y’all.

Of course, Lambeau will probably be so cold, I’ll have to wear layers upon layers and my cute t-shirt will never make it onto America’s television sets, along with my sign that says “The OTHER Brett is my rock of love.” Okay, I would never make that sign. But Brett Favre is a rockin hottie.

STATUS: Holy. I am about to take a pilgrimage to my own personal Mecca – Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. There, I’ll see Brett Favre play on his home turf, maybe in his last year ever as an NFL quarterback. I also get to root for the Pack against the evil Vikings, my parents’ favorite team. They often lament how they could have raised a Packer fan. But I simply say – go, Pack, go!

Countdown until edits start on DONUT DAYS: One week exactly. Until then, I’m trying to get as much done as I can on the new book. Because once I start editing DD, I think it’ll be too hard to try and work on a second book, too.

I honestly look forward to blogging about the editing process. I’m a greenhorn here, so hopefully what I share on my blog will be helpful to other writers on the verge of a book contract. Or at least I hope it’s amusing. “She didn’t know THAT? OMG. I thought every writer knew about THOSE issues. Hoo boy.”

In other exciting news, Larawrites.com is almost slated for launch. And by almost I mean gimme, like, another week or so. At least. So prolly I’ll start blogging on larawrites directly but never fear – there’s cool technology available that will update my blogger site automatically, once I update larawrites. How cool is that? So if you’re stuck on roadtorandomhouse, you don’t have to leave it.

STATUS: Clintonistic. I can’t help it – I wax nostalgic for the former prez every time I hear the news. Plus I have a secret crush on him.

I haven’t quite figured out how to fix the HTML on my blog so that my “about me” page is actually interesting, so in the meantime I thought I’d post a few personal nuggets of information that will likely horrify and fascinate at once.

Ready? Here goes.

I’m from Wisconsin.

I love football and, yes, the Packers are my favorite team. I also love the food that accompanies football season, especially my fave Wisconsin dish, tater-tot hot dish.

Speaking of food, if there was only one food I could eat for the rest of eternity, it would be cheese and crackers.

More about eating: I have a secret fascination with eating that abrasive cleaner, Comet. I can’t help it, I just think it looks good.

Twice I have been so sunburned I’ve thrown up.

I went on a tornado chase in 2004, but didn’t see any twisters. I crushed on a British bloke who was in my van and introduced me to Maroon Five, a band I now loathe.

Number of times I have been in love: four.

I have spoken in tongues.

My cat’s name is Pancake.

I’m not sure if I want kids.

I started writing when I was eight years old. I had a green pencil and that lined paper you use when you’re learning cursive, and I wrote so much I gave myself a callous, which I still have to this day.

The only time I was ever able to wear a bikini was in fifth grade.

I don’t have many girlfriends.

I am wearing fake hair right now.

I am also wearing underwear. I’m not one of those girls who commandos it all the time.

My ex-husband and I are still friends.

I love where I live with Rob, but I am still searching for my true home. I believe in my heart that Australia is where I belong, though I’ve never been there.

One time, I met a woman who felt the same way about Brazil. She and her husband moved there and she loved it. She never looked back.

I drink my coffee out of a mug that says “Cowgirl.”

I once went on a cattle round-up at a ranch in Montana.

I believe in heaven — and hell.

I believe in putting yourself out there and saying “whatever” to anyone who wants to judge you.

I think exercises like this are fun.