Currently Reading: I'm up to Ch 22 on Thin Ice:) I may finish it today. In case you missed it, this book is definitely a Recommended Read:)
Word Count: 500. See above for reason (grin!)
In a sarcastic, ha-ha way, I am amused by all the 'go green' bandwagon. No, I'm not opposed to saving the planet; I'm just flabbergasted by certain products which are disappearing from the grocery shelves.
Specifially...the REFILL items!
Back in the 90's, 'Less is More' was splashed across the marketing campaigns, and especially in the laundry department. Suddenly, you could simply refill your Tide and Downey bottles, and it was waaaay cheaper than to buy another actual bottle of detergent! But first Tide changed their formula; prices shot up; the Sam's Choice version of Tide disappeared. So I switched to another brand. Then that brand (don't even remember what it was now) changed it's formula, and added different scents, fabric softner, and the price went up. Now I use a third brand, and spend about $7-8 a month on the 'Big Bottle', refilling my smaller, more managable bottle every week.
Same with my Downey bottle. I buy the generic, refill carton (resembling a large milk carton) and it lasts me 1-2 months. When my bottle gets too icky, then I buy a new one. But when I went looking for the refill carton last week, I had to hunt for several minutes to find it, tucked waaaay back on a lower shelf, and behind the regular bottles!
If we're soooo environmentally conscious, why are/have the refill containers disappeared? Is it all tied to economics?
"Oh...if we restock the cheaper refill containers, our profit margin will decrease. We need consumers to keep buying the more expensive, no-so-environmentally-friendly containers. Maybe they won't notice."
I'm about to start calling the manager to request my items be stocked on the shelves. I don't know if it will do any good, but I can at least try! And the nearest Sam's Club is an hour away. I let my membership lapse when we moved to a town w/o one.
Anyone else have an Earth Day gripe? The little bit I try to do is getting harder and harder to implement.
Big Day for W!
Signed him up for Kindergarten today! He went off to have his eyes and hearing checked while Mom was getting writer's cramp, filling out all the damn forms! Where's those return address label? And why do I need to keep filling in the same info on form after form? Can't I just put 'see enrollment form for info' about address, date of birth, phone number, and parent info?' He also got to have milk and a cookie. Did I get one? No. They should provide nourishment for parents with hand cramps:)
Afterwards, we went down to the kindergarten room to find his friends I and L. Once we found the right room, I knocked and asked if we could enter for a moment. The teacher smiled and waved us in...and all of a sudden there was a collective "W! W's here!" I and L rushed over, and two kids were in his Head Start class came over and hugged him! The poor kid was so overwhelmed by that much attention so fast, he hid behind me!
The teacher invited us to look around, but W was ready to bolt. And L said, "I gotta tell you something: If you get in trouble, you have to sit over there," and pointed to a place by the teacher's desk. I'm guessing she has first-hand knowledge??
As we left the building and walked toward the car, W chattered happily about seeing B and L2, as well as I and L1, and how they could play together next year on the playground. He was a little disappointed he didn't have his regular school today, but now he can say he knows where his new classroom will be next year!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Finally!
Currently Reading: I'm up to chapter 14 on Thin Ice and I am loving it! Go over to The Wild Rose Press and pick this one up! A most definite Recommended Read, and I'm not even finished with it! Great job, Liana! Can't wait to get back to this one! Maybe it was you that inspired me last night??
Word Count: 650!!!
Most of you know I've been struggling with a creative blockage inside my brain, and have been lucky if I write a paragraph. Last night at Laptop Society, something finally broke free and I managed to write the equivelent of a page:) I've posted the word count; it this keeps up, I'll keep posting my progress.
Not sure what exactly caused it; I had written a few lines in between conversations, and was rather surprised when two people stood up to leave and the other four followed. According to the laptop clock, it was only 6:30; since Tuesday nights are my 'run away from home' nights, I opted to stay longer, and kept writing.
Soon I noticed it was getting dark, so I came to a stopping point and packed away the laptop. Before I shut it down, I noticed the clock said I'd been working for another hour.
A friend of mine had arrived and was surfing the web a few tables away. I stopped to say hi and ask why he hadn't joined me.
"You looked focused, and I didn't want to interrupt your train of thought."
Sidebar: Now that's a considerate friend; one who knows you've been having creative struggles and decides to let you keep working!
