The MacHalo World Tour

2010-12-15T00:39:00.000-08:00

MACHALO: (mac-hay-lo) for the ultimate in Shade protection, take 1 hot pink bike helmet, secure blazing LED lights to surface, strap on and kick Fae ass!

Karen talks about the MacHalo:

When fictional character MacKayla Lane invented the MacHalo to defend herself from the deadly Shades—a caste of Unseelie that live in darkness and prey on humans—I never imagined the bizarre helmet she designed would explode from the pages of Faefever, and take on a life of its own.

First, you wanted to know if it was real. When you found out I’d built it before writing it into the story (I had to know if it worked!) you wanted a picture. Then you wanted a picture of me wearing it, and finally you wanted pictures of yourselves wearing it. How could I refuse?

I packed it up and sent it out to the first fans in January, 2009, and you’ve been passing it around ever since. It’s been spotted in Everett, Portland, Los Angeles, Huntington Beach, San Francisco, Salem, Seattle, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Washington DC, Mechanicsville, Las Vegas, Radcliff, New York, Leavenworth, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Scotland, and Mexico, and it’s rumored to be on the way to Dublin soon!

I can’t tell you how fabulously fun it’s been for me to see Mac’s helmet on...

Marilyn Monroe’s grave, worn by a burlesque dancer in NYC, inside exhibits at the Museum of Natural History (you guys have serious balls, LOL) and seeing the Z-Lo (which is Barrons streamlined and—according to him—infinitely superior version) resting on a standing stone in Scotland, or ascending the steps to Dunnottar castle.

I’ve been blessed with the most wonderful fans! I feel as if I’ve met so many of you from your photos and emails. During a time in my life when I’ve not been able to travel much, you’ve taken me all over the country and beyond, giving me a window to the world through your camera lenses and blogs. Keep them coming! I’m loving it!

Houston, TX January 2010

2010-02-28T10:49:00.000-08:00

The MacHalo came to Houston on January 30, 2010, just in time for some very unusual weather. Houston usually does not experience winter; the coldest it gets is around fifty degrees for a few days, if we’re lucky. Jack Frost must have known what a grand event it was to have the MacHalo in Houston, and he decided to celebrate by giving us weather in the lower thirties/upper forties on the day of our outing. As a result, us Houstonians, who are used to eighty degree winters, decided it was too cold to stay and romp around the city for long. We still had a great time and got some good pictures, even though the day was cut short.

We started the day by having lunch at the Spaghetti Warehouse, a local restaurant famous for being haunted and serving awesome spaghetti. While we were there, we met another lady who was out eating with her family and recognized the MacHalo, which I thought was pretty cool. One of the men who went, Greg, was the director of public relations at Rice University, so we planned to go there and take a picture with the statue of Rice, but once we got there we realized the statue was almost twenty feet tall, and there was no way we were going to climb it! We settled for taking pictures with William Rice in the background and moved on. The next place we hit was the Sam Houston statue, the namesake for our great city. Just behind the statue was the Hotel ZaZa, which had a huge Z on it that looked almost identical to the Z that Jericho branded on Mac, so of course we all had to take pictures with the Z in the background! The Museum of Natural Science was across from the statue, so we went and took pictures there, as well as the Miller Outdoor Theatre. By this time we had been outside for two hours, I had gone through two sets of batteries in my camera, and I had lost all feeling in my fingers an hour and a half ago, so we decided to call it a day. Despite those things, I had a wonderful, exciting day with the MacHalo and a great group of women and can’t wait for the next event that brings us together.

Jenny

Austin, TX January 2010

2010-01-29T01:03:00.000-08:00

So when Leiha asked me to host the MacHalo for Austin, TX, I accepted and immediately was excited. Of course when it finally arrived I put it on right away, and that thing is heavy! Took some getting used to, but as we found it is quite efficient in the dark. My family and I marveled at it for a few days and then it was time to meet up with the Maniacs.

On January 16th my two friends Rosie and Teresa hopped in my car and we made our way to a very sunny downtown Austin. We found Tracie, and were then found by Barbie and her daughter, and Melissa and her family. We all passed the MacHalo around and took some pictures. Our first destination was the famous Tower on the University of Texas campus. Thank goodness Melissa’s husband came along, he was the perfect navigator for our little crew. We got some great pictures with the UT Tower in the background, and then decided we’d hit the Texas State Capitol. Once we got there, it was just our luck that a rally was going on. We took some more pictures, and got some contemplative looks from people at the rally. The thing is, in Austin anything goes, so people looked, then shrugged and chalked it up to the fact that we are Austinites. After that, we headed to an Irish pub called Fado’s, where we chatted and found heaven through a dessert called a “Black and Tan” (Brownie with Guiness ice cream, holy crap!) We all had such a fun time just talking about the Fever series and generally being silly! Good times…

The next day I again met up with Barbie and her family, and this time two of my fellow RBL ladies joined us. Su and Joey met up with us at Chuy’s for some delicious Tex-Mex food, and of course some fun pictures. We took pictures at the sign by the side of the road and as you can imagine, got a few honks. Lovely. After Chuy’s we decided to go to Amy’s ice cream, which is a pretty famous ice cream shop in Austin and is absolutely delicious. Anyone get the idea that Austin maniacs also happen to be foodies? Yeah, our meet-ups sort of revolved around good places to eat. But hey you can’t ask for anything more, good company, good food AND the MacHalo? Yeah, it was lots of fun.

Also, as requested by Leiha, my good friend Teresa agreed to take some pictures of me dressed up as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider with the MacHalo. We went out in my yard on yet another awesome, sunny Texas day and took the pictures. Yeah, we were pretty much ridiculous, but we had a lot of fun doing it! Lots of fun is probably the best description for the MacHalo meet-ups in Austin. I got to meet some really fun people and help share the legendary MacHalo with my fellow Maniacs:) Thanks again Karen and Leiha!

Casey

The Mann Family Christmas

2010-01-25T00:41:00.000-08:00

Since I had the ZLo in my possession I decided to make it a part of the Mann Family Christmas. I love spending time with my family, especially since I have spent the majority of my adult life living away from them so I really cherish this time with my family.

We invited some family friends over to be a part of the festivities. I wish I would have taken more pics as the night progressed but once the food was eaten and the presents opened it was time for serious game play. My family is a competitive family but in a fun way. We played Texas Hold 'em (I lost), Rockband and board games (catchphrase and taboo) until 3am while eating leftovers and a vat of jelly bellys. Dad had taken the little ones home way before then. Once the guys passed out the gals rocked out a little more until I cried uncle. It takes a lot to pry the microphone out of my hands but exhaustion won out. If I'm going to be a rock star I'm going to have to work on my stamina, LOL.

I hope you enjoy the Mann Family Christmas.

Chicago, IL January 2010

2010-01-11T13:26:00.000-08:00

On the morning of January 2nd, my husband, daughter and I hopped the train to take the Halo down to meet the ladies at Café Iberico in downtown Chicago. After we pulled into Oglivie Station, my family went to the Shedd Aquarium and I headed over and met right up with Eileen at the restaurant. Soon thereafter, Angel, Sara, and Kristen arrived. What a wonderful group of women! I swear, I felt like I already knew each one of them. Even though only 5 of us out of a possible 15 or so showed up, it certainly didn’t dampen our spirits (or keep us from consuming spirits. I’ve never been tipsy on sangria at noon before)! The more the drinks flowed, the more in depth the conversation became. We discussed everything from men to authors to Fevercon to body parts (you figure out which ones! I’m not telling.). Of course, we had to take some shots with the MacHalo. We felt momentarily panicked when we noticed one of the black click it lights was missing. Whew! What a relief when we found it.

After thoroughly stuffing ourselves with food and desserts, we decided to brave the 15 below zero wind chills and get some pictures around the city. I must say that Sara was the bravest of us all. She had some sexy, butt kicking hot pink heels on and she boldly went where no MacHalo wearer has gone before in freezing cold weather. I especially love the shot of her strutting her stuff across Michigan Avenue. Everyone was so willing and excited. We had a ton of fun and got a kick out of taking pictures around the city. I’m still surprised I was able to work the camera! My hands were numb after about 15 minutes:) Alas, all good things must come to an end. Well, I don’t really believe that, but I thought it was a good transitional phrase. The truth is, everyone had to go. I am so grateful to have spent the holidays with the MacHalo. I had some unforgettable adventures, many laughs and I made some great friends.

