Coming Soon....

In my currently reading section of my blog is a copy of Sandra K Moore's newest book cover - Dead Reckoning. It's what is next on my "to be read" list.

Here's the deal - it won't be released until July 2006. BUT, Sandra and I are both members of the Houston Bay Area Chapter of RWA and they recently instituted a program whereby a published writer (that would be Sandra) is paired with an unpublished writer (raising hand - that would be me!). We each have roles and responsibilities in this partnership.

For my part, I have to read all of her books before they are released (I know, tough job but somebody has to do it ;-) ) and then write a review of it. That review will go in/to the following places: 1) the HBARWA newsletter; 2) on the HBARWA webpage; 3) amazon.com; and 4) barnes & noble.com. For me THAT is the hard part. I want to do the book justice.

You see, I'm already worried about not saying enough good / nice things about this book. Thing is, I just got the ARC at last night's chapter meeting and all I've read is the excerpt that is posted on her webpage (which, by the way, you really should check out because it's good and will leave you wanting more - but I digress). So how do I know it's so good? Well, first of all, I read her first book and couldn't put it down and I have no reason to thing this one will be of any lesser quality.

Which brings up a question for me. I have the utmost respect for Sandra, as a writer and as a person. She was the first person I ever communicated with when I was looking into joining RWA and she's never been anything but supportive - not just to me but to all of our chaptermates. Sandra's the kind of person I want to be when I grow up.

But that's not really the question. The question is, are you influenced by someone's writing based on how you feel about that person personally? I'm wondering this because many moons ago (read two years ago - give or take) I "encountered" another published author. This author writes in at least two different genres.

Well, let's just say my first impression of her was not good. In fact it was quite bad. But okay, maybe she was having a bad day.

And, it's possible she was having another bad day the next time we met. And the time after that. And the time after that. And the time.....and so on.

Now, despite all the "rough" (I'm really being kind here) encounters we've had, I thought I would read a book of hers. I couldn't get through the first chapter. I made excuses and said the timing was off for me and I've planned (but never actually done it) to go back and try to read that book again.

Then I find that this author has a book out that was a Rita finalist. It's in a different genre than the first book I tried to read (and let me just say here, I'm a fan of both genres so that wasn't the problem) so I thought I'd give her another try - despite that I don't care for her as a person.

So, I finished the book but I didn't think it was that good. I'm wondering if I'm letting my personal opinion influence my "reading" opinion. Which leads me to my question...would your personal opinion of someone influence your opinion of their writing work? Could it if the author truly was a good writer but just a snot to deal with?

In any event, I'm really excited to be getting a sneak read of Sandra's book before it's available to the general public and I know it will be great - and that has nothing to do with the fact that she's just a great person. :-)

So keep your eyes out for the book in July - you won't want to miss it. :-)

Are you for sale?

Yesterday, as I was surfing the net (work avoidance thing) I went to the MSN homepage a number of times. Something that caught my eye was a picture of a man. Underneath the picture, in bold letters were the words Mr. Right. And below that, the tag line that read "World's Most Eligible Billionaires".

Now, I never actually opened the article to find out what it said because I was too annoyed at the message I was getting from the visuals.

Let's back up a few years. I'm a lot younger and only recently separated from my now ex-husband. I went out with a friend of mine to a Pub she frequented a lot. Enough to know the regulars. Non-alcoholic drinks were free (which was good because I was poor), and we could play pool and darts (both also free) to our hearts content.

Well, this man came up and put his arm around me. I'd never met him so I was immediately put off by that. He was drunk and openly undressing me with his eyes. It gave me the creeps. Anyway, he asked me how old I was so I told him sixteen. He didn't care, he tried groping me anyway. I told him I was jailbait, he needed to back off and it didn't even slow him down. We moved over to the bar and he followed us, forcing his way between me and my friend. I said rude, mean things to get him to back off but he didn't.

Now I should point out that my friend and I met in a sign language class so we both knew sign (her better than me because she was the deaf instructor's interpretor - but that's beside the point). She was behind this man, signing over his shoulder to me, telling me to be nice, he was a millionaire! Like that somehow excused his behavior and made it okay for him to be a total ass.

Eventually the owner of the Pub asked the man to leave. He did and we waited a while before we left - only to find that this man had waited for us outside. He became more aggressive towards me, trying to break out the car windows once we made it to the car. The owner of the Pub came and held him back so we could leave, all the while my friend was telling me I was stupid for not going for it with this guy - and it was HER car windows he was trying to bust out.

So fast forward to yesterday when I'm seeing that image. Why would anyone be attracted to a person simply because of the size of their bank account? Yes, money is nice - it's even necessary in life. But just because you have it doesn't mean you're a decent person, worthy of my attention.

It may be that you can fall in love with a rich man as easily as a poor man but honey, if that's all you have to attract me, you're dead in the water with me.

A picture's worth a thousand words...

When my mother passed away several years ago, the elderly single women in my step-father's community descended on him with a vengence. Seriously, he told me some stories and those women were aggressive!

Anyway, we were having a conversation about something that had happened and he told me this story about another man who had a similar situation....

It wasn't that the man wanted to live alone the rest of his life but he wanted the women to back off a bit. So he worked with his two hound dogs for a week or so to "perform" for him on cue. Then he invited one of the more aggressive women over for a home cooked meal.

He set the table and set out the food and they had a lovely dinner. Nice conversation - very pleasant evening.

At the end of the meal the lady stood up and started to pick up her dishes to carry over to the sink. "You don't have to do that," the man said. "I've got it covered." Then he whistled and called the dogs over.

The dogs promptly propped their front paws on the table and licked the dinner plates clean. The man then picked up the plates and put them in the cabinet.

She never bothered him again.

(Side note: My step-father said it took him a week to train the dogs to do that and six MONTHS to untrain them. ;-) )

So, when someone sent me this picture, it reminded me of that story.

Happy happy

Growing up there wasn't a lot that my family agreed on but one thing we did was, we all loved The Carol Burnett Show. It came on either Friday or Saturday nights (I think) and we would put aside any bad feelings we had about each other and all sit down in front of the TV and laugh for an hour, as a family. It was a sad day for us when it went off the air. It was like losing a family member - one we liked at that. ;-)

Years later I read her autobiography and I fell in love with her again. She has such a kind, gentle spirit about her. I'm just a big fan of hers - as a person and as an actress. She doesn't hold back.

So, happy birthday Carol. May you have many, many more.


And in honor of Secretary's week - enjoy a picture of Carol dressed as one of my favorite characters...secretary, Mrs. Wiggins. ;-)

A dog's life

I have several blogs that I check out every day and there's this one that hasn't been updated in a while. Every day when I go there and it hasn't been updated I'm disappointed because I like this blog. And then today I realized, she's updated hers since I've updated mine. *Oops* I thought, I might ought to update mine, otherwise I have no room to whine, right?

So anyway, I'm getting ready for RWA's National conference in Atlanta this summer. Last year the plan was to have someone come watch my dogs at my house. She was going to stop by twice a day and walk them, feed them and help them to forget that no one was with them at night. Only thing was, we were having awful weather during this time and my dog, Max, was knocking down the fence gate and running the neighborhood - scared, which is not a good thing. At the last minute I decided I should kennel my dogs, as much as I hated the thought.

Two friends recommended this place in League City. Both said the woman that ran it lacked people skills but was great with dogs. These two friends have never met so I took that as a very good sign for this kennel. I booked my dogs there.

When I dropped them off I asked to see where they were staying. I meant literally, she thought I wanted a tour of the place. So I got the tour.

It was your typical kennel type place and had a variety of environments for the animals. My favorite - which of course was not available on such short notice - was the "rooms". It's a room 3-1/2 feet by 8 feet (I know that from seeing it on the webpage) with a sliding patio door on it. I thought if I ever needed to kennel them again, that's what I wanted for the boys.

So, I'm planning early this year, right? I email the kennel and inquire as to the availability of the rooms. She replies back that I need to book before the end of April (I sent the inquiry about three weeks ago -when it was still March). I reply with an email that I wanted to book it, to please consider my email as confirmation of my intent to book and to please reply back with confirmation of the booking.

I got no response. So a week or so later, I forward the email and said I hadn't heard back from her, could she please confirm that I would get the room. She replies back and asks - get this - did I want the room with the sliding patio door or did I want the room with the bed and the TV.

TV??? For a dog's room? Ummm, okay.

I replied back that I wasn't aware that a room with a bed and TV were an option, that the room with the sliding patio door would probably be fine, would she please reply with confirmation of the booking and with the rates.

She replied back with the rates for the room with a bed and TV AND the room with the sliding patio door. But no confirmation of booking.

I went to their webpage today. The picture posted above is an actual picture from their webpage of the room with the bed and TV. Since the dog isn't looking at the camera I can only assume it's watching the TV. Scooby Doo is probably on.

I think I'm going to go with the Bed/TV room. Now all I need to know is, does it come with a VCR?