In the course of our brief conversation, I mentioned I'd left my watch at home and wanted to be home by 8. Imagine my surprise when C mentioned I was late; his laptop was reporting the time as 7:44 and he didn't think it rolled over to Indiana time (he lives across the river in Illinois; they're an hour behind.)
C didn't have his watch on, so I asked a gentleman sitting at the next table what time it was.
"8:40."
Holy Crap!
I hurriedly said goodbye and hurried home. Fortunately, no one was overly upset by the fact I'd been gone for 4 hours, instead of the normal 3! I asked my daughter if she knew her laptop was an hour off; she said yes; she didn't know why.
Hopefully, the creativity will continue; I was watching the news and another thought popped into my head. As soon as I get through my morning chores, I'll sit down and get back to work.
In Other News...
My desk chair broke.
No, it wasn't my recent weight gain; my oldest has taken to watching Stargate reruns on Hulu.com and using my black leather desk chair as a substitute for a recliner. Consequently, yesterday the thing wobbled back and forth so much, I was uncomfortable sitting in it.
Further examination showed the steel mounting bracket was nearly in two pieces! I rolled it over to an out-of-the-way corner until my spouse could get his welding materials and put it back together.
Enter to toddler: He decides to play on it.
Crash!
My chair is now lying on its side, waiting to be fixed! My two boys killed it.
But never fear; hubby to the rescue...as soon as his love for the DIY network is over on April 29th. That's when the free preview is over. And no, we don't want to pay an additional $20 just for the package that allows us to see this channel.
Happy Wednesday! Go over to Regina's blog and check out her news!
Word Count: 650!!!
Most of you know I've been struggling with a creative blockage inside my brain, and have been lucky if I write a paragraph. Last night at Laptop Society, something finally broke free and I managed to write the equivelent of a page:) I've posted the word count; it this keeps up, I'll keep posting my progress.
Not sure what exactly caused it; I had written a few lines in between conversations, and was rather surprised when two people stood up to leave and the other four followed. According to the laptop clock, it was only 6:30; since Tuesday nights are my 'run away from home' nights, I opted to stay longer, and kept writing.
Soon I noticed it was getting dark, so I came to a stopping point and packed away the laptop. Before I shut it down, I noticed the clock said I'd been working for another hour.
A friend of mine had arrived and was surfing the web a few tables away. I stopped to say hi and ask why he hadn't joined me.
"You looked focused, and I didn't want to interrupt your train of thought."
Sidebar: Now that's a considerate friend; one who knows you've been having creative struggles and decides to let you keep working!
In the course of our brief conversation, I mentioned I'd left my watch at home and wanted to be home by 8. Imagine my surprise when C mentioned I was late; his laptop was reporting the time as 7:44 and he didn't think it rolled over to Indiana time (he lives across the river in Illinois; they're an hour behind.)
C didn't have his watch on, so I asked a gentleman sitting at the next table what time it was.
"8:40."
Holy Crap!
I hurriedly said goodbye and hurried home. Fortunately, no one was overly upset by the fact I'd been gone for 4 hours, instead of the normal 3! I asked my daughter if she knew her laptop was an hour off; she said yes; she didn't know why.
Hopefully, the creativity will continue; I was watching the news and another thought popped into my head. As soon as I get through my morning chores, I'll sit down and get back to work.
In Other News...
My desk chair broke.
No, it wasn't my recent weight gain; my oldest has taken to watching Stargate reruns on Hulu.com and using my black leather desk chair as a substitute for a recliner. Consequently, yesterday the thing wobbled back and forth so much, I was uncomfortable sitting in it.
Further examination showed the steel mounting bracket was nearly in two pieces! I rolled it over to an out-of-the-way corner until my spouse could get his welding materials and put it back together.
Enter to toddler: He decides to play on it.
Crash!
My chair is now lying on its side, waiting to be fixed! My two boys killed it.
But never fear; hubby to the rescue...as soon as his love for the DIY network is over on April 29th. That's when the free preview is over. And no, we don't want to pay an additional $20 just for the package that allows us to see this channel.
Happy Wednesday! Go over to Regina's blog and check out her news!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
This May Get Me Into Trouble...
What's your take on the Miss USA pageant the other night?
Do you agree or disagree with the Perez Hilton/Miss California issue?
Don't know what I'm talking about?
Miss California drew the 'hot button' question concerning gay marriage, and instead of giving the PC answer, she answered the question by stating her own belief that marriage should be between one man and one woman.