Kris aka Knordeng

Madison, WI December 2009

2010-01-11T13:03:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All! The MacHalo came to me in Madison, Wisconsin during the very exciting, very busy holiday season! I received that beautiful pink beauty a day before my school went on winter break (I’m a high school Spanish teacher). I wasted no time and brought her to school with me the next day! Imagine my pleasure and surprise when the staff and students were so willing to participate in the pictures! I truly felt like Mac…in unchartered territory as I interrupted two formal meetings to ask someone to “spice things up” by wearing the Halo. They did---as did the dean, librarian, teachers, cooks, etc…. You know, people are really adventurous!

The spirit of a MacHalo Christmas moved others in the community, as well. I had my physical therapy and chiropractic appointments during holiday break (reeeeealllly annoying, chronic back trouble) and, as you can see, we had more takers! Kudos to my chiropractor and my daughter’s swimming teacher for wearing our pink treasure during work regardless of the funny looks they received. Tee Hee. The MacHalo accompanied me snowshoeing, sightseeing, dining, shopping, working, etc. I felt like Mac and carried that puppy everywhere. I figured, if I kept it in the car I would get some prime picture opportunities.

We celebrated 2 Christmases –one with my side of the family and one with my husband’s. I’m really not sure who enjoyed the MacHalo more. Everyone was vying for the opportunities to have a chance wearing the hat while opening gifts, singing carols, cooking, drinking, you name it. My favorite picture moments were the MacHalo as the Christmas tree topper, kisses under the mistletoe (well, it wasn’t really mistletoe, but I thought it would make a cool picture so we improvised), my cousin Christina in her sexy epic Mac shots, and my daughter role playing pink and black Mac.

Taylor as Mac 4.0

For New Years, my sister’s family and husband’s brother’s family traveled to Schaumburg, Illinois to celebrate the coming of 2010. We toasted the MacHalo numerous times, kissed it for luck, and wore it around the hotel. The two pictures of the woman on the bed are of my sister. Hmmm. What can I say? I encouraged her to arrange herself on the bed and pat the space next to her, giving a sexy “come here, Barrons” look. Well, at first she couldn’t even hold her head while wearing the hat (too much champagne). Then, she couldn’t stop laughing uncontrollably. None of the other females was willing to pose for this one. I considered doing so myself, but I figured you’d already seen enough pictures of me and I have those darn inflexible back limitations:)

Kris aka Knordeng

Ann Arbor, MI December 2009

2009-12-14T10:09:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be asked to host the Michigan leg of the MacHalo tour.

What’s the first thing I did? Bought the official shirt.

What’s the second thing I did? Read the books.

Oops.

But I read them now! I had some Highlanders under my belt, but now I have the Fever series too! All of them, I promise, and they were soo good. I think I did pretty good in coming up with trivia for it even, and I felt even more honored to host this awesome, pink, light-up beast. For those of you who have not held it, it’s quite hefty!

I will also admit I squee’d when the package came. It said Neil Dover on it!!:D Fast forwarding to the trip, I had planned on coming in to town on Friday night even though the rest of the bunch would not be arriving until Saturday so I could pick up Jordy (Bluedragonfly) from the airport. I had talked to Phil Gigante (the voice) and found out he was coming in Friday as well, and he says, “Don’t tell Jordy!”

I was texting him back and forth that night, making Jordy think I was joking about him coming. “Oh, Phil wants to know what you would like to drink.” "Bring me a shot of whiskey", the woman says. Little did she know he was right up the road at Meijer and would bring her her very own bottle!

I told her I was going to get some slippers from my car because our heater was not working and when I came back with Phil the poor thing almost fell right off the bed! The heater not working also brought Chad, the hotel guy, up to our room where he immediately wanted to try on the MacHalo and wanted me to text him the photo. Chad was cool.

As Dawn’s post says, we had some great food at Conor O’Neill’s and the men definitely wanted to know how Phil had such an attentive group of adoring and beautiful women. He wasn’t sharing his secrets.

We had tossed around activities to do around town but it was chilly and we were chatty (I don’t think either restaurant was sad to see us go!) and so we ended up at Phil’s. Oh darn. We played one of my games and had a blast playing Catch Phrase. (I know a photo was snapped of me laughing my head off.)

We got to have a quick chat with Natalie Ross, as well as a “Hi!” to Neil, so we felt quite privileged.

After pushing off our dinner reservations for an hour – because we were THAT full – we headed to Shalimar, where Phil made napkin boobies and we had a great time when my Sweet Lassi got lost. Deborah was an absolute riot as she listened to Spell of the Highlander. Her little “Shh!” was adorable. I think we thoroughly entertained our waitress, and at some point, we managed to eat and write in the journal.

Returning to Phil’s, we got to hear the podcast which was just as hard to sit through as Dawn says it was. Oh man, by that point, you would not believe we were completely sober. It was like a junior high girls sleepover with all the giggling and our minds were in the furthest reaches of the gutters.

But nothing will ever beat the double fisted, at least six person pillow fight. We were in the living room, the spare bedroom, standing on the beds – it was hilarious. It’s a minor miracle we had no complaint for noise.

We finished the rest of my games, which Phil wanted to join. If I had known he wanted to attend our “bridal shower” as I believe I heard him say, I would have gotten different gifts than candles, earrings, a Mac 2.0 charm bracelet and a mug! But alas, Mrs. Gigante gets a very pretty creativity mug now, lol.

~~Late in the~~...Early in the morning, when we finally stopped chatting (Phil is just as bad as us women) Marcia, Jordy and I headed back to our room. Poor Marcia drove the 12 hours there, hung out with us all day, got four hours of sleep and drove back! There was no way we were going to bed right away when we returned, but we finally settled now.

I’m very happy to have my shirt signed by all the wonderful people I met, and to have been able to tote around the conversation starter that is the MacHalo! It’s wonderful promotion because everyone asks, “What IS that?” and you get to talk all about the books.

Still wishing our keeping Phil hostage got us Shadowfever spoilers,

Bonnie/Cybrokat

The MacHalo & Phil Gigante Rock Ann Arbor, Michigan

Never was so much fun had on so little sleep!!

Before I get to the stories of what all happened on the weekend of the Michigan MacHalo Gathering, first I’m gonna regress completely to, at least High School level, if not grade school behavior here and have a total fangurl moment to say: “I met Phil! I met Phil!!!” He is incredible in person!! He walked right up to me... lookin’ so sharp in a black shirt, tan tweed jacket and “the Hat”! Then, in his velvet voice that’s even more amazing live, lasses... he immediately greeted me and bear-hugged me! YEAH!!!! (okay, gotta admit, this was even better than my Birthday call! Woot!) Please excuse a wee bit more juvenile behavior as I chant: “I hugged Phil! I hugged Phil!” *Swoon* *Squee* Mega Fangurl Moment!!! *Dreamy Sigh* I also just gotta say, he is really the sweetest guy in person. Down to earth, funny as all get out, and you feel like you’ve known him your whole life. Okay, enough raving fangurl behavior. Now on with the rest of the tale:

Our rockin’ hostess, Bonnie, picked two awesome restaurants to keep with the themes for the day. For lunch, we met at an Dublin, Irish themed place called Conor O'Neill's (in honor of Phil’s performance in Dreamfever) and for dinner (because HEY!!! We *are* his HAREM!!), we went to this great Indian restaurant called The Shalimar. Both had most excellent food.

But, back to the Dublin place, Conor O'Neill's, where my part in all this began. We met up there for lunch. We were a fun group which came from a variety of states, including Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Missouri. The MacHalo was there and naturally it was drawing attention from passersby. However, the biggest draw, for all of us, was the man with the Velvet Voice, Phil Gigante. We fast learned that in addition to his gorgeous voice (which was divine to listen to, even just reading from the menu *sigh*), but he also, has a wicked sense of humor and a quick wit, so he kept us laughing and entertained all through lunch, dinner, and well into the night, err... morning? If you think he has been wonderful to listen to on audio and read in the chats, just wait till you ever meet him in person! He is even BETTER! BTW, he also surprised all us ladies by treating us to lunch! Wow! We know we told the waitress separate checks when the meals began but somehow she seemed to have lost all our tabs by the end of the afternoon. What a guy!

Well, it came to pass that the guys in the Irish Pub there were noticing that Phil was the ONLY GUY at this table full of women... who were, of course... all swooning over him. LOL So, one curious guy stops by and seeing the MacHalo which we were passing about and trying on (Phil, too!!) he used that as his ploy to talk to us and ask about it. He ended up trying it on and striking various manly and powerful poses wearing it! Oh yeah! You’ll see him in the pictures in our album from this event! We think he must have figured it was the “Magic Helmet”. If wearing it got Phil a table full of women, heck, he’d try it too!!! Wishful thinker!