Sex, Lies and Online Dating

Rachel Gibson's Sex, Lies and Online Dating was nominated for the reading group at RWAOL. Even though it wasn't one of the three (yes three) books I nominated, I voted for it. (Hey, the books I nominated were already in my TBR stack and going to be read anyway and this one looked fun.)

It did not disappoint.

Rachel Gibson created characters that were human and likeable. She told a story that was fun and kept you guessing (it was a mystery, after all).

Lucy Rothschild is a mystery writer who is doing research for her next book titled dead.com. It's about a woman who makes dates with men she meets online. And then she kills them. Lucy is making dates with men she meets online so that she can be authentic with the "losers" one would meet online. As they pour out their hearts to her on their "dates" she's mentally thinking of all the ways she wants to "kill" them in her book.

Quinn McIntyre is a homicide detective assigned to a serial killer's case. Breathless, as the killer is called, appears to be setting up dates with her victims online. She meets up with them and kills them.

When Lucy and Quinn meet up the attraction is almost immediate. Lucy is disappointed because she can't see killing him off in one of her books. Quinn sees her as a potential murder suspect. His superiors force him to spend more time with her and the more time he spends with her, the more convinced he is that she is the killer. This tears him apart because he is drawn to her, even believing she will try to kill him.

On the other hand, Lucy is also drawn to Quinn and feels guilty about lying to him. Once she decides there could be something there, she comes clean about her profession but that doesn't clear her of murder in Quinn's mind.

This book was so much fun to read. It had humor, it had mystery and it had loveable characters. It's been a while since I've enjoyed a book this much (and I love books). Having never read her before, I wasn't a fan of Rachel Gibson's before I read this book but I certainly am now! :o)

Is this a good thing?

Never having seen the movie, I have no idea...

Your Famous Movie Kiss is from Spiderman

"I have always been standing in your doorway. Isn't it about time somebody saved your life?"

What Famous Movie Kiss Are You?

I've always wanted to procrastinate, but I keep putting it off

Last night I want to my local RWA chapter meeting. The topic was procrastination, writer's block and burn out. The speaker, Kara Lennox, also spoke about writer's fears (which she blogged about here).

Anyway, on the topic of procrastination she said many of us waste time on things, like computer games and surfing the net. Me, I don't do those things. And while I wasn't doing those things today, I happened upon a blog and something happened.

It really was quite innocent. Really. And if not, it was Kara's fault...let me explain...

See, Kara told us she'd blogged about this topic on Romancing the Blog so I wanted to check it out. I found it (see "here" link above). As I was scrolling to find the post, I noticed that they had a LOT of author blogs listed. Alyssa Goodnight's caught my attention, seeing as she's a chaptermate of mine and all. It's been a while since I stopped by so I was glad for the "encouragement" to do so.

So, I read Alyssa's posts and when I scrolled back to the top I noticed that she only had three links. Argh Ink caught my attention. Turns out it's Jennifer Crusie's blog (I know, I need to get out more).

Since I've decided I like Jennifer Crusie now, I read several of her posts, including the one entitled "Things I'm Not, Part II" (sorry, can't get it to link). At press time, it had 35 comments - which of course I had to read (so I'd have the full picture and all, you understand).

There was one from Sam, which I thought might be my Sam, so I had to check it out. Of course I was wrong BUT, I noticed this cool clock thing on her blog...you know when I was scrolling down because I was, um, reading her blog and all.

Anyway, underneath the clock it said "Paris, France". So I asked myself, was Sam really from Paris, France? Her picture looks like she's from the good ol' U.S. of A. I think she just likes to know what time it is in Paris. But anyway, so I click on it and find out I too can have a clock for my blog! I was so excited. So I had to play with it and enter code into my template and all so that I could get it just the way I wanted it. Then I went to The World Clock to get the time for Rome, Italy and set the clock. Not because I live in Rome but because I could live there.

So you see, I wasn't really procrastinating at all because, in Rome it's 4:00 in the morning and how can you be procrastinating when you should really be asleep? ;o)

What the heck?

Desperate Housewives is currently my favorite show. Last season it was the number one show in America. This season it's moved down but still in the top five. And I have to wonder, would it have moved down if it hadn't been preempted umpteen times since January 1 and then shown repeats when it actually does air? If I didn't know better, I would think the show was not doing well and the reason repeats were being shown was because they weren't filming new episodes. What the heck is going on? Grrrrrrrrrr!

Best Laid Plans...

Do you ever make plans only to see them go up in smoke before your eyes? That was kind of my day today. I'm not complaining because, all in all, it was a good day - just not the one I'd planned.

I've been waiting a long time for Failure to Launch to open. I sent an email to my girls a month or so ago to see who would be interested in going to see it with me. Two people said they wanted to go but that they couldn't go the weekend it opened - one of those said any time after the 15th. So, I scheduled it for the first Friday after the 15th so it would extend my weekend by a day (I took a vacation day). Then I asked if anyone would be interested in visiting before and/or after the movie. Everyone seemed to like this idea and one woman suggested a restaurant, that only she knew about. :o)

Okay, so we have a date, a restaurant and a movie time (1:40 p.m.). We're all set!

So yesterday, I mapped out my whole day for today. I was going to get up at my regular time, take the dogs for a walk, take a long, leisurely bath while reading a book or magazine, shave (I planned on wearing a sleeveless shirt / with jacket combo), dry my hair, french braid my hair, get dressed and go. That was the plan.

I got up at my regular time but that's where the plan and reality parted company. My mistake was in logging onto the internet when I got up. You know, I was thinking I could check my email quickly and be about my business. I know myself well enough to know that's not how things work but I did it anyway.

Meanwhile, some surfing and a couple of TV shows later (since I have SO much time before I have to leave [picture me rolling my eyes here]), I realize that not only do I not have time to walk the dogs anymore, a bath is out of the question too. All I have time for is a quick shower, blow dry and dressing (which is not optional). I consider not wearing what I planned because I don't think I have time to shave under my arms. I look in my closet and it's all I really have ready so I have this debate in my head. You have the jacket, no one will know you didn't shave. But what if it gets hot today? Doesn't matter, the jacket must stay on. Doesn't matter how hot it gets the jacket must stay on! But... No buts, the jacket stays on no matter what. If it gets so hot that you have to choose between removing the jacket or dying, you don't remove the jacket. Because if you do, you would die of embarrassment when your friends saw you wore a sleeveless shirt without shaving. We're just cutting out the middle man. The jacket stays on! Um, okay.

I get dressed.

I finally get out of the house at 9:50 or so (meeting at 11:00 but it's across town and I have to stop for cash), hoping I've allowed enough time because I don't know where the restaurant is. Well, I find it easily and arrive 20 minutes early.

What I forgot to mention is that I sent out a reminder email last night (in case anyone forgot). I heard back from two last night. One said they couldn't make it (they had a funeral to go to). One said she'd try now (she does this every time so this wasn't a big surprise). On the way (which, for the record, was further away from me than anyone else - not that I'm complaining, just explaining), my phone beeps, telling me I have a message (I didn't hear it ring). It's a third person saying she can't make it because she's sick.

I'm starting to think I'm completely on my own for the day. Which would be fine, I don't mind going to the movie alone but had it been planned that way, I would have taken last Friday off, when the movie opened. To make a long story short, I was the only one at lunch. I had two more emails when I got home. One was sick and the other had spent the night in the hospital with her father.

But there was still the movie to see. I went to the theater at the appointed time (well, actually way early because I'd allowed almost 3 hours for lunch - I spent some quality time at a book store after no one showed at the restaurant but still got to the theater way early) and waited for the lady who had said she couldn't make lunch but would be there for the movie. I debated buying a ticket before she showed and decided I was going to see the movie that day, with or without my friends. So I bought a ticket and waited. My friend did show up and it was just the two of us. It was funny because right before the movie started she turned to me and said, "I don't know if you've ever sat next to me when we do these things" (we get our group together a few times a year to go to the movie), "but I tend to comment on things during the movie. Is that going to be a problem for you?" I said it wouldn't but told her I tended to laugh uncontrollably at things and continue to laugh long after the scene is over. I asked if that would be a problem for her -did we need to separate "now". She said no, we'd be fine.

And we were.