Perez Hilton blasted her, by stating that single question lost her the competition and she should have answered as a 'future Miss USA', rather than as a private citizen.
I disagree with that. Do we want a Miss USA who kowtows to the PC agenda, or do we want a representative who speaks her own mind? Are we becoming so afraid to say what we believe because of unintentionally offending someone? This is already happening in our schools, and the reason people are fighting to reinstate the right to display the Ten Commandments in courthouses and to reinstate school prayer.
Heeelloooo...whatever happened to free speech? Be true to yourself.
That's all Miss California was doing, and I'm sure her parents are very proud of her.
Do you agree or disagree with the Perez Hilton/Miss California issue?
Don't know what I'm talking about?
Miss California drew the 'hot button' question concerning gay marriage, and instead of giving the PC answer, she answered the question by stating her own belief that marriage should be between one man and one woman.
Perez Hilton blasted her, by stating that single question lost her the competition and she should have answered as a 'future Miss USA', rather than as a private citizen.
I disagree with that. Do we want a Miss USA who kowtows to the PC agenda, or do we want a representative who speaks her own mind? Are we becoming so afraid to say what we believe because of unintentionally offending someone? This is already happening in our schools, and the reason people are fighting to reinstate the right to display the Ten Commandments in courthouses and to reinstate school prayer.
Heeelloooo...whatever happened to free speech? Be true to yourself.
That's all Miss California was doing, and I'm sure her parents are very proud of her.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Age of Rudeness???
Currently Reading: Steamy Encounter is another Recommended Read! Now, on to Thin Ice. This one's over 300 pages, so it will take me several days.
When did common courtesy and politeness leave society?
Friday night, Mom and I were watching HGTV, specifically House Hunters. We witnessed two women treating their spouses with what seemed to be utter contempt, and absolutely no respect.
One woman told her husband 'Well, here's my bathroom; you can have the one in the hall.' The other remarked that her husband's choice was 'outdated' and 'You're stupid if you think I'm going to live here.'
They also nit-picked on some of the smallest details in the house, from the chandelier to the wallpaper. One even said the laundry room was 'too small'. Let me tell you, it was about the size of a small bedroom.
My mother turned to me and said, 'I can't believe the way they talk to each other! No wonder to divorce rate is so high!' and went on to relate some other comments she'd observed in other shows.
I replied, 'And people wonder why kids are so rude and disrespectful...'
I had the misfortune to run into three rude individuals on Saturday.
The first two were behind the counter at Dairy Queen (college students). I asked if they sold sweet tea; the one young man said yes. I paid for it, and he flagged down his buddy to fill my order. I decided to taste it first, since I've run into some 'sweet tea' that isn't exactly sweet. I sipped it and said, 'This isn't even close to being sweet.'
Moron #1 said, 'Oh, we don't have sweet tea.'
Me: 'But you told me you did.'
M1: 'You didn't ask for sweet; you asked for iced tea.'
Moron #2 decided to add his two cents: 'McDonalds is over at the Student Union. Go over there and get it.'
Me: 'Please tell me you have Sweet-N-Low?'
M1 (points to free-standing soft drink counter: 'Over there.'
I take my drink and locate the sweetner. As I'm stirring, I notice the ice has melted. I return to the counter and politely ask for more ice.
M1 is busy, so M2 gets a cup of ice and starts to pour the ice into my full cup. I stopped him, and poured the liquid over the ice, preventing the splash.
M2: 'Oh...that's how your supposed to do it.'
I took a firm grip on my temper and just walked away.
Rude person #3 appeared later that day. I had observed him with a cell phone and walked up to him to inquire politely if I could please use his cell phone.
He turns to me. 'What for?'
I was taken aback, but replied, 'I don't have a cell phone, and would like to make a 30-second call. You can even dial it for me, but if you'd rather I not use it, I understand.'
He heaved a huge sigh, but asked for the number. I made my call and thanked him when I was finished. But the entire time, he looked extremely irritated with me.
It just rubbed me the wrong way. #1, if I ask to use a person's cell, I want to make a call, not to text, take pictures, or check my email! And #2, if you don't want me to use your phone, all you have to do is tell me no; I'm not going pitch a hissy fit!
And I saw on the news this morning that since emailing and texting have gotten more common, people are forgetting the basics of greetings and endings. I see this in my own kids; several times they answer their phones with 'What?' or 'Yeah?' and rarily say goodbye; 'Later' is usually heard before they click it off.