As we were sitting waiting for lunch, Jordy gets on the phone with her Dad and then puts Phil on the phone with him. Now, you’ll hear more about what happened the night before from Bonnie. I wasn’t there and until this I hadn’t heard much about it either except that Phil had surprised her and stopped by BUT Phil, in his deep and melodious voice is talking to Jordy’s father telling him what a wonderful young lass Jordy is and what a pleasure it’s been to meet her and other such pleasantries.

Now, some of us, having heard some of the fun that had happened the night before begin mischievously muttering as the call goes on, “Yeah, this is probably not the time to mention to her father about how Phil showed up at her hotel room last night with a bottle of whiskey, huh?” Another chimes in, “Probably also shouldn’t mention that Jordy was in her PJs either, eh?” Then, Bonnie lays this one on all of us “Yeah, and we really shouldn’t mention to her Dad how Phil scooped Jordy up on his lap, shoved his hand up her shirt her and played ventriloquist with her either, ya think?” We all burst out laughing, I’m laughing so hard I slid right off the slick wooden chair and fell to the floor and what does our sweet, considerate, wonderful Master of the Harem do?? He immediately turned to me and TOOK MY PICTURE DOWN THERE ON THE FLOOR while he was laughing heartily!!! Then he helped me up. OMG! It was too funny!

At another point during the luncheon, the Michigan Gathering attempted to do a video conference call with the Chattanooga Southern Maniac Gals gathering where another bunch of Phil’s harem gals were all getting together. We tried for some time but the facility in Tennessee’s wi-fi was not working properly. So, instead, Phil got on the phone and made a speakerphone call to all of them. The screaming and excitement at their end of the phone sounded more like their team had just won the Superbowl!

They weren’t the only ones to have a fun call. During the Michigan Gathering with the MacHalo though Karen was unable to say hello, her hottie hubby, Neil Dover, star of our favorite book soundtrack Bloodrush, did say hello on the phone to us!! That was a treat, too!!!

And, the adventures continued, at one point, the Harem girls took pictures of Phil under attack and being held hostage and emailed one to Leiha with a ransom demand for Shadowfever teasers. Regretfully, she text’d Phil to say he was on his own. But, we weren’t totally disappointed, afterall, we had PHIL!!!

At dinner...oh my... what a hoot!! Phil actually asked us “What is the Desk Scene?” that he is so famous for on the boards. Woot!!! The Harem Mistress who is never without her iPod and her playlist of Highlander favorite scenes, Heh Heh, was quick to comply with her Master’s wishes. He barely listened to a few lines and said, “That’s enough, I’m actually better than that.” Marcia (AnnieM) didn’t let that pass. She wanted to find a copy of the book for him to prove it and read live to us that night. But, Phil warned her, he *is* a “method actor” *fans self* After awhile, I’m not sure which was hotter, the spicy Indian food or the conversation.

Also at dinner, another maniac who had never heard or read “the Desk Scene” asked to listen and Phil had quickly handed her the earphones. Maybe he wanted to see in person, if the reaction of listening to him that we all describe on the boards was *for real* Okay ladies, picture this (something I would sooo never try – seriously – NO WAY!) Deborah is sitting directly across from Phil (who is still lookin’ good in his black shirt ~ ahem, when he doesn’t have 6 napkins stuffed down it to make fake breasts but that is another story entirely LOL). She begins to listen and listen. After awhile, none of us are allowed to speak to her without getting “shh’d”. Then, she begins to cover her mouth, avert her eyes, then blush and sweat!!! Finally, I’m fanning her and she’s encouraging that, LOL!! Wait till you see her picture in our album!! When, she’s done and Phil wants to know what’s the best part to listen to. Not even a split second passes before she answers without any hesitation: “Go to 9 minutes and 22 seconds. Oh yes!” She also said, “I’ve got to get that audiobook!” The very next day, she formally joined the Harem!!! YEAH, BABY!!!

Oh, and I must make special mention of the fact that during dinner, The Master commanded his Harem Mistress, umm yeah, that would be me, to feed him ice cream with whipped cream and you guessed it, folks got pictures of that, too, LOL!!! It was, of course, my pleasure to comply. Woo Hoo!! Pity he only wanted a little taste. I’d have been happy to feed him the whole dish, spoon by spoon. *blush*

At Phil’s place, since there was not enough seating for all his women, and we were all such a cozy bunch anyway half the girls ended up sitting and laying about on the floor on pillows, harem style where Phil joined them as any good Sheik would do on his own pile of pillows, too, LOL!! With a crackling fire and comfortable camaraderie... okay and maybe a little ribald bawdiness at times... the evening passed all too quickly.

There was lots of fun with games, quizzes, a gift exchange and prizes all at Phil’s room where he also had a cozy fire going. Bonnie deserves special thanks as our hostess!!! She provided gift bags to everyone who attended, as well as putting together the puzzles, trivia games, and prizes for all of us. She really made this special. Y’all don’t know what you missed. The gift exchange was a unique idea, everyone brought something from their area to trade for something from someone else’s area. There was a variety of items, including some kind of ringlet made of deer antlers that one of the gals wore as her personal tiara all night.

Then, came the recording of the podcast starring Phil Gigante. That was awesome, very well-done and yet, at times, hilarious. There’s a problem when half the things said can be laden with innuendo, a verrah sexy guy is doing the talking (and y’all know what his voice sounds like) and he’s got a room full of harem fangurls listening. Mackalena had to scold us many times that the sound of our giggling was overpowering the podcast on the microphone. Then, the Master commanded us to behave and so we did our best, we really did! But, C’mon, he was answering questions like whether he prefers boxers or briefs!! And, NO! I’m not gonna spoil the podcast and tell you early. That’s their newsflash to share. But, despite our best behavior efforts, when Phil got to the line about how audiobook actors must have “true stamina” to last for hours, I swear, poor Marcia (AnnieM) was literally smothering her face in a pillow not to make a sound and I (the Harem Mistress) just flat out left the room with my hand over my mouth so as not to make a sound. Really, sometimes, he just asks too much! No Giggling allowed? Really? LOL

After the official podcast was over, Phil was asked, "By the way, what does your wife think about your having a harem?" He said essentially that she thinks it’s hysterical and gets a kick out of it. “That’s why she’s my wife”, he said proudly! He had spoken often of her and his two boys during the day and night. It was a shame she could not join us, but during the school year, someone had to stay home with the kiddies. But, what’s really funny is that when he was apparently getting ready to come down for his MacHalo & Harem visit, you’re so gonna love this, knowing he was going to meet “his Harem” his wife told him to “Make sure you wear something sexy”!!! Yeah, we *like* her!! Thank you, Mrs. Gigante!!

There had been mischief and fun throughout the day and at one point somehow Phil’s bed ended up with sheets rumpled and strewn with his harem’s clothing and various girls were topless in his bedroom. *gasp* Okay, so technically he wasn’t in the room when it happened and even funnier you should’ve seen the girls jump when one of the camera’s shutters sounded just like the front door clicking and we all jumped like a bunch of scared rabbits!!! LOL

But, then later, when Phil was there, impish fella that he is, he actually (and I have the action shot pictures to prove it) started a pillow fight with his harem!!! In fact, it ranged from room to room even. And, BTW, at one point, Marcia (AnnieM) ended up laughing so hard at Phil’s place (though I don’t remember why anymore) that she ended up falling on the floor laughing so the ROFL was contagious that day and I was not alone! However, she was lucky enough to make it up before people got pictures of her down there.

Another MAJOR TREAT!!!! WE GOT TO HEAR HIM SING!!! And yes ladies, he is awesome!!! MEGA AWESOMETASTIC!!! His personality really comes out on stage. He played us a DVD of one of his stage singing performances. He is verrah talented!! He has a great singing voice, in addition to his audio voice that we all love. *dreamy sigh* And, guess what fellow fangurls? Al Sotak told us that there are actually two of his performances out there in the world that have been recorded, and may be available if you look around. He mentioned their names and loyal Harem Mistress that I am, I scribbled them as fast as I could!! Woot!! Didja think I’d miss a chance on that? They are: The Christmas Schooner and The American Dream Interrupted, both musicals. And, when I got back home, not to stop there, of course I checked Amazon and eBay. A verrah limited number of pricey used copies are available of The Christmas Schooner on CD (Gee, I know what I want in my stocking for Christmas now ). But, alas, none could be found of the other. Happy Hunting lasses!