So, it wasn't the day I'd planned but it wasn't a bad one. :o)

P.S. It was a fun movie. :o)

I must be psychic

I be-bopped over to Mel's blog and saw she was doing a blog tag - and I knew - knew that she had tagged me. Anyway, I'll play along:


Four movies you would watch over and over:
When Harry Met Sally
Titanic
Roman Holiday (Audrey Hepburn/Gregory Peck version)
It Happened One Night

Four places you have lived:
Pasadena, Texas
Houston, Texas
Katy, Texas
Baytown, Texas (I know, I get around)

Four TV shows you love to watch:
Desperate Housewives
Dancing with the Stars (when it's on)
Ellen Degeneres
Seinfeld re-runs

Four places you have been on vacation:
Hawaii
New York
Las Vegas
Los Angeles

Four websites you visit daily:
Cathy
Sandra K. Moore
Laura Drewry
The Cupcake Police

Four of your favorite foods:
Pizza
Tacos
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sundae (Weight Watcher's 2 points)
Chicken Crispers (at Chili's)

Four places you would rather be right now:
Paris, France
Rome, Italy
New York
Las Vegas

Tag four friends you think will respond:
Okay, Mel tagged the two people who ever read my blog so...I'll just have to let these people know they've been tagged. hehehe
Honey
Laura Drewry
Jan Conwell
Pamela Hathaway

Sinking of the Titanic

I have a friend who has no luck when it comes to sailing on cruise ships. Seriously, I swear this woman was on the voyage of the Titanic - in another life of course.

A few years back this friend went on a cruise with her sister and mother in tow. Her mother and sister flew in to Houston and the three of them drove to Galveston to board the ship. As it set sail, a tropical storm entered the Gulf. And as is the case for any storm that enters the Gulf, the National Weather Center makes predictions as to when and where it will make landfall. This prediction can change 50 times in the few days before it actually makes landfall. But it's on these predictions that ships make decisions about what they're going to do.

So anyway, the prediction that the decision was based on said that the storm was headed towards the Texas/Mexico border - first stop of the cruise ship. The ship decided it couldn't take the chance and turned around, deciding to dock in New Orleans instead.

As the ship docks in New Orleans, they learn that the storm has taken a turn and is headed straight for them! It's too late for them to pull out, so they have to stay and ride it out. Meanwhile, because the storm is headed towards them and they have no choice to stay, the crew won't allow any of the passengers to leave the ship! So, not only do they not get to go to the exotic ports of call they were supposed to go to, they can't even enjoy the one they were forced to stop at.

A lot of complaints were made and those making the complaints (my friend included) received a coupon for another cruise (only discounted - and not by that much). It had an expiration date and I don't think my friend got to utilize it before it expired.

Anyway, her mother finally talked her into going on another cruise out of Galveston. They left last Sunday. (Neither of them wanted to go again during hurricane season.) I spoke to my friend on Friday and she was sick as a dog and unable to get in to see her doctor. I'm sure that made for a fun cruise.

You know, now that I think about it, it's not just cruises she has problems with. Last September she scheduled a flight home to visit her family. Had it booked months in advance. And it just so happened that the weekend she was supposed to leave was the weekend we had a visit from Rita (that's Hurricane Rita to you) and all the flights were cancelled.

This friend has tried to talk me into taking vacations with her and the more I think about it, the more I'm glad they haven't worked out. I love you Suzanne but you and vacations just don't mix. :)

And the Oscar goes to...

Tonight the 78th Annual Academy Awards is on. I plan on watching but as I looked at the list of nominees, I realized, I haven't seen anything that is nominated.

Seriously, the only movie up for any awards, that I've seen is The Constant Gardner (loved the movie, the book it was based on - not so much). I was present at a showing of the Star Wars movie but it never grabbed my attention and I couldn't tell you much that happened in it. (It also marked my last date with this man I was seeing - but that's another story.)

So if I haven't seen anything up for an award, why do I want to watch the show? For the glitz and glamour. And just because I haven't seen anything doesn't mean I don't have an opinion of who should win. ;o)

Here are, in my "I have no basis for my opinion" opinion, my picks for tonight's awards:

• Best Actor - Joaquin Phoenix
• Best Supporting Actor - George Clooney
• Best Actress - Felicity Huffman
• Best Supporting Actress - Rachel Weisz (remember, I've seen this one!)
• Best Animated Feature - Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (Johnny Depp did voices - that's enough for me)
• Best Achievement in Directing - Good night, and good luck
• Best Motion Picture of the Year - Tie - Crash and Good night, and good luck
• Best Adapted Screenplay - The Constant Gardner (In my opinion, they improved on the book - big time)
• Best Original Screenplay - Good night, and good luck

There you have it. My top picks, based (with the exception of The Constant Gardner picks) solely on who I like and not at all on who may be deserving.

Good luck to all the nominees.

Gossip Mongers

I admit, I love celebrity gossip. In the morning, as I get ready for work, I put on the news. All I'm really interested in is 1) celebrity gossip and 2) weather report (gotta know how warm to dress).

I subscribe to People Magazine. I read the headlines on the tabloids as I wait in line at the grocery store (I won't pay money for those though...so if you want to send me your copies when you're done..... ;o) ).

But, where's the line of what's acceptable to write about/ask about a celebrity? I read an article online yesterday (and I wish I had saved the link, I would post it here) where Bruce Willis went off on reporters. He was doing a press junket for his upcoming movie 16 Hours and got asked questions about his personal position on matters, unrelated to his movie. Expletives flew left and right as he railed on them about the questions they were asking. And all I could think was good for him. Everyone, celebrity or not, deserves to have their privacy respected. The individual should get to determine what is public and what's not. No one should ever have to be in a position where they feel they have to explain or defend their thoughts or opinions. He wasn't doing an interview with Barbara Walters (where anything is fair game and you know it going in) - he was doing a press junket for his movie, and that's what the questions should have been about.

On the other hand, for people, like Tom Cruise, who behave like an insane person at every opportunity, I think they've consciously given up their right to privacy. I think it's all fair game. (I think he gets off on the publicity.) I say this knowing that I have no interest whatsoever in knowing anything that happens in that world. He's gone off the deep end and he's inviting the publicity he's getting. For people like that, I have no sympathy.

I still like hearing the gossip and I have no intention of giving up my People Magazine subscription any time soon but I think reporters should respect the privacy of celebrities and boundaries of the interview topic/intent. Celebrities that behave like lunatics hopped up on drugs though, is an entirely different matter.

But hey, that's just my opinion.

Last Dance

Tonight they crown the winner of Dancing with the Stars. In my opinion, Drew Lachey deserves to win the title. He's been consistent throughout the competition and all of his dances have been fun to watch (which, for me, is important). His freestyle dance on Thursday was awesome! He deserved every 10 he was awarded on Thursday - again, in my opinion. He got every one of my votes and I couldn't put in all I wanted because it was impossible to get through (and I kept calling until they told me it was too late to call) - so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Next there's Stacy. I really like Stacy. She's pretty, she seems genuinely sweet and she's a good dancer. But, it was several weeks before I was impressed with what she'd done on the dance floor. She'd done fine but nothing that made me wanted to vote for her and I really didn't see / understand the fascination with her. Now, though, I'm a fan. I wasn't, however, impressed with her freestyle dance. There was so much they could have done with that and it was so plain, so unspectacular. The judges were right when they said that she'd set the bar high for herself and that she just didn't give what they'd (or the fans) expected. I wouldn't be heartbroken if she won but, in my opinion, I think Drew deserves it more (and I'm speaking from an overall perspective - not just the one dance).

Jerry's the one that scares me. Personally, I don't think he deserves to be in the finals, much less win the title. I thought he should have gone several weeks ago but obviously he has a large fan base - and that's what scares me. Realistically there could be a three way tie tonight (if Jerry got the most fan votes and Drew got the least) and if that happens, Jerry would walk away with the trophy (fan votes trump judges votes) and he so does not deserve it. Don't get me wrong, he has worked hard but he has struggled from day one. He still does not look like a dancer. Having said that, I will say that Thursday was, by far, his best performance to date. His freestyle dance was a lot of fun. He deserved to place second in that category. However, that does not entitle him to the title. If he wins, I will be upset.

Now the other thing, I'm excited that the other dancers will be back tonight. The thing I don't understand is, why the heck does the show have to be for TWO FRIGGIN' HOURS? Last year the longest show was one hour - period. In that one hour the couples danced their dances (even when they had two dances in a night) and one was eliminated before it was over - all within an hour! This season though, the shortest show was an hour? And that was elimination nights. At this rate, in a couple of "seasons" Dancing with the Stars will be on seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day. Seriously, I like the show but don't cause the viewers to burn out. We have lives too, you know.

But hey, it's only my opinion. :-)

Here I come to save the day

My first "real" day at work (you know, when other people are actually there) at my new job, I go out to my car, turn the key and hear "tick". That's it..."tick". Not the Vrrrroooooooommmmm you expect to hear. Just "tick".

Just great, I think to myself.

I go in and make a few phone calls and get a ride into work. (My friend offered to get jumper cables from her boyfriend to bring over but since neither one of us know how to jump-start a car, I didn't think that was such a good idea.)

I get in about an hour late - on the first day - but oh well.

Anyway, I finally get home that evening and my friend's father agreed to come over to help me get the car started (he lives one block over from me). Since my car was in the garage, I thought I'd get it out to the driveway before he got there, saving him that trouble.