What the hell happened to 'Hi, how are you?' and 'See you later' or 'Bye'? I've even gotten on a couple of teens for speaking disrespectfully to their parents, or even hanging up on them!
I insist my kids answer the home phone in an acceptable manner, and be polite. And my 5-yr-old is even learning this: He answered the phone the other day with a cheerful 'Heeeeeelloo!'
Now if I can just get him to give me the phone, or at least tell me who's on the other end...he spoke to my Ball State Alumni Association for several minutes before I came upstairs and found him chattering away about SpongeBob. I hadn't even heard the phone ring! Thankfully, the person on the other end had the patience to wait:)
When did common courtesy and politeness leave society?
Friday night, Mom and I were watching HGTV, specifically House Hunters. We witnessed two women treating their spouses with what seemed to be utter contempt, and absolutely no respect.
One woman told her husband 'Well, here's my bathroom; you can have the one in the hall.' The other remarked that her husband's choice was 'outdated' and 'You're stupid if you think I'm going to live here.'
They also nit-picked on some of the smallest details in the house, from the chandelier to the wallpaper. One even said the laundry room was 'too small'. Let me tell you, it was about the size of a small bedroom.
My mother turned to me and said, 'I can't believe the way they talk to each other! No wonder to divorce rate is so high!' and went on to relate some other comments she'd observed in other shows.
I replied, 'And people wonder why kids are so rude and disrespectful...'
I had the misfortune to run into three rude individuals on Saturday.
The first two were behind the counter at Dairy Queen (college students). I asked if they sold sweet tea; the one young man said yes. I paid for it, and he flagged down his buddy to fill my order. I decided to taste it first, since I've run into some 'sweet tea' that isn't exactly sweet. I sipped it and said, 'This isn't even close to being sweet.'
Moron #1 said, 'Oh, we don't have sweet tea.'
Me: 'But you told me you did.'
M1: 'You didn't ask for sweet; you asked for iced tea.'
Moron #2 decided to add his two cents: 'McDonalds is over at the Student Union. Go over there and get it.'
Me: 'Please tell me you have Sweet-N-Low?'
M1 (points to free-standing soft drink counter: 'Over there.'
I take my drink and locate the sweetner. As I'm stirring, I notice the ice has melted. I return to the counter and politely ask for more ice.
M1 is busy, so M2 gets a cup of ice and starts to pour the ice into my full cup. I stopped him, and poured the liquid over the ice, preventing the splash.
M2: 'Oh...that's how your supposed to do it.'
I took a firm grip on my temper and just walked away.
Rude person #3 appeared later that day. I had observed him with a cell phone and walked up to him to inquire politely if I could please use his cell phone.
He turns to me. 'What for?'
I was taken aback, but replied, 'I don't have a cell phone, and would like to make a 30-second call. You can even dial it for me, but if you'd rather I not use it, I understand.'
He heaved a huge sigh, but asked for the number. I made my call and thanked him when I was finished. But the entire time, he looked extremely irritated with me.
It just rubbed me the wrong way. #1, if I ask to use a person's cell, I want to make a call, not to text, take pictures, or check my email! And #2, if you don't want me to use your phone, all you have to do is tell me no; I'm not going pitch a hissy fit!
And I saw on the news this morning that since emailing and texting have gotten more common, people are forgetting the basics of greetings and endings. I see this in my own kids; several times they answer their phones with 'What?' or 'Yeah?' and rarily say goodbye; 'Later' is usually heard before they click it off.
What the hell happened to 'Hi, how are you?' and 'See you later' or 'Bye'? I've even gotten on a couple of teens for speaking disrespectfully to their parents, or even hanging up on them!
I insist my kids answer the home phone in an acceptable manner, and be polite. And my 5-yr-old is even learning this: He answered the phone the other day with a cheerful 'Heeeeeelloo!'
Now if I can just get him to give me the phone, or at least tell me who's on the other end...he spoke to my Ball State Alumni Association for several minutes before I came upstairs and found him chattering away about SpongeBob. I hadn't even heard the phone ring! Thankfully, the person on the other end had the patience to wait:)
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Sunday's Stupid Saying
The really right people know how to dodge taxes anyway.