At the end of the night, we’d worn our “true stamina” audiobook actor out and he needed a massage. So, Jordy, being the “perfect size” for a back massage Geisha style ~ with Bonnie’s assistance (making it in true Harem fashion – cuz it does take at least two girls, right? ) ended up walking, on Phil’s back to give him a massage. Yup, you guessed it, there are pictures of that too. We all didn’t leave his room till 3 a.m., but it was so much fun! We can’t wait to do it again!!!

If you get a chance to attend a MacHalo Gathering, do it!! You’ll show up to meet with a bunch of the most fun, closest friends you’ve never met before and yet realize you’ve known them all your life somehow, right after you meet them. LOL (BTW, the pics with the MacHalo will be in the official MacHalo blog, but a link to the other photos will also be put up here for your viewing pleasure. I don’t have those details yet. Ask Bonnie or Leiha. )

Hugz,
DoberDawn

When I stepped onto the plane to Michigan, little did I know what the weekend had in store. I met Bonnie at the airport and we drove back to the hotel to meet Caitlyn and her mom. We ate at the Bob Evans across the street, which was quite busy! Then we went back to the room and chatted and took pictures. Caitlyn and her mom left, and Bonnie and I watched movies on her laptop and we talked a bit. She was texting with Phil and I thought she was joking when she said he wanted to know what we want to drink and I say Whiskey! A little while later, Bonnie says she has to run to her car for something. So when the door opens again, I am expecting Bonnie, but in walks PHIL! *Insert squuueee here* I am absolutely speechless! I am also in my pajamas, LOL! He walks over to me and hands me a bottle of Whiskey. He is SUCH a sweetheart!!! He stayed and chatted with us for a while and took pictures!

The next day we all met at Conor O’Neills. Very good time! People were very curious about the Halo, so if they asked we made them try it on mwa hahahah! Then we went back to Phil’s room and played games and took pics. We went to dinner at Shalimar and by the time we were finished, all the other chairs were up on the tables and they were cleaning up, LOL! We went back to Phil’s room and recorded the podcast…and chatted to the wee hours of the morning…we even had a pillow fight!!! The weekend flew by! Sadly, there never seems to be enough time when we Maniacs get together. It was so wonderful to meet everyone and spend the day (and night) together! A special thanks to Phil and Bonnie xoxo

Hope you have a wonderful Holiday!

xoxo Love ya lots!

Jordy

For the full album of our photos, go here: http://photobucket.com/MiMoningTrip

Philadelphia, PA November 2009

2009-11-09T09:59:00.000-08:00

This one time at band camp... I mean in Moning Maniac Mayhem in Cincinnati, Karen mentioned that she would really like to see the MacHalo travel to landmarks across the country. I immediately thought, what better place for landmarks, than the City where our nation's history began! With that thought, and a nice response of interest from Philly area Manicas, I set out to plan a fun weekend with the MacHalo.

Unfortunately, due to Halloween, changes in personal plans, sicknesses, etc, we had to edit our plans down to just one day. That day turned out to be a rainy and cold mess, but it didn't stop a few of us from having a good old CRAIC!

I showed up at the Philadelphia Art Museum (the one with the famous Rocky steps), with the MacHalo almost concealed, camera charged, umbrella ready and stiletto boots sinking deep into the wet grass! Did I mention I was greeted by about 5,000 people raising funds through a 10K run and festival for brain cancer? I was so thankful for the convenience of cell phones! I quickly found Marianna (lacunagirl812) and we chased down Ben Franklin at the Fairmount Park for a picture.

Kat called next, for some help with directions. Now as a South Jersey girl, it is my duty to mention, that Kat comes from the faraway and strange land called North Jersey and driving in the big City is rather unpleasant for her! (Seriously, if you thought Texas was a "whole 'nother country," you should drive through North Jersey!) Kat was a trooper and funny as can be throughout the 45 minutes it took for her to circle round and round, until we got her parked. Not only did she never lose her patience, I think she might have even flirted with the parking attendant. I know this, because I was still on the phone and she hadn't hung up yet...

You may not know this, but unlike in the movie, the Rocky statue is not actually at the top of the steps. A few years ago, the Art Museum decided pop culture art clashed with the classic treasures housed in the museum, and the statue was placed at the bottom of the steps, off to the side. We made our way both up the steps and to the statue and snapped a few pictures. After that we decided no one else was showing up and it was time for us to get on the double-decker bus for the tour. Well, it was shortly after we got on the bus that the calls and texts from the Maniacs started coming in... I'm sorry if we missed any of you, but we hang around the Museum for over an hour. I think we need a gathering at another time! Happy hour anyone?

Once on the tour bus, we got busy taking pictures, laughing and just being silly. The tour guide was glaring at us, which was later resolved by Kat and, of course, her flirty ways! By the time we got to the Penns landing/NJ-PA border, we were so cold from the wind coming from the Delaware River, we actually sat quietly enough for a moment to hear something about Kevin Bacon's Dad?! At this point I looked over to Kat and Marianna and said "Is anyone else reminded of Stiffler's Mom?" That got us started again, especially because I kept trying to get a picture of Kat, as opposed to her thumb! For some odd reason, this girl does not like pictures of herself - it must be a North Jersey thing! LOL

After a while we decided to pay attention to the tour, so we could remember to get off at the right stop. Guess what? The tour guide was talking about Kevin Bacon's Dad again! I think we need a picture of Kevin Bacon wearing the MacHalo! Start figuring out your 6 degrees of separation people - one of you has to be connected to him, right?!!

Our next stop for pictures were Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Marianna and Kat took turns wearing the MacHalo, while the many tourists gave us a wide berth. I wonder why? Onto the bus for our next stop...

After Laurie (Sassenach888) texted me, we decided to meet her at the famous Love Park. As fresh meat, she and her boyfriend (who is a doll) had the honors of taking turns to model the MacHalo for pictures. I was mostly excited that the fountain behind the sculpture was green (as it is any Sunday our Eagles have a game).

At that point it had gotten so cold, we ditched the last leg of the tour and took a cab back to my car. Since we were all starving, we headed to the famous Tir Na Nog Irish Pub. After a few drinks and some Irish food, we chatted about the usual... men, sex, romance novels, KMM, Drustan and Dageus, abs, Gerry Butler, tattoos, piercings... you get the picture. Laurie's boyfriend was a great sport hanging with four crazy Maniacs.

That day, November 1st, was KMM's birthday and we were not about to forget it! When it came time for dessert, we ordered a sampling of several. We didn't have a candle, so we hid a lighter among the slices and took a picture. I called KMM on my cell and we all sang "Happy Birthday" to her! She did text me the next morning to say she really enjoyed the voicemail!

Well, there you have it folks! It might not have been the biggest stop on the tour, and was probably the coldest, but for the few of us who were there, it was very special and memorable!

May the lights be with you,

Lina
a.k.a. KMM Fan#1

Mexico October 2009

2009-11-01T21:39:00.000-08:00

So I was heading out on a Mexican cruise for a vacation with a couple of gal pals and my sister and thought why not bring the ZLo? The MacHalo is currently out on tour, why should it have all of the fun?

I had the ZLo sitting next to me at dinner and Cheryle who was sitting at a table next to us asked about it, we then spent the next 2 hours talking to her and her husband Mark. The ZLo is always a wonderful conversation piece. It was awesome because we would keep running into them and I felt an instant friendship with her and Mark.

It did seem like I was always running late (we were on the last boat leaving Cabo for the ship and had to run to catch our plane back to WA) so I didn't get to take as many pictures as I would have liked, that and I did spend a lot of time lying on my back soaking in the sun, LOL.

I took the ZLo to an art auction on the ship. We were going because they offered free champagne (I wasn't drinking, my calories were saved for food) and because I thought it would be awesome to take pics in front of works of art but then I thought better of it, I didn't want to get in trouble for photographing the art work. Luckily we made friends with the art dealers and they let us take pics of them in front of Chagall and some Russian artist whose name I can't pronounce. There were Rembradts, Picassos and Dalis there also but we didn't want to push it. During the actual auction they would give out prizes at various points whenever they wanted extra enthusiasm. They gave away a t-shirts and a bottle of champagne at one point. I told Su we should use the ZLo to get a prize so we turned on the lights and the next time they wanted enthusiasm she put the ZLo on and jumped up and down and she won! What did she win? A root beer gavel lollipop. Not quite the bottle of champagne she was hoping for. I still have that gavel, Su gave it to me to give to Karen, LOL.