I put my car in neutral and slowly start to push my car out of the garage, hoping it goes straight so that it doesn't hit the garage walls on the way out, doing damage to the car and the garage. It did great until it hit the slope of the driveway. Suddenly it starts flying down the driveway, heading straight towards my mailbox (which is all brick because my neighbor kept mowing the "post" mailbox down with her car). So what do I do?

Being the ever-calm in a crisis person that I am, I grabbed the bumper and tried to stop it that way.

Yeah, and when that didn't work (gee, don't know why it didn't) I ran to the side of the car, flung open the door and slammed on the brakes, just shy of it smashing into the mailbox. Did I mention that my neighbors were out in force and witnessed this great feat? Uh huh, not at all embarrassing. LOL

Tune in tomorrow when I leap a tall building (or a Barbie dream house) in a single bound. ;o)

People are funny

I recently (think yesterday) changed jobs at work. I didn't leave the company. I didn't even leave the building...I just moved to a different department, two flights above where I worked before.

But, people acted like I was moving far, far away to a land where I couldn't communicate anymore. I forward to a co-worker an email I receive that gives updates on soap operas she watches. At my going away luncheon she approached me and asked if I was going to continue to send them to her, like by changing groups I could no longer communicate with the old group. My reply was something like "I'm going to the third floor, NOT a third world country that doesn't have internet access. Of course, I'll continue to forward the emails."

And suddenly everyone from my old group wants to schedule lunch with me. I'm not anti-social or anything but I usually take lunch in my office and read a book. I like to get out once in a while but it's rare that I do, and rarer still that I go with someone from my old group. But now that I've left the group, I'm suddenly in demand and my lunch schedule is booked into the next millennium.

People are funny.

Ex-sighting

I got divorced in 1991. I haven't seen or heard from my ex-husband since 1993. But, I know exactly where he is tonight. He's in California, apparently working as a camera operator for Dancing with the Stars. Did you see the shot of the floor and someone's feet? My ex did that shot. If you don't believe me, come watch our 1988 Hawaiian vacation, that'll make a believer out of you. ;o)

Anyway... the competition is getting so much tighter. I think the final dance off will be between two of the following three: Drew, Stacy and Lisa. I wasn't a big fan of Stacy's in the beginning. I really didn't see what was so special about her dancing but the last two weeks, I'm convinced. I really think she deserved all the 10s she's gotten. I think she has a good shot at winning the competition.

Lisa has come so far, in my opinion. She's fun to watch. Tonight though, I didn't think the song fit the dance. I like the song but it made the dance seem slow and draggy. I tried tuning out the music and I enjoyed the dance more but the two didn't seem to go together. It helps me though, knowing that they don't actually pick the song they dance to...it's kind of "given" to them. Knowing that, I think they did a darned good job with what they had to work with.

I wasn't overly impressed with Drew tonight. He was technically "perfect" I suppose but I was watching thinking I wasn't really seeing him cover new ground. It looked like the same old dances to me. I guess what I'm saying is it didn't seem "fresh" to me. I really wanted to see him shine and I didn't see that tonight.

I love George. I really hope he makes it through tomorrow. Next week should probably be his last week but I really want to see him make it to next week. He's so much fun to watch. :)

I think Jerry needs to go next. Let me rephrase that, I want to see him go next. There are several reasons but of the remaining dancers, he seems the least comfortable with it. Dancing doesn't seem to come naturally to him. It appears forced and it's not as enjoyable to watch.

So that's what I think. What do you think?

I want to live in a soap opera

Seriously. Think about it.

You're driving down a winding road, down a hill, in a mudslide and lose control of your car. It goes off the edge of the cliff and your car goes up in flames. But your body is never found. That is, until you show up at your husband's (he thought you were dead) wedding, right after the minister has pronounced them man and wife.

Did I mention that the intervening years didn't prove a financial hardship either? Despite the fact that you had no money on you and never accessed your trust fund (well actually, you couldn't because before the fire was put out on the car, your loving family had divvied up your assets).

Or, if you were a particularly awful person before the car went up in flames, you lose your memory and come back as a sweet, kind, generous, giving person - and everyone accepts you.

You're offered jobs, hand over fist. And none of them expect you to work more than six hours a year, five of which are spent fighting with your arch enemy, who, of course, shares your cubicle. But never fear, if the boss complains, you buy the company and fire their hineys.

Then there's the facts of life. Kids are a gift from God. As such, they are perfect from the beginning. They sleep through the night and apparently are self sufficient from birth, as mommy and daddy galavant around town, never hiring a sitter. And as they approach the terrible twos, they aren't seen for a couple of weeks and are miraculously aged into their teen years, potty-trained and all. Not that being potty-trained was a problem, since soap babies never make a poopy diaper.

And murder. Where else can you kill a man in cold blood, admit it to the first officer on the scene and never see the inside of a court room? And if you do get as far as a court room, the right accessories can get you off of any crime.

But don't worry if you're the murder victim because, despite the fact that we saw you die on the operating table, watched as you were cremated and your remains scattered in the ocean, tomorrow is another day and death will never be final as long as there are rating sweeps to win.

A dog's life

Watching Ellen DeGeneres' show today, I got an inspiration for a book idea.

Blair Underwood was talking about his new book, Before I Got Here : The Wondrous Things We Hear When We Listen to the Souls of Our Children. It's filled with stories about the profound things kids say, a couple of which were read. It sounded like a sweet book.

Here's the deal, he created a webpage and solicited stories about things kids had said. Being a celebrity and all, he received a lot of entries. Then he went through them and compiled his favorites for the book and he's making a bajillion dollars now, I'm sure.

It got me to thinking. Who doesn't like animal stories? Okay, I know there are people who don't but the majority of people do like animals. So why not have a compilation of animal stories? I'd like to start with dog stories. You know, fun, sweet stories about man's best friend. I think it would sell well.

So here's what I need you to do: Send me all your fun, sweet dog stories. Tell all your friends and family to send me their fun, sweet dog stories. It would be helpful if the breed of dog was identified but it's not entirely necessary (I can improvise if necessary ;o) ).

I see a different book for every breed.

And don't think that because I will be keeping all the proceeds from the book that I won't recognize everyone - I will. Of course it might be something like, "I'd like to thank everyone..." But make no mistake, when I say everyone, I mean you and only you because it's your story(ies) that are going to make it happen.

Yes, this could work.

One Classy Lady

All of the dancers have really been doing incredible work. It's getting harder and harder to tell who the professionals are and who the "students" are. It's incredible.

Last night, for the first time, I was awed by Stacy's performance. She was incredible. Every 10 she received was well deserved, in my opinion. It was fun, it was fast and she looked great. But how intimidating would it be to have to follow someone who got a perfect score? And she went first! Wow!

Tia Carrere had the lowest score from the judges - it was a score of 22. Last season, that was the average score of all the contestants. On an especially good night, the top score might be 25 or 26 so that shows the level of work this season's dancers are putting into it (well to me anyway). And that's not to take away from Tia's performance. Although it wasn't my favorite performance, she did a good job and I enjoyed her dance last night.

Anyway, tonight was elimination night. Tia is one of only four of the contestants I knew who was when this competition started. And I like Tia. As such, she's had my support from the beginning. I'm at a point where I don't want anyone to be voted off because I really like everyone. More so, I really don't want those I knew (and liked) going in being voted off. But, having been in the bottom two a couple of times now, and having the overall lowest score from the judges last night, I knew in my heart that Tia had in all likelihood danced her last dance last night.

I gave her all of my telephone votes (and one of my online votes) but alas, she was voted off anyway tonight. When her name was announced as the contestant being voted off and she did her final "interview", she was so gracious and classy. I really hate to see her go.

Maybe when they do that "surprise" bring back of Giselle, they can bring back Tia too.

Fashion

A friend of mine recently gave in to the pressure of blogs and got one of her own (I would post a link here but I think it's a secret blog, if you know what I mean). Anyway, she posted a blog about how she'd gone shopping and ran into a little old lady who had her arms in the air and was asking for help.

Turns out she'd tried on a dress that was missmarked and it got stuck as she was trying to remove it - arms in the air. As women, we know how this works. We can fit in a size 5 with one cut and in another we do good to fit in the size 9. There's little, if any, consistency to how women's clothes are cut. And that's just how it is.

It reminded me of when I was married and my then husband had put on some weight. He'd always liked his jeans tight so he was having a difficult time getting them on with the additional weight. I finally had to raise the subject that maybe he needed a bigger size pants. OMG, he balked at that in a major way. "The pants shrunk," he wailed. "You've had them for years but they didn't shrink until now?" I argued back.

We went back an forth until I finally convinced him to try a larger size. I drag him (kicking and screaming I might add) to the department store and select the next size up in jeans (for men, that's their waist size - pants length stayed the same) and point him in the direction of the dressing rooms.

He comes out a few minutes later, the jeans all but cutting off the circulation to the lower half of his body and says, "They're cut small."

Yeah, 'cause that's how it works.

Go Lisa Go!

I will eventually blog about something other than Dancing with the Stars. LOL I'm just excited about the dances they did tonight.

Let's start with, I thought I was going to miss the beginning of the show. I had a 5:00 doctor's appointment so I thought I had plenty of time to get home before the show started. I walked out of the doctor's office at a quarter of. I was a bit panicked because the way home is paved with construction. But I made it home with about two minutes to spare. *whew* ;)

Anyway, Lisa Rinna is really starting to shine. I think she has a strategy though. Have you noticed that the last two weeks she's opted to dance the same dance as the celebrity men rather than what all the other celebrity women are dancing? That way she can't be compared to the other women when being scored. Of course she's doing the same dance as the professional women but you know, she's really stepping up. I'd really like to see her stay in the competition to the end.

Who did you like this week?

Devastated

So this isn't a shot from the Tango which got her eliminated (those aren't posted yet) but does this shot look like a person who isn't flexible? How many 45 year olds do you know that could strike that pose? I'm not 45 yet and I know I can't.

At week one of the competition, I knew who four of the ten celebrity dancers were. I wasn't really all that invested in the show. Now, at just week three, I care about all of them. I don't want any of them to go. And it's only going to get harder each week.

Anyway, I was so disappointed to see Giselle eliminated last night. I thought she was doing so well. I also feel a little bad because I really didn't think she was in elimination range and I don't think I voted for her at all, although I know I considered it. (I was distributing my votes among those I worried might be eliminated by not getting enough viewer votes.)

They showed all the dances again, in their entirety again and I felt the same way as I had on Thursday...and I was looking for the flaws and strengths the judges said they had and I just didn't feel any differently about the performances.

I honestly believed that Jerry and P Miller would be in the bottom two last night. As such, Jerry got some votes from me (although I had a very hard time getting through on his phone line, which encouraged me). When he was the second named celebrity as staying, my first reaction was relief. My second reaction was "oh *censored*" because who was going to be down there with P? I got concerned.

Then, when a little later in the show, P Miller was saved and there were still four couples left, I knew I wasn't going to like it. I hadn't prepared for a contingency.

The last three standing were Drew, George and Giselle. A no win situation. They say they call the names in random order (although I don't recall them saying that last night) but who knows where they actually placed. I started feeling real bad about Drew, concerned that I was taking it for granted that he would continue on - and I honestly think he is doing the best job out there, regardless of his advantages. He's working hard and doing a wonderful job - he doesn't deserve to be eliminated. I silently promised myself if he made it through, I would vote for who I thought did best from now on. I also honestly believed he wouldn't be in the bottom two. He wasn't.

When it came down to George and Giselle I was sick. I wanted them both to stay. Of the two though, I wanted George to stay more (he got more than half my votes for Thursday's performance). But regardless, I thought it was a wrong call either way.

To Giselle I say, you did a wonderful job. You inspired me. You shouldn't have had to leave. Thank you for being such a good sport about it. Hopefully in a twist, they'll bring you back later in the season. :)

To P Miller, P it's time you really stepped up to the plate. We both know that if you didn't have such a strong fan base, you'd be gone by now but you need to put more into it. You are improving but I need you to convince me that you deserve to be a contender. Make me want to vote for you to stay.

I dare you.

Wanna Bet?

Okay, since Honey asked so nicely, I'll give my review. :)

I have never in all my years of devouring books, read the last chapter of a book to see what happened. I've always come to the last chapter as a natural course of reading the book. But, when the book opened Once upon a time I had to know...was the last line and they lived happily ever after? As I was flipping to the back page I thought, "Naw, that would be too cheesy."

But sure enough (at the risk of giving out a spoiler) that was the last line. I rolled my eyes and thought, "this is going be great" (and not in a good way).

You have to understand that I've only read one other of Jennifer Crusie's books and I absolutely hated it. Not disliked it. Not didn't care for it. I hated it. I didn't like the characters - at all. One pissed me off so bad it wasn't funny. But a friend had recommended the book so I read the whole thing (based on her lie that the secondary character I really, really hated wasn't in much of the book...I was kinda ticked at my friend after that and haven't really read anything she's recommended since). So I was very skeptical going in reading Bet Me.

With that in mind I will say this, had I read this book first, I would probably be out buying up all the Jennifer Crusie books I could get my hands on. It was so funny and I was hooked very early on. I would read something and I would have to put the book down because I was laughing so hard (and couldn't read while laughing).

There was one thing though - I really hated Min's mother. Fortunately she wasn't in much of the book but she annoyed the heck out of me. I guess she was needed for the story that was being told but I was having flashbacks (not the good kind) when she was in the story. If not for her, I would still (despite my feelings for the first book) probably be buying up all the Crusie books I could find. It leaves me with the impression that Ms. Crusie likes to have over the top characters that create friction or conflict. But seeing as I know these people personally - have lived with these people but have finally gotten them out of my life, I don't want to revisit them in a book - it just brings me down. I like to read for escape and those types of characters make the enjoyment difficult. As I said though, Min's mother wasn't in much of the book so she didn't take over the overall enjoyment of the book. In fact, if I hadn't read the other book first (and hated the characters), I probably wouldn't be near as annoyed with Nanette's character - but again, she wasn't really a key player. Anyway as a result I will read more of Ms. Crusie's books but it will be sporadically (and somewhat skeptically) rather than buying out the book store.

Bottom line on this book though is, I loved this book. It was a lot of fun - very funny, and I liked the way it was all neatly wrapped up at the end. :)

Can you say Ouch?

I know I said I wanted a P elimination - and I do - but could Len have been any more harsh? He told Master P that it was time he and the competition parted. All I can say is Ouch!

I was so excited to see Lisa and Tia break out. They were great! And to see them do so well in the rating. I was very pleased with that.

And I absolutely LOVE George Hamilton. How funny was it that he went to the Assisted Living Center to solicit votes? He got my vote for that alone - and his dance wasn't too shabby either. :) And Giselle was funny when she interpretted what George was saying, "He said, 'Vote for Giselle'. " Even George laughed. Teehee

Like the judges, I was a bit disappointed with Jerry tonight. It seemed too slow and wasn't up to what he did last week. I still gave him a vote though because I do not want to see him leave and P stay (but I still thing Len was too cruel).

I disagreed with the judges where Giselle was concerned. I thought she did a good job. Of course that's my "I know what I like when I see it" trained eye, not a "I know the hell what a tango should look like" eye, but I thought she looked great.

And lastly, I think Drew is the breakout leader. I think he will be the one to beat this season. He does so good and just seems to really enjoy himself. I think he has an edge because his wife is a choreographer and he can practice with the "professional" a gazillion hours a day and then go home and get coaching from his wife (and I read he does do that but that also indicates his dedication, so there you go). He hasn't gotten any of my votes yet but not because he doesn't deserve them. I just don't want the wrong people being eliminated just yet. :)

Buh-Bye Tatum

Is anyone else following the Dancing with the Stars? I love watching the celebrities learning to dance.

This season though has been somewhat disappointing to me. Last season the celebrities seemed to check their egos at the door. Yes they knew it was a competition but the goal was to do their best, however it worked out. They seemed to be having fun.

This season, however, some of the egos are huge and distracting. Last season the judges and audience were voting on different dances so they changed it where everyone is voting on the same dance and rather than wait a week to find out who is eliminated, you find out the next night. On the second night, they show some backstage happenings and comments by the contestants.

Tatum took a firm stand and said she would be the winner because she was the best out there. But when it came to the bottom two contestants for elimination last night, it was P. Miller and Tatum O'Neal with the two lowest scores. Personally I would have been happy if they'd both been eliminated but they only eliminate one at a time.

P. Miller has been totally disrespectful to the judges, his partner and the audience. He refuses to wear ballroom dance shoes, despite instruction from the judges and requests from his partner but he goes out each time and talks about doing this for Katrina victims, which I'm sure is why he's pulling in the call-in votes. Thing is, nothing has been mentioned about any charities benefiting from this competition.

Anyway, Tatum was eliminated last night and when she went to have her final comments with the hosts she whined "But I'm an actress!" Um, Tatum hon, none of the celebrities are dancers - they all are learning to dance, just like you were.

Next week, I'm hoping for a P elimination.

Recommended List

The Players:

Jane Marlow: Jane is an Estate Attorney up for a partnership in the firm she works for. She's known for being reliable, dependable and very predictable. Her life is very structured. She's the person whose throw pillows are placed at a specific angle (forty-five degree angle if you want to be exact), her money in her wallet is arranged by denomination, face up. Her CDs are alphabetized by artist and then chronological, in order of release. And, like Monica Gellar (of Friends), she'll chase you around the house sweeping up food crumbs.

Teddy Rock: Formerly known as Theo Brockford. Teddy is the aging rock star who wants to make a comeback. His one hit Janey 245 made him a household name back in the late '80s. His fall from grace was long and very public. His latest album is about to be released and he has to convince the public that he has changed his ways so they will buy his album.

Andy Marlow: Andy is Jane's brother. Irresponsible and impulsive, he's the opposite of Jane. But when he catches and episode of Off the Record and realizes that Teddy Rock is the quiet boy from their childhood neighborhood, Theo Brockford, (not to mention that he and Jane grew up at 245 Memorial Circle), he is convinced that Janey 245 was written about his sister and is determined to capitalize on that fact.

Drew Weston: Drew is a partner in the firm Jane works for. He works out of the DC office but has come to Chicago to help Jane with a case that went from estate planning to litigation between grandmother and granddaughter. He has a reputation of being a playboy, reportedly having his way with the temporary receptionist on the xerox machine at his going away party (he worked in the Chicago office before transferring to DC). He's going to have to work very closely with Jane to settle the dispute with Jane's biggest client.

Jane is working towards becoming a partner in her law firm when her brother suggests she is the inspiration for Teddy Rock's one hit, Janey 245. He wants to capitalize on it to help save a family friend's (Sam) bar. When Jane is reluctant to participate in her brother's scheme, Andy sets out to put her in a position of not being able to say no.

Drew Weston has been brought in to help Jane on a big case she is handling. She set up the financial planning of Kitty Farnsworth's estate and it was being contested by Kitty's seventeen year old granddaughter, Darcy, despite the fact that Kitty was still alive. Jane believed she had set up airtight legal documents and that is what Drew was there to prove, and Jane's partnership depended on it.

Jane had heard (specifics) of Drew's playboy ways so she was expecting him to be making advances left and right. When he didn't, she confronted him about it. His response was not what she'd expected. He had heard about her reputation as well. When he described her life (quite accurately), she wanted to prove him wrong. That she wasn't a no nonsense, hospital corner kind of girl. So she invited him to Sam's bar.

And that's when everything changed.

Off the Record was a fun read for me. It follows, in a humorous way, the career of a has-been rock star that wants to make a comeback, with newspaper and magazine articles starting each chapter, chronicling the rise and fall of Teddy Rock and potential rise again. The story is told from the perspective of the rock star's muse, Jane Marlow.

Jennifer O'Connell told a fun and touching story that made me both laugh and cry. I recommend it highly.

The Bloggies

On my nightly blog hopping I came across something interesting. There are blogger awards. That's right folks, you can nominate and vote for your favorite blogs. And like the academy awards, there are a number of categories.

I be-bopped over there and checked it out. You can only submit nominations once. It's late in the week and I confuse easily so I hope I did everything right when I made my nominations (nominations made incorrectly will be disqualified). Now I'm wondering at what point the nominees are notified and if they are told who nominated them.

Oh well, know this, if you're reading this blog, chances are you were nominated for something. :)

Good luck!

It's Raining Books

Yesterday (my first day back after being off for two glorious weeks) I was talking with a co-worker and I mentioned that I had an exercise video that gives you a good workout without making you sweat. I asked her if she would workout with me during lunch if I brought it up to the office. She said she would.

So last night I dutifully set out to locate the video and put it in my car, before I forgot. Only it's MIA. I couldn't find it anywhere.

I did, however, find seven - count them seven - books I'd set aside but haven't read yet. Seven!

I thought I'd done so well over the holidays, reading a book almost every day and now I find out I'm right back where I started in the TBR pile. *sigh*

I never did find the blasted video.

Retrospective/Looking Ahead

I'm looking forward to the start of a new year. 2005 was not a particularly good year for me. A dear friend of mine died unexpectedly at the age of 46, leaving a hole in my heart. I got my first ever flu shot, only to find out that the vaccine was not what was in the syringes and that the FBI was investigating the matter. (A number of side dramas are attached to that one.) Not to mention a number of smaller (in general) events that added to the desire to see the end of 2005.

Having had the last couple of weeks off just to recharge the batteries has been wonderful. Today I feel an energy that I haven't felt in a long, long time. I know that work is going to be a challenge in 2006 (my work load doubled in 2005 and I was informed right before my vacation started that I would be taking on more responsibility in 2006, keeping all my current responsibilities) but I hope to be up to the challenge. The personalities I will be working with are the challenge, not the work itself per se. So, I'm hoping that 2006 gives me what I need to do my job, do it well and not kill anyone in the process. :)

On a personal level, my goal is to do things that make me happy, including (but not limited to) the following (in no particular order):

1. More massages in 2006
2. Take more time to read
3. Spend more time writing because:
a) I plan to enter contests in 2006,
b) I plan to query agents in 2006,
c) I plan to pitch at National, and
d) I want to get the story written!
4. Be more social
5. Get healthy/lose weight
6. Take time to smell the roses
7. In general, do more to pamper myself

Note, these are not resolutions but goals so if you see me shoving an entire Sara Lee Chocolate Cheese Cake down my throat on January 5th, I'm not breaking any resolutions. ;o)

Happy New Year to all! I hope 2006 is good to us all!

What are your goals?

Remembering a Princess

I don't know what it is but I've always been fascinated by Princess Diana. I remember when she married Prince Charles. VCRs weren't commonplace at the time. In fact, I'm not really sure if they were around. I do know, if they were, they were still too expensive for the average Joe to have one. As such, I didn't have one but I wanted to see the wedding so I got up at something like 3:30 am so I could watch it.

I also remember where I was and what I was doing when she died. It was so shocking. I kept thinking there had to be a mistake. She was too young and how she died was so awful. VCRs were more common then, it was unusual if you didn't have one, so I recorded the funeral rather than get up in the middle of the night to watch it. And I cried when I watched it.

I've been appalled at the people who have tried to exploit her, for their own gain, since her death. For instance, the man who, whenever he needs money, sells off more of her private story but when interviewed, refuses to answer certain questions because he wants to respect her privacy. Yeah right! You just want to save something for the next time. He should be shot. Or better yet, slowly tortured. Nothing is too horrible. But I digress.

Yesterday I went to an area museum to see the Princess Diana Exhibit . It's a traveling exhibit which happens to be on display in Houston now. The exhibit was divided into a number of different rooms, each representing an area of her life. There were pictures, video and actual memorabilia from all phases of her life. Her wedding gown was on display and video from her wedding was shown. The actual sheet music from Elton John's tribute song was on display, and played while video of her life and funeral were shown (heard a lot of sobs in that room) while it was played.

I went alone to the exhibit and I'm glad I did. I was able to spend a lot of time there without worrying about someone else being bored, tired or anything else. I read everything in every room. I watched every video in its entirety. When I reached the end, I went back almost to the beginning and came back through, just looking.

I know people are making money off of the exhibit and that may be their only reason for allowing her things to be viewed but whatever the reasons I want to say this: This exhibit honors Princess Diana and is done in a very respectful manner to her memory. To me, it was worth every penny (including the $8.00 parking fee) I paid to see it.

Latest Plug

Part of my vacation agenda is to read as many books as possible. In the past four days I've read three - all wonderful. The latest of which is Julia Quinn's An Offer From A Gentleman.

It's a Cinderella-like story. Sophie is the bastard child of the Earl of Penbroke. Her mother had died in childbirth and her maternal grandmother had cared for her until she turned three, at which time she deposited young Sophie on the doorstep of her father.

Recognized as the Earl's "ward" (not daughter), Sophie was raised in luxury, if not love. However, when Sophie's father married, his new wife made it clear that she could not be treated in the same manner as her daughters (two - Rosamund and Posy).

The Earl died unexpectedly at a young age. His wife would receive 2000 a year, or 6000 if she provided for Sophie until she was twenty. He also provided for a dowry for all three girls.

The stepmother kept Sophie on so she could collect the money but not in the manner she had previously lived. She made Sophie work for her keep - without pay.

And then they received an invitation to a masquerade ball. Sophie dilligently prepared her step-mother and step-sisters for the ball, never dreaming of going herself. But once they were on their way, the staff prepared Sophie to attend the ball herself. She wore clothing that had been her grandmother's (on her father's side) and was taken in the family carriage. The one caveat, she had to meet the carriage at midnight, otherwise she could be caught.

So dressed in her grandmother's clothes, her face covered by a mask, she attends the ball. On entrance, she garners the attention of several men but it's Benedict Bridgerton that whisks her away. They both are smitten but she refuses to give him her name and he steals a kiss.

He comments that her hair feels like silk. She laughs and reminds him that he has on gloves. He has her remove his glove and feels her hair. She asks for the same liberty so he removes her glove, which bears the family crest and her grandmother's initials. He is about to remove her mask when the clock starts chiming midnight and she narrowly escapes, having left the glove behind.

He spends years trying to locate her and she dreams of him, knowing that societal proprieties will not allow for them to be together, so she tries to forget him. When they meet again, he does not recognize her (he never really saw her face). He's drawn to her but cannot allow himself to really give in to his care for her because he feels he's being unfaithful to his true love, the mystery lady from the ball.

It was a fun, light read. Predictable? Yes, but still fun. I highly recommend it. :)

Another Plug

Earlier this year I read Metro Girl by Janet Evanovich for a reading group I participate in. I'd never read anything by Janet Evanovich and wasn't overly impressed but everyone kept saying her Stephanie Plum series was wonderful so I said I'd give it a try.

Well, I ordered (and received) One for the Money last week and since I rotate what I read in genre's (so I don't get over tired of one particular genre), I cracked open One for the Money yesterday for my "mystery" genre.

For all intents and purposes I read it in one sitting. I took a couple of breaks, surfed the net and took restroom breaks but basically, I read it in a few hours time.

It was a light, fun read with a mystery to boot. I'm officially a fan. :)

P.S. Merry Christmas!!!

My remote control is possessed!

I have a number of TV remotes in various conditions. Several bear teeth marks from Max and/or Brewsky. The one in my living room has loose parts inside of it while the one in the bedroom has buttons I have no idea what their purpose is. These two remotes are in the best condition of my collection.

Anyway, the remote in the living room rattles when I pick it up now. I'm sure this is because it has been dropped so many times. But, here's the deal, I will be watching TV and I'll want to mute the TV for some reason (maybe a call, maybe to write a blog) and when I hit the mute, it turns my TV off. Not every time but enough to aggravate me.

Other times I'll move my remote and the channel changes...on the TV, not the cable channel. That's the weirdest thing because if I click on the channel up or down it changes the cable station I'm watching. If I punch in the numbers in the remote, again, it changes the cable station I'm watching so to have it change the station my TV is on is just bizarre. And did I mention I won't have clicked anything on my remote when this happens? Again, not all the time, just periodically.

Maybe the rattling I'm hearing in the remote is little gremlins out to make me crazy. So far their plan is working.

Perfect Days

My vacation officially started at 4:33 pm Tuesday, December 20. I'm off for the rest of the year. (You can't see it but I'm doing the happy dance here.)

I left work and went immediately to get a massage from the massage queen, Robin. Came home and had a good night's sleep.

Yesterday I got up and met a friend for a leisurely lunch - very nice.

A little later I went to the movies and saw The Family Stone. It was different than I thought it would be but I liked it. I laughed and cried during the movie. I debated sitting in the theater for a while after it was over so the puffiness of my eyes would go down.

Of course the crying thing could have just been me. They showed a preview for a movie called Eight Down or Eight Under, something like that. It's about a dog team. They are taken out on an adventure (not sure exactly why) and things go awry. The dogs save this man's life and then when help comes, they leave the dogs behind, planning to come back later. Then the weather gets really bad and they can't go back for them so the dogs have to fend for themselves in this artic weather. I was crying at the preview! So, it could have just been me that got weepy at The Family Stone.

Anyway, I left there and went to Foley's to spend my gift card the attorneys I work with gave me. I couldn't find what I wanted so I went to leave the mall - passing the movie theater on my way to my car. I happened to look at the time and see what was playing...Fun with Dick and Jane started in ten minutes so I bought a ticket and went to see it too. I'm not a Jim Carrey (sp?) fan but I liked this movie. It was funny.

Today I'm going to see if I can find a local theater that still has Rent playing.

I love being on vacation!

Embarrassing moments

A number of years ago my mother told me this story.

A little old lady (okay, I think she just said a lady...I just imagine her as little and old) was coming out of the grocery store with her shopping cart full of grocery bags. As she approached her car she realized that there were three "thugs" (you know, look like trouble making late teen, early twenties kids) sitting in her car. Well, she knew the times had changed so she carried a gun in her purse and she thought this was the perfect opportunity to pull it out and use it. So she walked up to the driver's side window (which had been rolled down) and pointed the gun at the "head thug's" (why else would he be in the driver's seat) head. She calmly told them to get out of the car. And they did. Running away as fast as their thug legs would carry them.

Happy that she'd defended herself and her vehicle, she unloaded her groceries into the car and then got in the front seat. It was then that it dawned on her.

It wasn't her car.

Her car, she realized, was a couple of parking spaces over. She loaded the groceries back into the shopping cart and then into her car and drove to the police station to explain what had happened. As she was telling her story the police officer started laughing. When asked what was so funny he pointed to the three kids that were reporting a car jacking by a little old lady.

That story always makes me laugh because I can just imagine the kids' faces as this lady pulls a gun on them and tells them to get out of the car - their car. LOL

Anyway, so what made me think of this story? Last night when I was leaving the office, I spotted my car in the parking lot and noticed that some sort of flyer was on my car. I work in a place that has tight security so I knew it was something the company had put on the car. It kind of annoyed me.

So, I'm walking to my car and as I approached it I snatched the flyer off the windshield and clicked the automatic locks on my keychain. Nothing happened. I'm reading the flyer, even more annoyed at the message, as I click the locks again. Still nothing. I turned the keychain around and clicked it again and heard a faint beep. I tried to open the door and it was locked. I clicked one last time again I heard a faint beep but this time I noticed a car a couple of spaces over with its lights flashing. Then it dawned on me, I was trying to get into the wrong car. I dart around the car to my own car, realizing that I'm taking the flyer from the car with me. I make the decision not to return it but as I'm snatching the flyer off of MY car, I look back and see someone walking straight towards me with this big grin on his face.

I knew immediately that it had been his car I'd tried to break into. I walked over, laughed as I gave him his flyer while he told me he'd done that with my car before (yeah, but he never got caught!). Very embarrassing moment. LOL

Is it just me?

My boss took our group to lunch today - a holiday lunch. We went to Pappas Seafood. I'm not sure if that's national or local. In any event, it's one of the nicer restaurants in the area. More upscale.

Anyway, one of my attorneys has been in a pissy mood for at least two weeks now and it's not been real clear why. All I know is the first week I went in to say good morning to her and she bit my head off. Actually she did that two out of three mornings. I quit going in to see her.

Then she stopped talking to me altogether. Wouldn't even make eye contact with me last week. On one occasion she needed something done and rather than tell me, she wrote it on a post it note and stuck it on my desk.

I was sitting at my desk at the time.

So this kind of behavior has been going on for at least two weeks. The invitation for lunch went out before she stopped talking to me. She made some comment about she didn't want to go. See, I'm like the only one in the group she likes and she didn't want to spend her lunch hour with a group of people she doesn't like.

Fine - it was optional.

So my boss sends out a reminder this morning about it and offered to drive me and the other two staff support ladies. Said if anyone didn't want to go to let him know, otherwise we'd get a table for the group.

No one declined.

The female attorney rode out with another attorney. In the restaurant, she sat in the corner with her arms crossed the entire time. She never joined in the conversation or made eye contact with anyone and she didn't even order lunch!

So, is it just me or is that not rude?

Aside from her negativity, it was a nice lunch.

No Plot? No Problem!

That's the name of a book intended as a writing tool for writers. Chris Baty is the author and, if I'm not mistaken, he also is the one that heads up the annual NaNoWriMo in November. But that's not really the subject of this post. It's about books that have no plot.

I know people who don't like books without a plot. I know others who say the story is all about the characters.

I think I fall in the latter category. Not that I have anything against plots but if I'm not relating with the characters in some way, the author can have the best plot ever devised and s/he will have lost me as a reader. On the flip side, if s/he can make me care about the characters, I probably won't notice/care that there is no plot.

If the author has created a character who hits a nerve with me and I hate them, that's okay because they've been so descriptive that they've evoked an emotion out of me. It's only bad when it's the hero or heroine. And that happens.

I've heard (and find it to be true for my tastes) that it's not good to have a book that is only about sex. A well written love scene is one thing but when the characters can't seem to drag themselves out of bed long enough to have a discussion or a life, there's a problem. I'll move on to the next book.

I recently read a book where all either characters could think about was having sex with the other one. I think there was only one scene where they actually consummated the relationship but it never left their thoughts. (And the sex scene was on the cutting room floor. They discussed it and thought about it a lot afterwards though but the act itself didn't make the cut.) I didn't hate the book but the author also did not go on my "automatic buy" list.

For me, reading is an escape. I like mindless reading. I love fun, light reads - something that can make me laugh and/or cry but not require too much thought on my part. Don't get me wrong, I love John Grisham thrillers and Mary Higgins Clark mysteries but those kinds of books only make up about twenty-five percent of my reading. The other seventy-five percent is made up of lighter fare. But if they can't make me care about the characters, they lose me as a reader. (Can't stress that enough. LOL)

So, bottom line for me and my reading preferences, my motto is: No Plot? No Problem! ;o)

How about you?

Your Honor, I give you Exhibit A

Men don't listen. A woman rarely has a man's full attention. The one exception is when he is watching sports and you get between him and the television. Even then though, he's not listening. He will pretend to listen and promise anything to get you to move but the second you move, you've lost him again. And for those of you that would think you have his attention during sex, I'm sad to say, you don't. Little Johnny has his attention and little Johnny isn't going to listen to you either. In fact, the only word little Johnny understands is "yes" and every word known to man (or woman) sounds like "yes" to little Johnny.

Some of you may be reading this and shaking/nodding your head in agreement but for those of you who are not convinced, I bring proof.

To give a little background, I was making limo arrangements for my boss yesterday. He's attending a company sponsored event tomorrow night and wanted to arrive in style. He placed the charges on his corporate card. I like my boss so I didn't comment but it got me to thinking, does this mean that since the Christmas party is company sponsored I can hire a limosine to take me there and have the company pay for it? Hmmmm....something to consider - but I digress.

So, I called our travel department and reached, what else, a man. We'll call him Travel Guy or TG for short for the purposes of this transcript. The following is the actual transcript of the telephone conversation:

TG: How may I help you?
Me: I need to set up limosine services.
TG: Is this for travel already scheduled?
Me: No, it's transportation within the city for a company sponsored event.
TG: I see. And the name?
Me: I give him my boss' name, spelling the last name because it's one of those names that is spelled in a way that you're convinced someone's cat ran across the keyboard (multiple times) as it was being typed but actually sounds like "Smith".
TG: How will Mr. Smith be paying for this?
Me: Corporate AMEX.
TG: He's putting it on his corporate card?
Me: Yes.
TG: Account number (recites account number).
Me: Like I have his number committed to memory! Not to mention I've NEVER been asked to confirm a credit card number before! Yes.
TG: Are we picking him up at his home (proceeds to recite home address).
Me: No. I have an address for pick up. (I recite the street address.)
TG: What is that?
Me: I don't know. I just have the address. It could be his townhouse but I'm not sure.
TG: What's the zip code?
Me: I don't have that information.
TG: Well, I need that to schedule the pick up.
Me: Realizing boss is in the office next to mine, probably standing near the doorway. Hang on one minute. (covering mouthpiece of phone - yelling) Mr. Smith!!!

No response (which actually, when you think about it, could be used as Exhibit A-1. Like the (A-1) sauce. Not really all that strong by itself but boy can it bring out the flavor of the meat!)

Me: (back into the phone) He didn't hear me.
TG: I can look it up on mapquest.
Me: (Look at destination, realize no address number or zip code is listed, turn to computer and pull up mapquest myself.)
TG: I found it. (He recites the zip code he found to me.) Does that sound right?
Me: (Pull phone away from my ear, make face and exaggerated arm gesture, excuse me but didn't I just tell you I DON'T KNOW the zip code? How the heck would I know if it "sounded" right? put phone back to ear) I have no idea. (rolling eyes) Sure, whatever.
TG: Do you know the name of these townhouses?
Me: I don't know that it is his townhouse. It may not be. But to answer your question, I don't know the name of the townhouses he lives in. And this may not be his townhouse anyway. Don't put that on there because it may not be his townhouse.
TG: So where are we taking him?
Me: (I give him name address and zip code of destination.)
TG: What time do we need to pick him up at the townhouse?
Me: I don't know that it is his townhouse but he needs to be picked up at the address I gave you at 6:30 pm.
TG: Okay, so what time does he need to be picked up from (name of destination)?
Me: 9:45 pm
TG: Okay, so let's recap: We have him being picked up from his townhouse at 6:30 pm, address (gives address).
Me: (interrupting) I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT IS HIS TOWNHOUSE!
TG: (continuing as if I hadn't said anything) We will pick him up at 9:45 pm and bring him home.
Me: Those are the right times and addresses but I don't know that the address is his townhouse. I don't know the address to the townhouse. That needs to be removed from the record in case it's not.
TG: Okay, is there anything else I can do for you today?
Me: Yes, is it possible to put in the record that this needs to be charged immediately? We want to prepay for the services.
TG: We can do that. He's putting this on his corporate card?
Me: Yes. Also, he wanted me to be sure the limo service had his cell number, just in case they had difficulty locating him.
TG: He wants the limo service to have his cell number in case they get lost going to his townhouse?
Me: (through gritted teeth) I don't know that that is his townhouse! He wants them to have the number in case they need to reach him for any reason! Can that be included in his record?
TG: Of course.

We finish up the call with him telling me he would email me the confirmation. I submit to you Exhibit A. (Due to technical difficulties I cannot post the confirmation but in big bold letters it said to pick up the passenger at his TOWNHOME!!!!! P.S. there was no zip code listed anywhere on the confirmation either) No mention was made of prepayment or cell number.

I called the limo company directly. No mention was made on what they received about prepayment so I set that up directly (and they charged immediately, thank you very much...did I mention I spoke with a WOMAN at the limo service? yeah!). As for the cell number, she said a number was included and proceeded to give me the number provided, which happened to be MY work number. Yeah, when the limo service is trying to locate Mr. Smith, it will be good that they call my work number, after hours, on a Friday night. We fixed that too. (When I saw the confirmation had it listed as his townhome I went to Mr. Smith. He confirmed that it WAS his townhome so I didn't have to address that with the limo company - but that wasn't the point.)

So, with that, Your Honor, I rest this case.

Tune in tomorrow when we look at the hypnotic properties or gravitational pull of a woman's breasts, also known as "excuse me sir but my eyes are up here!"

What the devil?

At the recommendation of Honey, I decided to wait to read Jennifer Crusie's Strange Bedfellows. In its place I'll be reading Shirley Jump's The Devil Served Tortellini.

For Maria Pagliano, too much of a good thing has always been a problem. Whether it's men or carbs, she just can't say no. But that's about to change. For her high school reunion, Maria's vowed to reinvent herself as a woman who has her life strictly in order. No more pasta, bread, dessert, or datingeven if the menu offering is one sexy chef named Dante Del Rosso.

Everything about Dante is off-limits. From his come-hither smile to his sultry way around the kitchen in his Boston restaurant, he's too much temptation...for her taste buds and her heart. Just being around the guy makes her crave more. The only thing to do is go cold turkey on Dante. But he has other ideas. Now, this devil is out to woo his dream woman using every spicy, sweet, and sinfully delicious weapon he's got. And once Maria gets a taste of the real thing, how can she possibly settle for anything less?

Last chance

Okay, I'm giving Jennifer Crusie another try. I've only read one of her books before now and I have to say, I hated it. I didn't like the hero or heroine. I didn't like "the bad guy" (in fact I HATED the bad guy) and I didn't much like the friend, that recommended the book, for a while. In fact, I haven't read - or finished - a book she's recommended since then.

Anyway, I've heard such wonderful things about Ms Crusie's books and I want to give her another chance. And she was so funny accepting her Rita in Reno. My local RWA chapter sells member donated books at their meetings for $1 to raise money to buy the speaker's books to give as giveaways at our meetings. They had Ms. Crusie's Strange Bedpersons at one meeting so I snatched it up.

But this is it. If I have the same "I wanna beat the shift outta someone" feeling when I finish this book as I did the last one, I won't read another of her books - ever, except under threat of severe torture. So, if you know this is the wrong one of her books for me to read to get the warm fuzzies, STOP ME NOW, before I start it.

I've been tagged! Gasp!

Okay, so I'm minding my own business reading a response to a friend's blog about not having anything to blog about. The response said they were tagging the blogger. Laughing to myself I run over to the responder's blog to see what the tag was because I love reading those things and think it's funny when unsuspecting people get tagged. Well, in THAT blog, three people were tagged, among them one Lucy S. I'm thinking "I wonder who that is" because after all Mel (she only needs one name, like Cher or Madonna) has no idea who I am...does she? I click on the link and *GASP* it takes me to MY blog. Suddenly tagging isn't as funny as it was two minutes ago. LOL

Okay, so here's the deal: I need to list 15 facts and personal preferences (quirks, habits, whatever) about books.

Here goes:

1. I love the escape a book gives.
2. I like reading a variety of different genres.
3. Until recently, John Grisham and Nicholas Sparks were automatic buys. (Their last few books have put them back in the "gotta read the back cover first" category again.)
4. Mary Higgins Clark is still an automatic buy.
5. I sometimes get embarrassed by the book cover of the book I'm reading - but I still read it, and enjoy it.
6. I love discovering new authors.
7. I hadn't ever read a Julia Quinn book when I accosted her at the Reno Airport in July.
8. After reading one of Julia Quinn's book, I'm now a huge fan of her work.
9. I love books that make me laugh out loud, snort or laugh until tears are streaming.
10. I love books that can grab me at an emotional level that they can make me cry.
11. I'm not a fan of alpha males in books.
12. If I can figure out who the killer is, anyone else can figure it out by reading the back cover - but I love reading mysteries anyway.
13. I own every single book ever published by Cheryl Bolen .
14. I love that I can order books from amazon.com and they will be delivered to my door...eventually.
15. My TBR pile is high enough that if I read one book a day until I read every book in the pile, I would be reading into the new year.

Okay, so now I have to tag three people. I don't suppose I can re-tag Mel and Pam can I? No? Okay, I tag Sam, Aura, and Maria (who I'm sure has no idea this blog exists). :o)