-President George W Bush on Sen. John Kerry's proposal to rescind tax cuts for the wealthy
Temperamental Technology
Sorry about yesterday; my mom's internet was slower than a snail yesterday morning! My mail wouldn't even load after 40 minutes, so I turned on the TV and watched 'Meatballs' while I was transfering my e-books to the flash drive. Everything transfered except Prairie Peace by Ginger Simpson; Isabella's Diary by Anita Birt; Witch's Heart by Tabitha Shay; Meeting Mr. Right Online by Cindy K Green (I think The Spirit of Christmas transfered; why not MMRO? They were on the same disk! Makes no sense...); and Master Me by Brynn Paulin.
Had a good signing; sold two and passed out over 100 bookmarks. The weather was fantastic, and spoke to a couple of English majors, an engineering major who was impressed when I mentioned K's desire to work for NASA; and joked with one parent who was outfitting his Freshman daughter with a new Purdue wardrobe, socks and all. I asked him if he was going to update my wardrobe too; it turns out the daughter had sweatshirts and tees from nearly every other Indiana college, but nothing from Purdue, and as an alumnus, he felt it his duty to correct that oversight!
Had dinner with my parents and visited with Angie, and headed home. Stopped by to see my BFF and her daughters filled me in on their Spring Break trip to Universal Studios, and saw pictures of S's new bunny. F showed me her newly completed room; the last time I was there, it had just been added to the house and was being painted. And teased E's hubby (conservation officer) that he almost received a call about illegal deer hunting: When I pulled onto SR 63, I was just getting up to speed when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. It was a rather large deer, heading for the passenger side of my car. I floored the accelerator and avoided a nasty auto-vs-deer crash...whew! Don't need to destroy the spouse's vehicle; not this close to his going back to work! And since E (BFF) had told me several years back that yes, it makes a difference if you hit the deer, or the deer hits you, I wasn't going to take any chances with the insurance finding a reason not to pay for damages.
That's all for now; I'm going to get off of here, pour myself another cup of coffee and catch up on two days' worth of blogs. And to my friends who are heading off to RT, have a great time; please update regularly and post pictures?? I'm living vicariously (and rather enviously, lol...) through you! Have a safe trip down and back and maybe I'll be there next year. Wonder if that website Barb shared with me last year will post videos again???
-President George W Bush on Sen. John Kerry's proposal to rescind tax cuts for the wealthy
Temperamental Technology
Sorry about yesterday; my mom's internet was slower than a snail yesterday morning! My mail wouldn't even load after 40 minutes, so I turned on the TV and watched 'Meatballs' while I was transfering my e-books to the flash drive. Everything transfered except Prairie Peace by Ginger Simpson; Isabella's Diary by Anita Birt; Witch's Heart by Tabitha Shay; Meeting Mr. Right Online by Cindy K Green (I think The Spirit of Christmas transfered; why not MMRO? They were on the same disk! Makes no sense...); and Master Me by Brynn Paulin.
Had a good signing; sold two and passed out over 100 bookmarks. The weather was fantastic, and spoke to a couple of English majors, an engineering major who was impressed when I mentioned K's desire to work for NASA; and joked with one parent who was outfitting his Freshman daughter with a new Purdue wardrobe, socks and all. I asked him if he was going to update my wardrobe too; it turns out the daughter had sweatshirts and tees from nearly every other Indiana college, but nothing from Purdue, and as an alumnus, he felt it his duty to correct that oversight!
Had dinner with my parents and visited with Angie, and headed home. Stopped by to see my BFF and her daughters filled me in on their Spring Break trip to Universal Studios, and saw pictures of S's new bunny. F showed me her newly completed room; the last time I was there, it had just been added to the house and was being painted. And teased E's hubby (conservation officer) that he almost received a call about illegal deer hunting: When I pulled onto SR 63, I was just getting up to speed when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. It was a rather large deer, heading for the passenger side of my car. I floored the accelerator and avoided a nasty auto-vs-deer crash...whew! Don't need to destroy the spouse's vehicle; not this close to his going back to work! And since E (BFF) had told me several years back that yes, it makes a difference if you hit the deer, or the deer hits you, I wasn't going to take any chances with the insurance finding a reason not to pay for damages.
That's all for now; I'm going to get off of here, pour myself another cup of coffee and catch up on two days' worth of blogs. And to my friends who are heading off to RT, have a great time; please update regularly and post pictures?? I'm living vicariously (and rather enviously, lol...) through you! Have a safe trip down and back and maybe I'll be there next year. Wonder if that website Barb shared with me last year will post videos again???