In Cabo we met up with some Canadians from Vancouver. My sister didn't want me to go up to them with the ZLo, she should know better then that, LOL. In Mazatlan we had some fun with the staff at the resort we went to and in Puerto Vallarta we took some fun pictures along the coastline.

I saw George and his mustache and told him he was taking a picture with the ZLo.

Our last night on the ship was Oct 30th so we dressed up and got plenty of looks as we wandered throughout the ship. We even went trick or treating, we had met some women who had told us they would be handing out candy, for some reason I had no problems remembering their room number, LOL.

Thanks to the ZLo I met and talked to people I wouldn't have necessarily have met otherwise. Another awesome adventure.

Leiha

Cincinnati, OH August 2009

2009-10-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

Dreamfever is out and what better way to celebrate then a book signing with Karen and a weekend with fellow maniacs! You know where large groups of Maniacs gather the MacHalo will be there as well as the ZLo. We met on Friday night at an Irish Pub, I thought the stone interior would make a great backdrop for some pictures. Yes, I did think about picture taking opportunities when I booked the restaurant, LOL.

Since I was so busy chatting up the gals, Kris (future hostess of the MacHalo), Kim, Stephanie and Teresa who were sitting near me I handed my camera and the MacHalo and ZLo off to the gals and let them take pictures at will, with some hilarious results. My favorite is Nancy’s backhand of Julie. I’ve learned that those two gals need to be kept separated if I’m not around to keep them out of trouble.

Heather, a local gal, wanted to take some pics outside since our restaurant was right on the water and there were some great bridges over the Ohio river but my camera wasn’t picking them up well. The MacHalo being the conversation piece it is, several people asked us about it (a very common occurrence while out and about with the MacHalo and ZLo. So we got a picture with Anthony who is the corporate chef for the Claddagh Irish Pubs. I also directed him to Karen’s website and to the MacHalo World Tour page and let him know he was going to be a part of the experience now. He also sent the chef in to take a picture with the MacHalo.

Saturday was the booksigning with Karen and several hundred of her fans. There were fans from Norway and England, as well as California, Texas, Utah, Georgia and many other states. We had the MacHalo and ZLo available for those who hadn't taken pics with the MacHalo yet. As you know, my favorite pics are taken outside but I loved the fun people had with the MacHalo and the ZLo.

Zina showed up with her children and a couple of them were in kilts, how awesome is that! Kim showed up with her dad Bob who is also a big fan of Karen's. Diana, one of the earliest members of Karen's board drove in with a whole gang of girlfriends (gals she's converted, we love that!) from MO. Then there were familiar faces, gals we just expect to see at our events such as Lis, Jean, Cheryle, Vic, Jenn, Debbie, Jordy and Julie to name a few.

If we didn't have the support of the Maniacs there would be no way our events would run as smooth as they do. Jenn and Julie were greeting people at the door! Everyone knew that Karen was doing a book signing there and if they didn't know who Karen was they would inform them, LOL.

I can't stress enough how important you all are to us. Don't volunteer because I will put you to work as anyone who has been to any of our events knows, LOL.

Just looking at these pictures reminds me of the specialness of that weekend.

Leiha

Scotland July 2009

2009-10-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

When 22 Moning Maniacs embarked for our dream trip to Scotland this summer, little did most of us know we would be traveling with a soon to be star. Karen was kind enough to allow Debbie D to take the Z-Lo on the trip and let us have fun with it as we traversed the beautiful Highlands. Since no one knew about this surprise, Debbie decided to unveil the Z-Lo at dinner out first night in Glasgow. It was a wonderful sight witnessing everyone’s surprised and excited reaction when Debbie placed it atop Rita’s head.

The next day began our sightseeing excursions …and the Z-Lo was therewith us for every minute and experience. From Robert Burns’ cottage to the Highlands. From the Isle of Skye to Little Loch Broom. From Loch Ness to Edinburgh. Everywhere the Maniacs went, the Z-Lo went too.

After the first couple of days it seemed as if I became the official keeper of the Z-Lo. Making sure it made its way from our room every morning and back to our room every night. I attached it to the straps of my backpack as we toured the country making sure that it stayed safe from and well protected. I even convinced some of the ladies to brave the rainy streets of Aberdeen in search of a new bulb, since the one on the top stopped working. We convinced waiters and waitresses and complete strangers (in KILTS!!) to wear it for us.

Sadly our time together and in Scotland came to an end and with it, our time with the Z-Lo. But like all amazing experiences we have our memories and our stories and our pictures. Thanks Karen for letting us borrow the Z-L0. *sobs* I miss it *sobs*. To Scotland!!!!

Jenn

BloodRush June 2009

2009-10-22T11:33:00.000-07:00

Karen and I were talking on the phone and she mentioned to me that there was a track on the BloodRush CD that needed a bunch of women in the background chanting and she was thinking about asking the Moning Maniacs if they wanted to be a part of the recording. What did I think of that? I told her the gals would love it! Thus, the BloodRush recording event in Atlanta was born with Maniacs coming in from all over the country and Lin wracking up the frequent flyer miles arriving from England.

Karen left the weekend activities up to me to plan which is why we don't have any pictures from Friday night. No pics were allowed where we were going.

Moning Maniac Shelly, who I met the last time I was in Atlanta, was a great help with helping us find a restaurant for our pre-recording lunch as well as a hotel for all of us to stay in. As always, I felt like I was running late. The thing is, I wasn't late but I wanted to be there earlier knowing the Maniacs will show up early but I had errands to run that morning. I wanted to pick up a birthday cake for Paige who was turning 12 that day. I know, the second birthday for a young girl named Paige at one of Karen's events. It's going to become a tradition, LOL.

Mia was hand carrying the MacHalo with her from NYC and I brought the ZLo in with me. It was the first time they were together and I love love love the pictures of them together. We have to try to have them together more often.

Since I was running around trying to make sure everything was running smoothly as well as working the giveaways and quiz (with help from Vic and Linda) Krissy was kind enough to work the camera and try and get pics of everyone with the MacHalo and ZLo. For me it was like Christmas to look at all of the pics that were taken afterwards.

Leiha

And a few more pics that were too wide for the slideshow:

Kevin and JennyJean and MichelleSue and Evie

Leavenworth, WA May 2009

2009-10-22T11:22:00.001-07:00

I had been meaning to take the ZLo on a hike with me ever since the weather started getting decent. I love outdoor pictures and the when it's not raining WA is a gorgeous place to be. The problem is, I don't hike very often. My time with the ZLo was getting short and I really wanted some pics outside so my roommate, Nancy, who was home for some reason (she might have woken up sick and felt better as the day progressed)suggested a drive out to Leavenworth.

I don't normally take road trips where I stop a lot. I'm a get to the destination type of gal so Nancy was happy that I was willing to go on a meandering road trip. We basically stopped anywhere that looked like it would be a great picture taking opportunity. We drove by the tiny town of Index where she had never been to so we stopped so she could say she had been there and we took some cool pics on a bridge. We passed a little roadside chapel outside of Monroe that I had never noticed before. We stopped at a campground because they had some gorgeous giant trees and we took some awesome pics at Deception Falls (that water was cold!).

All places I would have never seen if it wasn't for the ZLo. It was a great day and we eventually made it to Leavenworth where the only picture we took was of Nancy eating licorice ice cream.

Leiha

Portland, OR May 2009

2009-10-22T01:03:00.001-07:00

Portland is my home away from home since one of my best friends lives there (I have great friends every where but Portland is in driving distance) so if I get a chance I like to meet up with the Moning Maniacs in the area. I already knew Karen and Megan but this was my first time meeting Konnie (who was helping to organize the Scotland trip) and she was great fun.

We met for happy hour, it was a weekend but my friend Linda knows where all the happy hours are, which is great for me whenever I visit. We sat around chatting, as well as eating and drinking (most of the gals ordered one app or split one, I think Nancy and I ordered 3 or 4, hey, it's happy hour!) for awhile and then decided to wander the streets looking for fun ideas and places to take pictures. The gals were great and really got into the spirit of the pictures. I loved the ones taken inside of an empty garage.

Of course you can work up an appetite walking a couple of blocks so we stopped for cupcakes at one of our favorite cupcake places, Jones Cupcakes. Why do I love their cupcakes? Because they make tiny bite sized ones so you can try several different kinds, which Nancy and I did, LOL. We also stopped in Powell's which is a huge bookstore. We decided to take our group picture in the romance section standing next to Karen's books.

All in all a fun day and I can't wait to see the gals again!
Leiha

Seattle, WA May 2009

2009-10-22T00:53:00.001-07:00

I've been lucky enough to wear the ZLo on a couple separate occasions. First was at Leiha's house, shortly after it arrived. We had great fun checking it out and trying it on. Even my sons wanted to try it out and see how cool they looked.

A short while later Leiha and I hit downtown Seattle with ZLo in tow. After finding a place to park I lead the way to the happy hour spot...only to march Leiha though a couple of my personal dark zones (about 4 city blocks that I'd forgotten about when directing Leiha to the closest parking garage). We got to the bar and ordered some drinks and appies (Leiha! Those bacon wrapped dates!) and fueled up for the evening. While taking some pictures there were a few questions from those sitting around us, but no one was cool enough to muster up the courage to try the ZLo.

After the bar we headed towards the famous Pike's Place Market and took photos all over the place. The ones that come to mind most readily are the pics where we climbed up on Rachel the Pig, when we found that chair with a pig's rear end on it's back half, the fabulous Italian Restaraunt called The Pink Door...there are so many!

After the market we hit the Seattle Center and the Space Needle, where I tested out the theory that the ZLo was light enough to be able to do a cartwheel while wearing it. It is! And I did!! We tried to get into the Pacific Science Center area, where they were showing the new Star Trek movie, but they wanted us to buy a ticket, so we had to move on. Various cool sculptures around the enter provided fun backdrops, and I even made Leiha walk down into the Peace Fountain for a photo.
What a fun day we had in sunny Seattle!

Ronlyn

A note from Leiha:
Ronlyn wanted to try out her cartwheel theory at my house when she first saw the ZLo. Her husband, Mr Awesometastic and I had to talk her out of it, due to the fact is was pouring down rain.

New York City, NY May 2009

2009-10-21T23:51:00.000-07:00

At first I didn’t know what to make of her but after one click there was no doubt in my mind she was going to take New York City by storm. The following weeks proved me right. Wherever The MacHalo went she made even the most jaded of New Yorkers do a double take and smile. They’d stop , ask questions about her and even pose for pictures before leaving with Mac’s background story and KMM’s website url written on torn piece of paper.

None of the NYC photos would have been possible without the creativity and willingness of The New York Moning Maniacs. Nothing was too silly or outrageous for these ladies. Whether it was dancing in a fountain or attempting to hail a cab late at night while wearing The MacHalo these ladies were down for it all. Thanks to Crystal a fellow maniac and employee of The Museum of Natural History we were able to get shots that would have gotten other patrons kicked out. Just a warning the MacHalo has been officially touched by a fertility god on display at the museum so the next person who gets it should be careful.

The MacHalo braved our transit system, flirted with cops, fire fighters and a bunch of servicemen during fleet week. She turned heads at a burlesque club , “The Slipper Room” and posed for pictures with Where’s Wanda and Gal Friday. We were chased off the steps of Lincoln Center by a grumpy cop who failed to appreciate the pink goodness of the MacHalo. She was even treated to a round at my favorite pub by the bouncer.

My favorite story by far occurred the night my friends and I took photos in front of John Lennon’s former home The Dakota. After taking photos there we decided to visit Strawberry Fields the John Lennon memorial in Central Park.

As soon as I placed the MacHalo down on the ground at the memorial it attracted several tourists. They told me were from Japan, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Canada. My friends quickly explained about The MacHalo as I took pictures. Pretty soon the crowd of tourists grew and the began taking photos of The MacHalo as well. They were under the impression that The MacHalo was part of the memorial display.

I had just packed up my camera and handed it off to my friend when a young woman approached me. “I don’t get it.” She said as she stared at The MacHalo resting among a floral peace symbol and several black and white photos of John Lennon. Since I have a twisted sense of humor and am a card carrying member of the smart aleck’s association of America I couldn’t resist.

Sure I could’ve explained Mac’s story but my friends had already tried that and the young lady couldn’t seem to wrap her head around it. So what could I do? I glanced over towards my friends and shrugged. My friends nodded their heads at me in encouragement.

“The lights are symbolic of the souls that have been sacrificed in wars all over the world. They are symbols of how when even one life is lost a light goes out in the universe. You know a soul with the potential to do good and make a difference in the world is gone.” I said.

The girl stared at me and then back at The MacHalo as if she were in awe. “Imagine, “ I continued, “ if these souls were still with us. Imagine all they could’ve accomplished and how the world would have been a brighter place just by them being here.”

Several people had wandered over during my speech and nodded their heads at the conclusion. Seeing their reaction I decided to go out balls to the wall. I swept my hand out towards the crows and then The MacHalo.

“You may say that I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one, I hope someday you’ll join us and the world will be as one. “ I said and pointed to The MacHalo. My friends joined me in a reverent head bow and the next thing you know the air was filled with quick bursts of lights and the sound of clicking cameras. The crowd of tourists had gone into a picture taking frenzy. I then retrieved The MacHalo without a word while several more tourists continued to take photos of The MacHalo as we made our way out of the park.

Mia

Radcliff, KY May 2009

2009-10-21T23:36:00.000-07:00

The day the MacHalo arrived in Knoxville, I was so excited. I tore open the box, being careful not to destroy it in my excitement, and pulled it out immediately. I know I must have had the goofiest grin on my face. I just couldn’t stop smiling. Then I pulled out the journal and started reading. It was just so cool seeing what all the people had to say.

I set up a day and time to meet with a few of the ladies in the area. My mom and I drove out to the restaurant and waited, but alas, no one showed up. I was so disappointed. When I got home, one of my nieces was at my house and wanted to try on the Halo. Olivia has blonde hair and blue eyes and is my very own Mini-Mac. So, on goes the Halo and out comes the camera. At least I got pictures of somebody wearing the Halo, LOL.

Well, a couple of the ladies said that they were so sorry but things had come up and they just hadn’t been able to make it the last time, so we set up another date to take pics, and once again, no one showed. I felt so bad. People in the area had showed an interest in having pictures made with the Halo and twice now no one showed after all the trouble and expense of sending the Halo here.

The next weekend was a book signing in Radcliff, KY at The Bookstore which I was attending. Cheryle and Jen (Natresse) live in Radcliff and several other Maniacs were making the trip to Radcliff for the signing so we decided to meet for lunch beforehand and take some pictures. This was the first time that I had met with any of the other Maniacs in person and I had an absolute blast. It was like I had known these people forever. JeanT came up from Alabama. LisK and Mechelle were there from Nashville. Baublelover, Michelle-my-Belle, Kristen and several others all came to lunch and we had a wonderful time. We even got Hannah, Cheryle’s daughter, and Ken, Cheryle’s husband, to let us take their pictures in the Halo.

After lunch we went to the book signing and several people who aren’t members of the forum, but are readers of Karen’s books, asked to have their pictures made. Jerry, the owner of The Bookstore, even modeled the Halo for us.

In all my excitement, I totally forgot to take my picture in the Halo. Leiha was so upset with me. It wasn’t until the Bloodrush event in Atlanta that I finally got my picture made in the Halo.

All in all, it was a great experience. I got the whole range of emotions, giddiness at the Halo’s arrival, disappointment when no one showed for the first meeting, sadness and then anger when no one showed at the second one, joy and happiness at finally getting to take some pictures of Maniacs in the Halo, and finally contentment that the Halo’s trip to Knoxville wasn’t a waste. LOL Having the Halo here was like reading one of Karen’s books. A rollercoaster of emotion, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

Apryl

Las Vegas April 2009

2009-10-21T22:50:00.000-07:00

Las Vegas marked the debut of the ZLo, Jericho's version of the MacHalo. Jericho's version you ask since at that point and time Jericho hadn't made a version, that would be coming up in Dreamfever. A much lighter version of the MacHalo. I know most fans prefer the original I prefer the ZLo, except for the fact I have a giant head and it is too tight on me (apparently no one else has experienced that problem LOL). Since I have traveled a lot with the MacHalo I totally loved how much lighter the ZLo is. I do wish it was pink though but that is so not Jericho's style, or rather, Barrons. Can you imagine calling him Jericho? Neither can I, LOL.