Friday, April 17, 2009
Whaaaat Happened?
Currently Reading: Finished Mercy a few days ago, and read Samantha Gentry's Masked Encounter yesterday; btw...another Recommended Read! I'll probably get to Steamy Encounter today, and Liana Leverenz's Thin Ice by Sunday.
Talk about blindside last night! We were so sure Coach was going to end up regretting his arrogant words last night, but apparently this group of castaways are good at deception. Brendan got the final vote, and by the second or third time his name was read, you could plainly see 'Damn...maybe I should have played the idol...' was going through his brain! The boy had no clue he was about to be double-crossed by Stephen, Taj, and JT. And tribal council was hilarious, reading all the body language!
I honestly hoped the Exile alliance would turn the tables. But unless someone catches on to Coach and Tyson, you can almost predict the pecking order. As one of my FaceBook friends pointed out, maybe they are keeping Coach and Tyson around for the 'hate' factor...take one of them to the end, with the hopes they've pissed off too many jury members?
My spouse was yelling at the TV last night, and wanted to go to the island to shake some sense into these people!
Road Trip!
I'm off to Purdue tonight:) I know of at least two people who are planning to show up, and neither of them has read my work! Well, okay...Angie used to read my 5th grade stuff...I think... and Barb has heard my mother talk about it.
And I got word this morning that my fledgling book should be back from the proofreaders next week. Hopefully I'll get word of a release date by then???
Social Media as a Marketing Tool
Attended teleconference yesterday, and while it was informative, I really didn't learn anything new, other than to possibly re-think my attitude about Twitter, GoodReads, and Linked In. I had resisted FaceBook, because I had heard of a virus circulating (found out it is linked to videos, so as long as I don't click on any, I'm safe), and thought it was mainly for kids. WRONG! And when I signed up for the free consultation, I was impressed when Joe called me an hour later, and through our conversation, he informed me that of the many calls he'd already made, I'm the most 'plugged in' person so far. But he did end the call rather speedily when I informed him the 'Social Media University Course' he was offering was waaaaaay out of my price range! He did take a look at my website and wished me good luck in my career. Who knows; maybe he has a wife/daughter/sister/mother/aunt who likes to read and he'll refer them? And he was also rather impressed when I told him about the e-book concept, and what some college students had told me last month:)
Writing Progress
I've managed to write a whopping total of one page this week. Sad, I know, but hey...that's one page I didn't have this time last week! I'm taking my notebook/flash drive with me, in case during my 3-hour drive I get inspired, and I'm also taking another stack of floppy discs with me, to transfer more of my e-book library to my flash drive. One of those being Anny's Cherished Destinies; I had only read it once, and when I read Love Never Ending, I was confused at one point! And since this new PC of mine has no 3 1/2 floppy drive, I couldn't read it! So finally, my curiosity will be satisfied. And Sandra, I'm going to try Boji Stones again. If it still won't transfer, I'll contact you.
Have a good weekend; I'll be back tomorrow with the Stupid Saying, and report on Sunday any accomplishments:)
Talk about blindside last night! We were so sure Coach was going to end up regretting his arrogant words last night, but apparently this group of castaways are good at deception. Brendan got the final vote, and by the second or third time his name was read, you could plainly see 'Damn...maybe I should have played the idol...' was going through his brain! The boy had no clue he was about to be double-crossed by Stephen, Taj, and JT. And tribal council was hilarious, reading all the body language!
I honestly hoped the Exile alliance would turn the tables. But unless someone catches on to Coach and Tyson, you can almost predict the pecking order. As one of my FaceBook friends pointed out, maybe they are keeping Coach and Tyson around for the 'hate' factor...take one of them to the end, with the hopes they've pissed off too many jury members?
My spouse was yelling at the TV last night, and wanted to go to the island to shake some sense into these people!
Road Trip!
I'm off to Purdue tonight:) I know of at least two people who are planning to show up, and neither of them has read my work! Well, okay...Angie used to read my 5th grade stuff...I think... and Barb has heard my mother talk about it.
And I got word this morning that my fledgling book should be back from the proofreaders next week. Hopefully I'll get word of a release date by then???
Social Media as a Marketing Tool
Attended teleconference yesterday, and while it was informative, I really didn't learn anything new, other than to possibly re-think my attitude about Twitter, GoodReads, and Linked In. I had resisted FaceBook, because I had heard of a virus circulating (found out it is linked to videos, so as long as I don't click on any, I'm safe), and thought it was mainly for kids. WRONG! And when I signed up for the free consultation, I was impressed when Joe called me an hour later, and through our conversation, he informed me that of the many calls he'd already made, I'm the most 'plugged in' person so far. But he did end the call rather speedily when I informed him the 'Social Media University Course' he was offering was waaaaaay out of my price range! He did take a look at my website and wished me good luck in my career. Who knows; maybe he has a wife/daughter/sister/mother/aunt who likes to read and he'll refer them? And he was also rather impressed when I told him about the e-book concept, and what some college students had told me last month:)
Writing Progress
I've managed to write a whopping total of one page this week. Sad, I know, but hey...that's one page I didn't have this time last week! I'm taking my notebook/flash drive with me, in case during my 3-hour drive I get inspired, and I'm also taking another stack of floppy discs with me, to transfer more of my e-book library to my flash drive. One of those being Anny's Cherished Destinies; I had only read it once, and when I read Love Never Ending, I was confused at one point! And since this new PC of mine has no 3 1/2 floppy drive, I couldn't read it! So finally, my curiosity will be satisfied. And Sandra, I'm going to try Boji Stones again. If it still won't transfer, I'll contact you.
Have a good weekend; I'll be back tomorrow with the Stupid Saying, and report on Sunday any accomplishments:)
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Suspended In Time
Remember when digital cameras first came out, and the commercial showed a kid forever stuck halfway between the diving board and the water?
"Hey Mom...I'd like to finish this dive, but you still haven't developed me yet. Please download this picture and the others still on your memory card, so I can hit the water already..."
I've left my characters in similar fashions, due to the creative blockage inside my brain.
-Travis is still eating breakfast with Tori as she explains how Life brought her to town;
-Misty is on her first date with Cory and at war with herself over whether or not she should sleep with him, should the opportunity present itself;
-Ashley has just discovered her brother's dark secret;
-Rick has just been awarded visitation rights;
-Katherine is rebuidling her life and possibly reigniting an old flame;
-Mark is trying to get to know a mysterious woman who just moved to town;
-Brian has just expressed a desire to buy a house with his long-time lover and officially blend their two families;
-Scott is comforting Erica in a time of extreme stress;
-Justin is about to graduate from college;
-Lynne is fighting her attraction to a man of a different race and who she considers 'just a friend'.
Ten WIPS and no one wants to talk to me. Anyone want to volunteer for ghostwriter duties? With the exception of the last four, I've only been working on these for the past nine months.
I started writing Justin's story in 2001; Scott's in 2002; Brian's in 2003; and Lynne's in 2006. Brian, Justin, and Scott's stories are nearly finished; I'm only on chapter 4 of Lynne's.
Maybe I just need a solid week by myself; no spouse, no kids, no TV...just me, my music collection, and trusty computer? Spouse has been addicted to the DIY Network, and objects to the sounds of Bon Jovi interrupting his shows.
"Hey Mom...I'd like to finish this dive, but you still haven't developed me yet. Please download this picture and the others still on your memory card, so I can hit the water already..."
I've left my characters in similar fashions, due to the creative blockage inside my brain.
-Travis is still eating breakfast with Tori as she explains how Life brought her to town;
-Misty is on her first date with Cory and at war with herself over whether or not she should sleep with him, should the opportunity present itself;
-Ashley has just discovered her brother's dark secret;
-Rick has just been awarded visitation rights;
-Katherine is rebuidling her life and possibly reigniting an old flame;
-Mark is trying to get to know a mysterious woman who just moved to town;
-Brian has just expressed a desire to buy a house with his long-time lover and officially blend their two families;
-Scott is comforting Erica in a time of extreme stress;
-Justin is about to graduate from college;
-Lynne is fighting her attraction to a man of a different race and who she considers 'just a friend'.
Ten WIPS and no one wants to talk to me. Anyone want to volunteer for ghostwriter duties? With the exception of the last four, I've only been working on these for the past nine months.
I started writing Justin's story in 2001; Scott's in 2002; Brian's in 2003; and Lynne's in 2006. Brian, Justin, and Scott's stories are nearly finished; I'm only on chapter 4 of Lynne's.
Maybe I just need a solid week by myself; no spouse, no kids, no TV...just me, my music collection, and trusty computer? Spouse has been addicted to the DIY Network, and objects to the sounds of Bon Jovi interrupting his shows.
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