I was in Vegas to meet with my girlfriends, all book readers from one of my favorite message boards and huge fans of Karen's. Since I was going to be in Vegas I thought it would be a great opportunity to meet with the local Moning Maniacs and of course, opened it up to anyone else who wanted to come so we were joined by Lin from England, as well as Christine and Andrea from CO and Julie from GA. Unfortunately they didn't get in until Saturday because Friday night I took the ZLo to Olympic Gardens, the local male strip club!

I wanted to get the ZLo on more dancers but they were a little occupied during the night, LOL. I turned on the lights and carried it around and some of the dancers did not like having the lights shining in the middle of their lap dance, oops, LOL. We did have a dancer who really wanted the ZLo. He offered to go back with us to our hotel and give us a private dance with the ZLo as payment. I passed, LOL. No, I wasn't tempted. He wasn't my type, LOL.

I met with the Moning Maniacs on Saturday for lunch which was a blast. Andrea made cheesecake and brought it with her on her flight just for lunch. How wonderful is that? After lunch we wandered over to Caesar's Palace to take some pics with some Romans.

Sunday we did the Bally's Sterling Brunch which is one of my favorite places to go and eat when I'm in Vegas. There were 10 of us, I think. I think our reservation was at 10:30am and we didn't leave until almost 3pm. People throughout the restaurant were asking about the ZLo and taking pictures. It was a great day! I didn't partake in the all you can drink champagne but a few of the other gals did so they were extra happy, LOL.

Since Nancy and I weren't flying out until Monday we spent that day running around Vegas taking sight seeing pics with the ZLo. We had to get the Vegas sign but my favorite pics were the ones inside the Paris hotel. I love the inside of the Paris and the lighting looks like I would imagine Paris looks like in the early evening. We did scary faces and they make me think of a scooby doo episode since the coloring was surreal and the scared faces comical, LOL.

Leiha

Mechanicsville, VA

2009-10-21T22:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday, April 19, 2009, was a BIG day for Mechanicsville, Va. and me!!! Jenn (Jayzee), the hostess with the mostess, brought the MacHalo to Mechanicsville to visit with my niece, Kimberly, my friend, Mikel and myself since I had been unable to make the DC tour.

Mechanicsville, is a small town about 6 miles from the capital city of Virginia, Richmond. Mechanicsville’s biggest claim to fame, until this day, had been that several major battles during the Civil War had taken place here and it was the birthplace of the Hanover Tomato Festival.

At the appointed hour when Jenn showed up, I was so excited that I couldn’t see straight, literally! We were all in my den (with my husband too, who couldn’t believe that there were more people as nutty as me) talking and laughing, when I suddenly realized I still had not seen the MacHalo. I looked at Jenn, sitting on my sofa, and asked her where was the MacHalo, was it still in the car? She looked at me kind of funny and pointed to my coffee-table. Right in front of my eyes, was the MacHalo! It had been sitting there the whole time and I had totally missed her taking it out of her canvas tote bag and sitting it on my own table! I guess I was just caught up in all the excitement.

Bonnie

We had decided to take pictures in front of the “Welcome to Mechanicsville” sign at the Windmill entrance to Mechanicsville, so off we went. When I had this idea, I hadn’t realized that I would be standing out on the main entrance off a busy highway, with cars whizzing by continuously. When I got there, I really felt conspicuous, but what the heck, I had a great time with great friends and that’s all that matters.

Bonnie and Jenn

Mikel

Mikel and Bonnie

Next, it was off to lunch for good food and a brief respite, more laughs and fun. Then we traveled to the Science Museum of Richmond, in downtown Richmond. There we took more pictures and had a really good time with good friends.

Thanks Karen and Leiha for letting us have the MacHalo for the day and Jenn for being as sweet and wonderful as you are, to drive all the way down here for my friends and me!

bap

Washington DC April 2009

2009-10-21T22:01:00.001-07:00

So, I’m not sure why I got so many strange looks from my friends when I tried to explain the MacHalo and its impending visit to all of them. I’m going with a severe lack of imagination and not enough good reading material. LOL But when it finally arrived on my doorstep, I no longer cared that they thought I was nuts.

Off to DC the MacHalo and I (along with two friends who just wanted in on the fun of the day) traveled to meet up with three fellow maniacs, Cait, Linda, and Cathy for a day of fun and posing with our favorite pink bike helmet. Yeah, we may have gotten some strange looks and some “UM, What is that?” questions but with a backdrop of the national monuments we just soaked it all in.

And who knew we were going to run in to literally HUNDREDS of Abraham Lincoln impersonators at the Lincoln Memorial (they were celebrating Lincoln’s birthday). I don’t know about you, but it’s not every day that the MacHalo has a Presidential encounter.

Then it was off to meet Alaleh and Ruth for dinner at a little Irish Pub, may as well make the MacHalo feel at home. The evening passed with lots of laughs and getting to know each other and of course theories about the Fever series abounding and ended what was a great day.

The next day I took the MacHalo to visit Bonnie in Richmond. But she’s written a great little story, so I don’t want to ruin it. GO READ IT!!

Jenn

Chattanooga, TN April 2009

2009-10-21T12:12:00.001-07:00

It was a beautiful summer day in Chattanooga, and the MacHalo's first stop was atop Lookout Mountain. Krissy (irelandcastillo) and Kathy (katydid) and Krissy's children met JeanT and her daughter Michelle and her kids at Ruby Falls. The Falls are INSIDE the mountain, way down deep, and so they decided it would be the perfect place to test out the MacHalo's ability to keep the shades away. It worked perfectly! Deep inside this mountain cavern, the MacHalo shone brightly - which we expected, but the other people on the Ruby Falls tour were amazed (and curious, of course). Thanks to the tour guide for being such a good sport about letting the MacHalo shine!

Shellbelle (Michelle R) and LisK met the rest of the group as they came out of the Ruby Falls tour. While walking around the gift shop, JeanT spotted pink miner's helmets with one light on the front. Jean bought one, decorated it with lights and sequins, and gave it to Karen at the BloodRush gathering in Atlanta! After visiting the gift shop, we all took pictures outside the entrance. Each of us posed with the MacHalo on our heads; after all that posing, we were all starving so set off down the mountain for lunch at Chili's.

Krissy HAD to wear the MacHalo into Chili's and of course, the hostess wanted to know what the hat was for!!! We explained, and told her about the Fever books, and the Message Board and then let her try it on. Our waiter was curious too, and in between serving appetizers and drinks, we talked him into posing with it. His blush was almost as pink as the helmet! I think he was truly embarrassed, but we all clapped & cheered for him, and I think that made him feel a little better about the whole thing.

Next stop - the Chattanooga Choo-Choo!!! Krissy and Michelle's kids loved climbing all over the big train engine they have there, while each of us posed again with the MacHalo. There were plenty of curious looks from the people there, but no one was bold enough to ask about it. But at least the station platform was free of Shades.

We called it a day after that - lots of walking, lots of pictures, lots of laughs, lots of friendship. A great way to spend the day!
LisK

Atlanta, GA April 2009

2009-10-21T11:41:00.001-07:00

Atlanta was one of the assigned stops on the first leg of the MacHalo World Tour which happens to be close to where Karen lived. She thought since it was going to be so close she should pop in to join the ladies for lunch. Of course, once Karen said she was joining the ladies it went from an intimate lunch of 10 to an intimate gathering of 85 Moning Maniacs, LOL. Luckily, Krissy didn't mind us crashing her party.

We had a wonderful day filled with laughter and Maniacs from far and wide. It was our first large fan gathering since the board had been set up and what a blast!

Julie was there to greet people as soon as they got there, she had made name tags for everyone which was so sweet of her (she has since made them for all of our gatherings, yay!) and such a help to us, because I know I forget names as soon as they're told to me a lot of times.

Kelsey changed her spring break trip home from England to join the gathering, Hailey was so excited that when she made plans to drive in she forgot it was her daughter Paige's 9th birthday so we made sure to have a pink cake for her (which was divine). She loved it because I gave her a fork and said have at it. I wish someone would give me a cake and a fork and let me go to town.

Krissy was a wonderful hostess. She took pictures of everything, people with the MacHalo as well as just documenting the day. Karen signed books for over 5 hours so that everyone had a chance to talk to her one on one.

The weenie signs people were holding were for people who were weenies when it came to food. It was a Mediterranean restaurant so they were aprehensive, LOL. Brian was one of the few males fans there. Brenda his wife is a huge fan and he got curious and tried out Karen's books so now he's a fan also.

Whitney totally reminds me of Mac, a young, blonde college student from GA. She is also totally sweet and not only is she a fan but her mom Barbara is also. It's always so much fun to meet multi-generational fans.

All in all a fantastic day. Meeting maniacs in person is always something special and meeting this many was just wonderful!

Leiha

Seattle, WA February 2009

2009-10-21T10:13:00.001-07:00

Before I sent the MacHalo on the first leg of it's tour I had to get pics of it with the Space Needle in the background so I grabbed my sister and my roommate and off we went. We had never been to this part of the city but I think the view was great. Nancy was trying to hold the Space Needle in her hand I think she did a wonderful job.

I had never been to the Fremont Troll. Actually never even heard of it. But the husband of one of my friends said we had to go check him out and I was so glad we did. How cool is he? His eyes are hubcaps. My sister who has lived here for 20 something year had never been there either and she thought it was so cool she took her son there the following week.

FYI, the 7-11 picture is of my dad. I wanted to take a picture of him at work since I got the MacHalo. I think it's funny. He had the look on his face when I came in the door with the MacHalo, "what crazy thing does my oldest and most beloved daughter want me to do?"

Leiha

Salem, OR February 2009

2009-10-21T09:55:00.000-07:00

On my way back from California I stopped in Salem so that Barbie could get a picture with the MacHalo. She had contacted me and really wanted a picture with the MacHalo so I told her I was driving thru Salem and would stop so she could get her pic. She came out at 10pm to meet with me since that's when I hit Salem (I did try and get on the road sooner). We met at Sonic, which is one of my favorite fast food places, probably because they don't have them around where I live, which is for the best.

Barbie brought me some local blackberry wine to enjoy which I did when the weather got warmer sitting on my deck enjoying lunch with my friends. It was wonderful meeting you Barbie!
Leiha

San Francisco, CA February 2009

2009-10-21T01:27:00.001-07:00

So I was meeting with my friend Julie on my way back from Los Angeles and I told her I wanted to go around San Fran and take some pictures with the ZLo. We tried to get some fun with the city in the background. I love how much Julie is hamming it up. She looks fantastic with the MacHalo on!

I had to get a shot in front of the Golden Gate bridge. My sister was with me on that day and just when we were taking the pictures, a tourist bus full of Japanese tourists showed up. Guess who was the focus of all of their pictures? I wanted to ad to their American memories, LOL.

Leiha

Huntington Beach, CA February 2009

2009-10-21T00:41:00.001-07:00

I met up with the Moning Maniacs in Huntington Beach. There seemed to be more gals down south so we found some place that was convenient for most of us. We met for lunch so we could chat and get to know each other then we headed to the beach to take pics. Look how blue that sky is behind us, it looks like a post card. I loved the pics we took that day. They were so fun and it was awesome when Shyrazz got the guy with the metal detector to agree to be in the picture. The surfer was too shy but he did loan Leslie his board. Leslie and I got lost taking her to the bus stop, gave us a chance to talk some more, LOL.

The Southern CA Maniacs get together pretty regularly now, if you get a chance to meet with them, you should. They're a great bunch of gals!

Leiha

Los Angeles, CA February 2009

2009-10-21T00:38:00.001-07:00

As soon as I saw all of the lamp posts I knew I had to take pics there. It was an art exhibit outside of LACMA which was conveniently down the street from my friend's apartment. I wish I would have taken even more pics at that spot while I was there. It was such a great display we weren't the only ones there at night taking pictures. It looked like someone was even doing a photo shoot there.

I wanted to get a lot of local landmarks, things such as the Hollywood sign. Do you know how difficult it is to get a good picture with the Hollywood sign in the background. We had to drive up into this neighborhood and run into the street to take the pics while keeping an eye out for cars, it's amazing how busy this little neighborhood street is.

Melisa was the only local Moning Maniac to meet with me while I was in Los Angeles. I don't know where the other gals were but I did post about my trip several times and made myself available to meet with them. Melisa and her daughter met up with me at Pink's, an LA institution, and of course, with a name like Pink's I had to get a pic of the MacHalo in front of it. I always get the same thing when I go, the spicy Ozzy dog which is a spicy polish sausage with grilled onions, nacho cheese, american cheese and guacamole (I hold the tomatoes). Of course, after something like that my stomach needs soothing so we headed over to the fabulousness that is Yogurtland.

It was cool walking down Hollywood Blvd and taking a pic with Bob Hope's star. Who doesn't know Bob Hope? We stopped in Lucky's which is owned by Lucky Vanous, the former Diet Coke hunk hoping he was there so we could get a picture but no luck. I know, I'm sad about that fact to! At least I had Yogurtland.

Leiha

Northern California January 2009

2009-10-20T14:24:00.001-07:00

On my way to Southern California I stopped for a couple of weeks in San Ramon and used that as an opportunity to meet with Maniacs in the area. Halia, Madie, Linda and Barb are long time friends but also long time Maniacs. I met them and Roberta on the message board I also met Karen on.

Gina makes wonderful soaps and candles inspired by characters in Karen's books and it was fun to meet her and Sara with Linda for dinner and drinks in Sacramento.

I met Roberta for lunch in Ripon and she brought me home made candied orange rinds and some cake. Have I mentioned how much I love it when people bring me food?

Barb and I drove out to meet with Alice in San Mateo, her and her bf were wonderful and Evie was a doll. I wish I had had more time to spend with them but we stopped there on our way to dinner with Madie and Halia in Milipas.

We were meeting at a Korean restaurant and the waiters were totally intrigued by the MacHalo but too shy to take a pic. I can't imagine being too shy for a picture, LOL.

Leiha

Portland, OR January 2009

2009-10-19T00:37:00.001-07:00

Portland was my first destination on my road trip. I had plans to meet the Moning Maniacs in that area for lunch. I totally over slept and since I lived over 3 hours away that was not a good thing. I still had to pack for my road trip which meant no shower. What a wonderful way to make a first impression, sweats and greasy hair. Luckily I think my winning personality made up for it (ok maybe not).

I just love meeting Moning Maniacs. I literally could sit there for hours and talk, which is why I've learned to book at least 2 preferably 3 hours into my schedule whenever I set up a meeting. I don't want to be rushed and I want to enjoy my time with everyone. Plus being fans of Karen's you can talk not only about Karen's books but other authors and favorite books. Plus, I think it strengthens the relationships that have already formed on the message board which is where I first met Anita, Megan and Karen.

After lunch, Linda and I went to happy hour and were joined by her neighbor Jim. While wandering around afterwards we stopped in front of Spartacus, the adult store to take Linda's fabulous picture. My favorite picture from this stop.

Leiha

Everett, WA January 2009

2009-10-19T00:17:00.001-07:00

Here is it, the first stop in the MacHalo World Tour. We decided since I was planning to drive to California for the winter (it's cold and wet here in WA in the winter)that the tour should start here with me so I could take the MacHalo with me while I go fly south for the winter.

Here's the first thing you need to know about the MacHalo, it's HEAVY! It's a good thing Mac has a little something extra because she needs it to kill the bad guys while wearing this sucker.

One of the first stops the MacHalo made was to a bookstore. Not only does a bookstore feel like home to many of us, it feels like home to Mac and what better place to stop in to debut the MacHalo? It was fun wandering around and having the various employees try on the MacHalo. My roommate Nancy had hurt her back but she still climbed a ladder to get the perfect picture. Us hams know, the picture comes before the pain.

We also took the MacHalo to Sunday night dinner at Nancy's parents. Probably my favorite picture of this stop is Pat's scared face. I think she was scared that we would be showing people the inside of her closet, LOL. It was perfect timing, Nancy said imagine a dinosaur coming at you and click, I took the picture. I can see where Nancy gets her gift for making faces (as you will see as you follow this blog).

I also got together with fellow Moning Maniacs and friends Maggie, Ronlyn and Debbie. We decided to have dinner and then take some pictures. Someone had given Nancy some pink wine which I thought would go great with dinner. I am not a wine connoisseur but take my word for it when I say Pink Truck wine, not the greatest. It's amazing how putting the MacHalo on your head will immediately make you smile and laugh. This is the beginning of the MacHalo's adventures but there will be many stories, smiles and laughter to follow.

Leiha

1999-12-15T00:37:00.000-08:00

MACHALO: (mac-hay-lo) for the ultimate in Shade protection, take 1 hot pink bike helmet, secure blazing LED lights to surface, strap on and kick Fae ass!

Karen talks about the MacHalo: