I've been thinking lately about how important a character's name is to a book. I don't know how many times I've picked up a book, and read the back and put the book down because I couldn't deal with the names of either the hero or the heroine.
For example, heroes named Rio or Draco don't do it for me. Also English lords named Hunter, Derek or Blake. Primarily because I don't know that many Englishmen currently who are named Hunter or Blake. Derek tends to be primarily a middle or lower class name, not one commonly used by the aristocracy in England at any time. I totally understand wanting to give your hero or heroine a unique name, but you have to deal with the fact that it is unique in a book.
Names can also inform the characterisitics of your character. If you give your heroine a strong name, it's hard to make her a meek, little lamb. Also, geeks aren't usually given strong masculine names.
I think alot about names when I'm writing a book and what the character's name means. For example, my first name is Elizabeth which is from the Hebrew and means 'consecrated or given to God.' Which fits me because I've often felt that I'm an incredibly spiritual person. I still have a school report that says that I had a sophisticated take on the Bible when I was 6. When it comes to religion, I've always been ant-established religion. I don't think you need a priest or a minister to feel close to God.
My middle name is Kerri, which apparently means dark and mysterious. It's of Celtic origin. Of course, I like to think of myself as being dark and mysterious, and not just because of my name!
My father's name was Victor, which is Latin and means 'winner, conqueror.' I don't know if my sweet, good-natured Father was a conqueror per se, except of my mother's heart! My mom was Roslyn is a derivation of Rosalind which means pretty rose or horse serpent. WTF? My mother could certainly be consiered a pretty rose, and she did have some pretty sharp thorns.
Whenever, I start a book and I'm thinking of names, I always look up the meaning of the name. I find that it's helpful. For instance, Julia in Nearly Famous. Julia means youthful, and my character definitely is youthful. She's constantly going up for roles against an actress who is 7 years younger than her, and she's often asked to audition for teenagers.
I chose the name Emma for my newest WIP, partly because Emma is my favorite Jane Austen novel, and partly for Emma Goldman, the radical feminist anarchist of the late 19th and early twentieth century. To my surprise, the definition of Emma means universal, all-embracing which works because both my Emma and Emma Goldman are earthy, all-embracing women. My Emma embraces all aspects of her multi-racial identity.
Now for my YA, I've chosen the name Jessica for my protagonist. Jessica means God's Grace, and the character will hopefully embody that. She'll be my first blonde heroine, that's for sure.
While I was looking up names, I thought I would find out the meaning of several other names that are famous right now.
Brittany: strong, industrious (makes sense, she's worked hard for her success)
Russell: red head (I'm sure Russell Crowe would like a more masculine definition!)
Angelina: Little Angel (LOL, I don't know if anyone could call Angelina Jolie a little angel!)
Paris: Greek, means downfall (Hmm, Paris Hilton you might not want to marry another Paris)
Gwyneth: Welsh, Fortunate, Blessed (Well, she certainly has been that)
Brad: English, Broad Meadow (I'm not sure what exactly that means)
Jennifer: Welsh, White Wave (So Jennifer's White Wave drowned Brad's Broad Meadow?)
Renee: French, Re-born (so we don't have to worry about Renee Zwellweger, she'll be fine)
How do you choose your character's names?
Friday, September 30, 2005
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Dragging My Feet
Man, I am so tired today. I had literally 3 hours of sleep last night. Why you might ask? Well, last night at work, I had to watch this BBC/Discovery Channel show called Top Grear. If you're not familiar with this show, let me give you a brief description. It's about cars. Yes, cars, the entire show they talk about cars.
Now, I'm a New Yorker. I don't have a driver's license, although I keep meaning to get one, and cars don't interest me in the slightest apart from a mode of transportation. So this show was not on my top 100 list of shows to watch.
What made it worse, was the fact that I had to log in everytime someone mentioned a fricking car, and they mentioned at least 25 different makes and brands. It turned out we only had to write 9 questions, thank god. Oh yeah, I had two other people working with me on this show, because it's so brand heavy they need at least 2 to 3 people to catch all of them. See above. That's a Bentley Continental, one of the cars that I had to write about. These babies used cost over a hundred thousand dollars. Used!
Slick chick that I am, I offered to log in all the products into the system, while the two guys I was working with started on the questions, which meant that in the end I only ended up having to write 2. Yippee! Still, although the show was over by 11, by the time we got done it was 1;30, and the trains don't really run regularly at that time, so I didn't get home until quarter of 3, and then I had to get up at 6 for work, so I'm dragging.
Plus, I'm off caffeine for the next few days, which has given me a lovely headache to remember it by. So I'm cheating a little with this post. Johanna Edwards had a great list on her site last Friday, so I'm paying it forward.
The Hate List
So here, in no particular order, are the people who do not contribute to my well-being or amusement:
1. Fabio (Enough already)
2. Johnny Fairplay
3. Omarosa (someone stop her before she breeds)
4. Star Jones Reynolds
5. Elisabeth Hasselbeck
6. Tom Cruise
7. The Wanna Fanta Girls (could they be more annoying)
8. Mary Hart
9. Janice Dickinson (crazy and pyschotic)
10. Donald Trump
11. Martha Stewart
12. Bill O'Reilly
13. Tucker Carlson
14. Ann Coulter
15. Rush Limbaugh (see a trend)
16. Tim Green
17. Paris Hilton
18. Jesse Palmer
19. Gwyneth Paltrow (sorry, gwynnie)
20. Wendy Pepper
Okay, who would make your list?
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
You Never Forget Your First Time!
Thanks to Amanda McCabe and Megan Frampton for giving me the idea for today's post. I'm running on low steam right now, since I haven't had any caffeine today. Damn period! Caffeine gives me the worst cramps, but I have a hard time functioning without it, and I only have a small cup a day.
Anyway, I loved Victoria Holt growing up. She was one of the first romance novelists that I ever read in my early teens before I discovered Woodiwiss and Small. I loved her gothic tales of mysterious mansions, and handsome alpha males who may or may not want to kill the heroine.
In her books, I got to travel to exotic places like Australia, and Africa, not to mention Cornwall and India. I think her books were the first ones that I read that were in the first person.
She wrote books under two other pseudonyms besides Victoria Holt. Straight historical fiction about the English and French royal families as Jean Plaidy, and as Phillipa Carr she wrote a series tracing one family from the Elizabethan period to the late nineteenth century before she died. I devoured every series. Thanks to Eleanor Hibbert (her real name), I developed a love for English history (particularly the Plantagenets), and the French that lasts to this day.
When I read Evelyn Vaughn's first book of the Grail Keepers series, I knew the myth of Melusine because I'd read about King John's widow Isabelle and her marriage to Hugh de Lusignan in a Jean Plaidy novel (she'd written the entire history of the English royal family up to Queen Victoria, with a side-trip to Mary, Queen of Scots).
Mistress of Mellyn, if you can find it, is one of her best books. Martha Leigh is a prim and freshly minted governess who has been hired by the remote and demanding Connan TreMellyn to care for his daughter Alvean. As the departure of the three prior governesses suggests, Alvean is a difficult charge, though understandably so since the recent death of her mother, Alice. As Martha tries to connect with Alvean, she researches the history of Mellyn, and discovers hidden family secrets that still haunt the present. Now familiar with Alvean, she feels herself falling for Connan. Though the desire between Martha and Connan grows, Alice's tragic death continues to haunt them both and endanger any future they may have.
A delightful combination of Rebecca and Jane Eyre. I can easily imagine it as a movie with James Purefoy and Tara Fitzgerald.
If you've never read Victoria Holt, this is the one to start with.
What was your first time?
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
What's next?
A miracle has occurred! I am almost completely set up at work, the only thing missing is the phone, and I can do without that for the time being. However, I do have my computer set-up, complete Internet access, Lotus Notes, and access to a printer.
I can now print out my first 3 chapters to send to the agent that requested it, and start working on the revisions for the other agent who requested the full manuscript. I also have 2 other agents I want to hit. I'm also thinking of sending my baby off to be professionally edited, which is a huge thing for me, not to mention the cost. At the moment, since I still have to pay off my lawyer, I plan or relying on the lovely friends in my chapter who volunteered to read the darn thing. I might even bring pages into my critique session on Saturday.
In the meantime, I need to figure out what I want to write next. Do I write my next chick-lit or another paranormal chick-lit romantic comedy? Or start working on the novellas that I just plotted set in Scotland? The whole novella thing freaks me out though, trying to tell a whole story and make the love story believable in a grand total of like 125 pages.
I just read 3 novellas over the weekend, and they all had the same basic plot, uptight American loosened up by sexy, Alpha Aussie. After awhile, I wanted something a little more meaty. I had a hard time getting into the stories. I wonder if it was just this writer because I've read novellas in the Secrets anthologies that were emotionally satisfying, and shorter than the novellas in this book.
I know I have a good hook for the anthology, I just need to make sure that I'm not writing the same hero and heroine all the time. I know some authors who do very well with this premise. They just change the names, and hair color but deep down they're the same characters.
I really want my next book to be better than the one before, but I'm having a crisis of confidence with my chick-lit. I wonder if I have the skills to pull it off without getting heavy and preachy, which is why I'm punching up the grandmother's in the book.
Sigh! I get to stay home tonight and actually watch TV for fun instead of for work!
I can now print out my first 3 chapters to send to the agent that requested it, and start working on the revisions for the other agent who requested the full manuscript. I also have 2 other agents I want to hit. I'm also thinking of sending my baby off to be professionally edited, which is a huge thing for me, not to mention the cost. At the moment, since I still have to pay off my lawyer, I plan or relying on the lovely friends in my chapter who volunteered to read the darn thing. I might even bring pages into my critique session on Saturday.
In the meantime, I need to figure out what I want to write next. Do I write my next chick-lit or another paranormal chick-lit romantic comedy? Or start working on the novellas that I just plotted set in Scotland? The whole novella thing freaks me out though, trying to tell a whole story and make the love story believable in a grand total of like 125 pages.
I just read 3 novellas over the weekend, and they all had the same basic plot, uptight American loosened up by sexy, Alpha Aussie. After awhile, I wanted something a little more meaty. I had a hard time getting into the stories. I wonder if it was just this writer because I've read novellas in the Secrets anthologies that were emotionally satisfying, and shorter than the novellas in this book.
I know I have a good hook for the anthology, I just need to make sure that I'm not writing the same hero and heroine all the time. I know some authors who do very well with this premise. They just change the names, and hair color but deep down they're the same characters.
I really want my next book to be better than the one before, but I'm having a crisis of confidence with my chick-lit. I wonder if I have the skills to pull it off without getting heavy and preachy, which is why I'm punching up the grandmother's in the book.
Sigh! I get to stay home tonight and actually watch TV for fun instead of for work!
Monday, September 26, 2005
Things I have learned
I've learned a few things this weekend, which I feel are very important to pass on, so that other people can benefit from my mistakes.
1) Remember when you're supposed to be at work. I was an hour late yesterday for work because I forgot that on Sundays, we start work at 6:30 instead of 7:30 which is the norm for the other 6 days of the week. I've been working so much lately that I plum forgot. I got pass this time, but I need to remember for next weekend.
2) Don't drink before you're required to spend many hours watching television. I made this mistake by going over to a friend's house before work and having a Cosmopolitan plus a small glass of champagne. I was having such a good time, and the apartment was so divine, that I had a hard time leaving. I ended up having to take a cab to work which cost me $15. I ate two slices of pizza at work (they thoughtfully provide us overworked drones with food on Sundays), but I was still a little loopy and kept forgetting which products I was supposed to be writing about.
3) Don't have an overdraft. My bank charges the princely sum of $30.00 everytime, I'm a little withdrawn. So I had a charge for $7.75, had insufficient funds, and they charged me $30. The bank just made 22.00 off that transaction. I need to seriously find a new bank.
4) If you work for a prestigious magazine like the New Republic, don't blow your job by making up or faking most of your stories. I watched Shattered Glass, starring Hayden Christensen as Stephen Glass, the guy who was caught when he faked a story on Hackers, by Forbes Digital actually who wanted to do a follow-up piece, and discovered that the story had been seriously faked. The DVD thoughtfully provided a 60 Minutes piece with the real Stephen Glass, who's excuse for his first made-up quote was that he needed a punchy quote for the story and since he didn't have one, he saw no reason why he couldn't just make one up, and it escalated from there. Once he saw the reaction his pieces were gettting from his colleagues, not to mention other publications, he wrote more pieces that were fabricated.
Because he had once been a fact-checker for the magazine, he knew what they were looking for, so he was able to create a false paper trail for himself, including fake notes, fake emails, a fake website, fake phone calls. He had his brother pretend to be the head of this software company Jukt Micronics. He finally blew it when his editor discovered there was no way that the story could have been true (using AOL to create a home page for Jukt Micronics didn't do him any good).
After he was fired, he completed law school, but he's unable to practice in New York because there is an ethical question. Who would have thunk it? What he did was too outrageous for the New York Bar Association, although he would make a perfect defense lawyer, since he's willing to go to any lengths. He also wrote a book, a thinly disguised roman a clef about his time at the New Republic which didn't win him any friends.
What got me was that he didn't realize that not only was he screwing himself, but the magazine, all the people who worked there, and supported him. His apologies seemed less like they were genuine, and more to do with him wanting to be liked. I got the strong feeling that was an overriding concern for him.
It just left a very bad taste in my mouth. People kill for the opportunity to be badly paid, to write for a publication like The New Republic and he blew it. His old editor, Chuck Lane said that if it was sunny out and Stephen said it was sunny, he would ask two or three other people to cooborate before he believed Stephen.
That's sad.
1) Remember when you're supposed to be at work. I was an hour late yesterday for work because I forgot that on Sundays, we start work at 6:30 instead of 7:30 which is the norm for the other 6 days of the week. I've been working so much lately that I plum forgot. I got pass this time, but I need to remember for next weekend.
2) Don't drink before you're required to spend many hours watching television. I made this mistake by going over to a friend's house before work and having a Cosmopolitan plus a small glass of champagne. I was having such a good time, and the apartment was so divine, that I had a hard time leaving. I ended up having to take a cab to work which cost me $15. I ate two slices of pizza at work (they thoughtfully provide us overworked drones with food on Sundays), but I was still a little loopy and kept forgetting which products I was supposed to be writing about.
3) Don't have an overdraft. My bank charges the princely sum of $30.00 everytime, I'm a little withdrawn. So I had a charge for $7.75, had insufficient funds, and they charged me $30. The bank just made 22.00 off that transaction. I need to seriously find a new bank.
4) If you work for a prestigious magazine like the New Republic, don't blow your job by making up or faking most of your stories. I watched Shattered Glass, starring Hayden Christensen as Stephen Glass, the guy who was caught when he faked a story on Hackers, by Forbes Digital actually who wanted to do a follow-up piece, and discovered that the story had been seriously faked. The DVD thoughtfully provided a 60 Minutes piece with the real Stephen Glass, who's excuse for his first made-up quote was that he needed a punchy quote for the story and since he didn't have one, he saw no reason why he couldn't just make one up, and it escalated from there. Once he saw the reaction his pieces were gettting from his colleagues, not to mention other publications, he wrote more pieces that were fabricated.
Because he had once been a fact-checker for the magazine, he knew what they were looking for, so he was able to create a false paper trail for himself, including fake notes, fake emails, a fake website, fake phone calls. He had his brother pretend to be the head of this software company Jukt Micronics. He finally blew it when his editor discovered there was no way that the story could have been true (using AOL to create a home page for Jukt Micronics didn't do him any good).
After he was fired, he completed law school, but he's unable to practice in New York because there is an ethical question. Who would have thunk it? What he did was too outrageous for the New York Bar Association, although he would make a perfect defense lawyer, since he's willing to go to any lengths. He also wrote a book, a thinly disguised roman a clef about his time at the New Republic which didn't win him any friends.
What got me was that he didn't realize that not only was he screwing himself, but the magazine, all the people who worked there, and supported him. His apologies seemed less like they were genuine, and more to do with him wanting to be liked. I got the strong feeling that was an overriding concern for him.
It just left a very bad taste in my mouth. People kill for the opportunity to be badly paid, to write for a publication like The New Republic and he blew it. His old editor, Chuck Lane said that if it was sunny out and Stephen said it was sunny, he would ask two or three other people to cooborate before he believed Stephen.
That's sad.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
What Pin-Up are you?
You're Brigitte Bardot!
What Classic Pin-Up Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
Very interesting! Never been a big fan of her movies. The whole animal rights thing she does can get a little crazy. Although I love animals, I don't believe in hurting people to protect them. She's also a little racist too isn't she?
Saturday, September 24, 2005
What color am I?
#8A2BE2 |
Your dominant hues are blue and magenta. You're the one who goes to all the parties but doesn't quite fit in at every one... you know what you want, but are afraid of what the world might think of it. You're a little different and that's okay with them, and if you're smart it's okay with you too. Your saturation level is higher than average - You know what you want, but sometimes know not to tell everyone. You value accomplishments and know you can get the job done, so don't be afraid to run out and make things happen. Your outlook on life is bright. You see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything. |
Good thing I like purple!
The Writing Game
It's been awhile since I've blogged about writing, I thought I'd give it a whirl since it's been on my mind lately.
I recently received my first check as a writer for the grand total of $138.74 for my training at my night job. When I held that check in my hand, I was proud as proud can be. Okay, it's not a multi-book contract, but I have to believe that dream is just around the corner.
In the meantime, 5 nights a week, I get the chance to write and watch TV, two things I would be doing anyway.
Of course, being that it's me, there is one problem. Tiredness. The last 3 shifts, I didn't get done until 12:30 a.m. and by the time I got home, it's 1:30. I'm working during the day from 8-5, so 2 days I had to go to work on 4 hours of sleep. I've already overslept twice. Fortunately for me, I know how to get dressed and out the door in a hurry.
Today, I managed to sleep until 8:30, even though I had an exercise class at 9:00 a.m. You've never seen anyone move so fast. I managed to make it just in time. Close call. Tonight, even though my shift started at 7:30, the show I'm supposed to watch and write about doesn't start until 11;30 which gives me 4 hours to kill.
Plenty of time to do my other writing. The other good thing, is that my bosses at my day job know I'm a writer, and they don't mind if I write on company time as long as I get my work done. So far, I've managed to edit 20 pages, and merge 2 characters, streamlining the novel considerably.
I've also had my first experience being heavily edited last night. My show for the night was Three Wishes, the new Amy Grant show. It was on from 9-10, 1/2 for writing the questions, I figured I'd be out of here by 11:00 tops. Didn't work that way.
Another writer was working on writing questions about the product placements, and any question of mine that seemed similar to a question that he wrote, I had to change. Instead of writing 12 questions, I wrote 17. By the end of the night, I was burned out and running out events from the show to write about.
An epiphany of sorts was had on line at the Post Office. I must have the slowest post office on record. 2 clerks and one long line. Anyway, on the way out, one of the women on line handed me an Avon sample with an attached card with her number to order more. Wow, I thought, what a smart idea. What chutzpah to hand out cards to total strangers.
Could I do that, when the time comes to promote my book? Could I go up to complete strangers in bookstores and hand out bookmarks? On-line at the supermarket, at my drycleaner? the nail salon? My hair salon? I guess if I want to sell books, I'm going to have to seriously think about doing something like that.
It can't hurt.
What do other people think?
I recently received my first check as a writer for the grand total of $138.74 for my training at my night job. When I held that check in my hand, I was proud as proud can be. Okay, it's not a multi-book contract, but I have to believe that dream is just around the corner.
In the meantime, 5 nights a week, I get the chance to write and watch TV, two things I would be doing anyway.
Of course, being that it's me, there is one problem. Tiredness. The last 3 shifts, I didn't get done until 12:30 a.m. and by the time I got home, it's 1:30. I'm working during the day from 8-5, so 2 days I had to go to work on 4 hours of sleep. I've already overslept twice. Fortunately for me, I know how to get dressed and out the door in a hurry.
Today, I managed to sleep until 8:30, even though I had an exercise class at 9:00 a.m. You've never seen anyone move so fast. I managed to make it just in time. Close call. Tonight, even though my shift started at 7:30, the show I'm supposed to watch and write about doesn't start until 11;30 which gives me 4 hours to kill.
Plenty of time to do my other writing. The other good thing, is that my bosses at my day job know I'm a writer, and they don't mind if I write on company time as long as I get my work done. So far, I've managed to edit 20 pages, and merge 2 characters, streamlining the novel considerably.
I've also had my first experience being heavily edited last night. My show for the night was Three Wishes, the new Amy Grant show. It was on from 9-10, 1/2 for writing the questions, I figured I'd be out of here by 11:00 tops. Didn't work that way.
Another writer was working on writing questions about the product placements, and any question of mine that seemed similar to a question that he wrote, I had to change. Instead of writing 12 questions, I wrote 17. By the end of the night, I was burned out and running out events from the show to write about.
An epiphany of sorts was had on line at the Post Office. I must have the slowest post office on record. 2 clerks and one long line. Anyway, on the way out, one of the women on line handed me an Avon sample with an attached card with her number to order more. Wow, I thought, what a smart idea. What chutzpah to hand out cards to total strangers.
Could I do that, when the time comes to promote my book? Could I go up to complete strangers in bookstores and hand out bookmarks? On-line at the supermarket, at my drycleaner? the nail salon? My hair salon? I guess if I want to sell books, I'm going to have to seriously think about doing something like that.
It can't hurt.
What do other people think?
Friday, September 23, 2005
The Golden Apple Awards
Last night we had our annual reception for our members and the publishing industry, and I'm happy to report it was a huge success. Everyone loved our new venue, and I managed to keep the awards portion of the evening to around 20 minutes, giving attendees more time to mingle and drink. I was smart, I waited until after the awards presentation before having a drink. I'd never been so happy to see a glass of champagne in my life.
Our Reception Chair, Darlene James, did a phenomenal job putting it together. My hat is off to her. I know hard it is to plan the reception. I did it for three years.
The Highs:
1) Having a certain agent tell me that if she had known how great our reception was, she would have shown up to collect her award when we honored her.
2) Chatting with Anna Genoese, who was our editor of the year. She's an absolute doll. When I pitched my romantic comedy chick-lit paranormal, she suggested that I send it to Natasha Panza, who I then pitched it to. Anna prefers dark paranormals which I'm not a big fan of myself.
3) Handing out our beautiful awards, and the gorgeous placques that were made by one of our members.
4) All the members who came out and volunteered to help that night.
5) The family of our librarian of the year, Roxanne Campagna who unfortunately passed away after suffering from ALS. Her husband and both of her sons came to the event. I get emotional just thinking about the lovely speech her husband gave.
6) Meeting author Sheila York (Star Struck Dead). Sheila and I both worked at Morgan Stanley at the same time, and a mutual colleague kept trying to introduce us but it never happened. I'm happy to report that she's an utter delight, and I'm so happy that she's joined our chapter.
7) The new members who came, and the potential new members who plucked up the courage to come. Hopefully they'll joing the chapter.
The Lows:
1) Not enough air conditioning. It got a little hot, with so many bodies in a small space.
2) Not having enough time to prepare the bios to introduce the honorees. In fact, we ended up not having one for Anna Genoese. Next time, I'll start preparing as soon as we make our decisions.
3) Having too much food, which we ended up donating to several homeless shelters. And not having enough booze.
I'd also make sure that I was at the entrance greeting people. I don't know how we're going to top ourselves next year for our twentieth anniversary but I'm sure we'll try.
Our Honorees were:
Librarian of the Year: Roxanne Campagna
Bookseller of the Year: Diane Sanders
Publisher of the Year: St. Martin's Press
Editor of the Year: Anna Genoese, TOR
Author of the Year: Eloisa James
Lifetime Achievement Award: Shirley Hailstock
Our Reception Chair, Darlene James, did a phenomenal job putting it together. My hat is off to her. I know hard it is to plan the reception. I did it for three years.
The Highs:
1) Having a certain agent tell me that if she had known how great our reception was, she would have shown up to collect her award when we honored her.
2) Chatting with Anna Genoese, who was our editor of the year. She's an absolute doll. When I pitched my romantic comedy chick-lit paranormal, she suggested that I send it to Natasha Panza, who I then pitched it to. Anna prefers dark paranormals which I'm not a big fan of myself.
3) Handing out our beautiful awards, and the gorgeous placques that were made by one of our members.
4) All the members who came out and volunteered to help that night.
5) The family of our librarian of the year, Roxanne Campagna who unfortunately passed away after suffering from ALS. Her husband and both of her sons came to the event. I get emotional just thinking about the lovely speech her husband gave.
6) Meeting author Sheila York (Star Struck Dead). Sheila and I both worked at Morgan Stanley at the same time, and a mutual colleague kept trying to introduce us but it never happened. I'm happy to report that she's an utter delight, and I'm so happy that she's joined our chapter.
7) The new members who came, and the potential new members who plucked up the courage to come. Hopefully they'll joing the chapter.
The Lows:
1) Not enough air conditioning. It got a little hot, with so many bodies in a small space.
2) Not having enough time to prepare the bios to introduce the honorees. In fact, we ended up not having one for Anna Genoese. Next time, I'll start preparing as soon as we make our decisions.
3) Having too much food, which we ended up donating to several homeless shelters. And not having enough booze.
I'd also make sure that I was at the entrance greeting people. I don't know how we're going to top ourselves next year for our twentieth anniversary but I'm sure we'll try.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
WTF Moments of the day
"I don't know why people spread rumors about me. That's a question no one can answer. I'm just fabulous."
After Banks asked the men in the audience to leave, Dr. Garth Fisher from ABC's "Extreme Makeover" performed a touch test and then the sonogram. He concluded: "Tyra Banks has natural breasts; there are no implants."
- Lil Kim in Blender Magazine.
Is she kidding? The woman is going to prison for a year for perjuring herself in front of a jury.
Here's another beauty - Talk about keeping it real: Tyra Banks underwent a televised sonogram on her new talk show to prove that her breasts aren't fake.
After Banks asked the men in the audience to leave, Dr. Garth Fisher from ABC's "Extreme Makeover" performed a touch test and then the sonogram. He concluded: "Tyra Banks has natural breasts; there are no implants."
Banks, who models for Victoria's Secret, also displayed how her push-up bra exaggerated her body. However, Banks said she's not totally real.
So that's good television, when you can show the audience that you're breasts are real! This is why I prefer a good television drama!
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
On Friendship
I found this quote by Marus Tullius Cicero and I thought I would share it:
"The most difficult thing in the world is for a friendship to remain unimpaired to the end of life. So many things might intervene: conflicting interests; differences of opinion in politics; frequent changes in character. Let this, then, be laid down as the first law of friendship, that we should ask from friends, and do for friends, only what is good. But do not let us wait to be asked either...Let us have the courage to give advice with candor.
How can life be worth living which lacks that repose which is to be found in the mutual goodwill of a friend? What can be more delightfcul than to have someone to whom you can say everything with the same absolute confidence as to yourself?
The greatest of all things is Friendship."
"The most difficult thing in the world is for a friendship to remain unimpaired to the end of life. So many things might intervene: conflicting interests; differences of opinion in politics; frequent changes in character. Let this, then, be laid down as the first law of friendship, that we should ask from friends, and do for friends, only what is good. But do not let us wait to be asked either...Let us have the courage to give advice with candor.
How can life be worth living which lacks that repose which is to be found in the mutual goodwill of a friend? What can be more delightfcul than to have someone to whom you can say everything with the same absolute confidence as to yourself?
The greatest of all things is Friendship."
Sunday, September 18, 2005
The 80's Strike Back
| Your 80s Heartthrob Is |
 John Stamos |
Wow, Blackie Parrish from GH! If that isn't a blast from the past! Remember when all the guys in the 80's wore like longish mullets? Or seriously big hair? I totally remember when Blackie was on GH. He was a drummer in Blackie and the Blackhearts (go figure). Jack Wagner played Frisco the lead singer. Also, Jimmy McNichol (Kristy's brother) played a songwriting busboy whose songs Blackie stole as his. When he got caught by his girlfriend, he accidentally killed her and was sent to prison, leaving the show and going on to Full House stardom.
God, seeing this picture of John Stamos brings me back memories. I was in high school, and college through most of the eighties, and then my early twenties. So here are few more 80's flashbacks.
The Tab Twins: Okay the Tab Twins were two girls in my high school who used to carry liters of diet soda (most frequently Tab, remember when saccharin was discovered to cause cancer in rats?) in class. God, Tab and Fresca were the diet sodas before Coke came up with Diet Coke. The Tab Twins were the 'bad girls' in school. The ones who were never fully in uniform, had older boyfriends, were smoking, drinking, and having sex before most of us hit high school. Both of them married young, probably because they got all their rebellion out while in their teens while the rest of us didn't find ourselves until our twenties (some of us are still finding ourselves). They were the ones who had kids when we had our ten year high school reunion.
Gloria Vanderbilt Jeans: I loved GV jeans. If you're curvy like I am, Gloria Vanderbilt were a godsend. I had sandwashed, black, and even a pink velvet pair. God, I loved those pink velvet jeans. They were gorgeous. I think velvet jeans should make a comeback.
Music - I love 80's music. Duran Duran, Culture Club, Wham, Pat Benatar, Billy Idol, Spandau Ballet, Billy Squiers, The Go-Go's, Rick Springfield. What's not to love
Dallas, Dynasty, Falcon Crest and Knots Landing - the quartet of night-time soaps that haven't been equaled. Rich people acting badly, stabbing each other in the back, sleeping around. There would be no Melrose Place or Desperate Housewives if it weren't for these shows. My favorite was always Knots Landing because it was the most real of the four shows, although Michelle Lee as Karen used to drive me bananas.
What are your 80's memories?
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Hot Gossip!
It's hot here in New York and even hotter gossip this week!
Where to start? From Britney and Heidi having their babies to Renee and Kenny breaking up, Kate Moss snorting cocaine on the cover of the Daily Mirror, Bush taking somewhat responsiblity for the lack of help to New Orleans, to Russell Crowe claiming that he can't help being an asshole because he's Australian, celebrities having been running amok again.
But the biggest gossip here in New York was the cover of New York magazine. Not the cover story of Lachlan Murdoch leaving the family fold to start a new venture in Australia, leaving Rupert scrambling for who the new heir to the Newscorp throne is going to be (a television in the making. Perhaps starting Peter Bowman as the young Murdoch heir) but the cupcake wars.
Yes, you heard me, the cupcake wars. Apparently, cupcakes are big business here in New York, so much so, that Jennifer Appel, owner of Buttercup bakery, is suing a former employee claiming that he's stolen her ideas for his new bakery in Williamsburg in Brooklyn. She claims that she's just trying to protect her potential for franchising, he claims that having homey decor doesn't mean that he's stolen her ideas.
Is it just me, or have cupcakes been around forever? No one can copyright cupcakes! The whole cupcake wars started when Jennifer Appel and her former partner opened Magnolia Bakery in the village, made famous in Sex and the City. They split up as both friends and business partners and Jennifer opened Buttercup on the upper East Side. Now I've been to both bakeries, and they serve the same exact recipes. They both serve banana pudding with 'nilla wafers, chocolate trifle, brownies, red velvet cake, coconut cake etc.
Here's the kicker, when tourists who take the Sex and the City bus tour stop in front of Magnolia, they're eating cupcakes from Buttercup! Employees from both bakeries have now started their own bakeries, and they all make cupcakes. Only in New York could this be a huge story that it makes it into a national magazine.
This just got me thinking what a ripe (no pun intended) story this would be for a funny chick-lit romance. The old-time bakery across the street from the new fangled bakery that moves in on the family territory. Cupcake Wars!
It just goes to show you that you can find a plot pretty much anywhere for a novel.
Renee, Renee, I never thought you could be so flaky as to get married after a four month courtship and then get annulled five months later. Isn't 36 a little old to be having a starter marriage? I would expect this behavior from Brittany and Nicky Hilton but not you Renee. I mean if Danny Bonaduce and his wife can get married on the first date and still be married 15 years later (although I wouldn't claim them for the poster child for a happy marriage), surely you and Kenny can work this out? What happened to Kenny being 'your soul-mate', all that talk about how he understands your life etc. etc.?
Russell, I love you as an actor, but I would cross the street if I ever saw you cross my path. I don't know how this guy can claim that he doesn't have an anger management problem. Throwing a phone at someone, and all the bar fights this guy has been in, has more to do with his issues, then just 'being Australian' Since when does being Australian give someone the right to act like an ass. Then he blames Meg Ryan for not living a 'truthful life' for his problems when they were having a relationship. Oy!
And President Bush, ever heard the phrase 'the buck stops here?' You're the president of the United States. To say that you take responsibility to the extent that the federal government is responsible for not acting quickly enough to the disaster down in New Orleans, is not really taking responsibility no matter what Elisabeth Hasselbeck says.
It's only my opinion!
Where to start? From Britney and Heidi having their babies to Renee and Kenny breaking up, Kate Moss snorting cocaine on the cover of the Daily Mirror, Bush taking somewhat responsiblity for the lack of help to New Orleans, to Russell Crowe claiming that he can't help being an asshole because he's Australian, celebrities having been running amok again.
But the biggest gossip here in New York was the cover of New York magazine. Not the cover story of Lachlan Murdoch leaving the family fold to start a new venture in Australia, leaving Rupert scrambling for who the new heir to the Newscorp throne is going to be (a television in the making. Perhaps starting Peter Bowman as the young Murdoch heir) but the cupcake wars.
Yes, you heard me, the cupcake wars. Apparently, cupcakes are big business here in New York, so much so, that Jennifer Appel, owner of Buttercup bakery, is suing a former employee claiming that he's stolen her ideas for his new bakery in Williamsburg in Brooklyn. She claims that she's just trying to protect her potential for franchising, he claims that having homey decor doesn't mean that he's stolen her ideas.
Is it just me, or have cupcakes been around forever? No one can copyright cupcakes! The whole cupcake wars started when Jennifer Appel and her former partner opened Magnolia Bakery in the village, made famous in Sex and the City. They split up as both friends and business partners and Jennifer opened Buttercup on the upper East Side. Now I've been to both bakeries, and they serve the same exact recipes. They both serve banana pudding with 'nilla wafers, chocolate trifle, brownies, red velvet cake, coconut cake etc.
Here's the kicker, when tourists who take the Sex and the City bus tour stop in front of Magnolia, they're eating cupcakes from Buttercup! Employees from both bakeries have now started their own bakeries, and they all make cupcakes. Only in New York could this be a huge story that it makes it into a national magazine.
This just got me thinking what a ripe (no pun intended) story this would be for a funny chick-lit romance. The old-time bakery across the street from the new fangled bakery that moves in on the family territory. Cupcake Wars!
It just goes to show you that you can find a plot pretty much anywhere for a novel.
Renee, Renee, I never thought you could be so flaky as to get married after a four month courtship and then get annulled five months later. Isn't 36 a little old to be having a starter marriage? I would expect this behavior from Brittany and Nicky Hilton but not you Renee. I mean if Danny Bonaduce and his wife can get married on the first date and still be married 15 years later (although I wouldn't claim them for the poster child for a happy marriage), surely you and Kenny can work this out? What happened to Kenny being 'your soul-mate', all that talk about how he understands your life etc. etc.?
Russell, I love you as an actor, but I would cross the street if I ever saw you cross my path. I don't know how this guy can claim that he doesn't have an anger management problem. Throwing a phone at someone, and all the bar fights this guy has been in, has more to do with his issues, then just 'being Australian' Since when does being Australian give someone the right to act like an ass. Then he blames Meg Ryan for not living a 'truthful life' for his problems when they were having a relationship. Oy!
And President Bush, ever heard the phrase 'the buck stops here?' You're the president of the United States. To say that you take responsibility to the extent that the federal government is responsible for not acting quickly enough to the disaster down in New Orleans, is not really taking responsibility no matter what Elisabeth Hasselbeck says.
It's only my opinion!
Friday, September 16, 2005
Getting in Touch with the Past
Today, I decided to tackle my hall closet, which hasn't been cleaned out since my mother passed away almost 16 years okay. My sister asked me why today, and I'm not sure why. It's not as if I was keeping the closet as some sort of shrine to my mother, on the contrary. There was just so much crap in the closet that when we were sorting through Mother's stuff 16 years, we both couldn't deal with it!
I just had a feeling that today was the day I should make a start. I had this idea that I could have a winter closet and a summer closet for my clothes. So I opened the closet door and was almost overwhelmed by the amount of crap that is crammed into this closet. I wouldn't be surprised if I found Jimmy Hoffa and Judge Crater in there, the closet is literally crammed from top to ceiling with junk. After awhile going through all the stuff was giving me a headache, and I needed to go lie down for awhile.
I knew that my parents had a lot in common, including being pack rats, but I have to admit that my mother has my father beat with this closet. I pulled out an aluminum tray filled with plastic silverware.
From my sister's wedding.
In 1968.
Yes, 37 year old plastic forks, knives, and spoons. How do I know they were from my sister's wedding? Well, even though I was only 3 at the time, I remember the silverware. Go figure.
Not only does my mother have old plastic silverware, but I also found nylons. Not pantyhose, but actual nylons still in the box. There must be 5 or 6 pairs of nylon stockings. Not to mention, photos, old tax returns, leases, my mother's civil service exam results, my summer school report from when I was 5 saying that I was ready for first grade.
And my mother must have saved every single coat that she wore in the last 30 years of her life! I couldn't believe how many coats there were. I found a beautiful one though that I'm definitely keeping. It's a black boiled wool or lambswool coat with a faux fur collar and cuffs (at least I hope they're faux). I also found another faux fur coat that I don't think I ever saw my mother wear.
But the cutest thing that I found in the closet were two savings account pass books that were opened for my oldest brother way back in the thirties. They each had a dollar each in the account, which must have been alot during the depression. I wish that I found them when my brother was still alive, I think that he would have gotten a kick out them.
I also found baby pictures of my sister, which she was thrilled by.
I also felt that I got to know my mother a little better by going through all this stuff that she had accumulated and kept for some reason (I'm going with the theory that she used this closet for a dumping ground of stuff she didn't know what to do with).
What did I learn about my mother? Well, mostly that she was crazy, which I kind of already knew.
Will I ever finish cleaning the closet? I'm sure that I will eventually when I gather my strength again. And get a shovel!
I just had a feeling that today was the day I should make a start. I had this idea that I could have a winter closet and a summer closet for my clothes. So I opened the closet door and was almost overwhelmed by the amount of crap that is crammed into this closet. I wouldn't be surprised if I found Jimmy Hoffa and Judge Crater in there, the closet is literally crammed from top to ceiling with junk. After awhile going through all the stuff was giving me a headache, and I needed to go lie down for awhile.
I knew that my parents had a lot in common, including being pack rats, but I have to admit that my mother has my father beat with this closet. I pulled out an aluminum tray filled with plastic silverware.
From my sister's wedding.
In 1968.
Yes, 37 year old plastic forks, knives, and spoons. How do I know they were from my sister's wedding? Well, even though I was only 3 at the time, I remember the silverware. Go figure.
Not only does my mother have old plastic silverware, but I also found nylons. Not pantyhose, but actual nylons still in the box. There must be 5 or 6 pairs of nylon stockings. Not to mention, photos, old tax returns, leases, my mother's civil service exam results, my summer school report from when I was 5 saying that I was ready for first grade.
And my mother must have saved every single coat that she wore in the last 30 years of her life! I couldn't believe how many coats there were. I found a beautiful one though that I'm definitely keeping. It's a black boiled wool or lambswool coat with a faux fur collar and cuffs (at least I hope they're faux). I also found another faux fur coat that I don't think I ever saw my mother wear.
But the cutest thing that I found in the closet were two savings account pass books that were opened for my oldest brother way back in the thirties. They each had a dollar each in the account, which must have been alot during the depression. I wish that I found them when my brother was still alive, I think that he would have gotten a kick out them.
I also found baby pictures of my sister, which she was thrilled by.
I also felt that I got to know my mother a little better by going through all this stuff that she had accumulated and kept for some reason (I'm going with the theory that she used this closet for a dumping ground of stuff she didn't know what to do with).
What did I learn about my mother? Well, mostly that she was crazy, which I kind of already knew.
Will I ever finish cleaning the closet? I'm sure that I will eventually when I gather my strength again. And get a shovel!
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Useless info about me
1. What is your full name now? Elizabeth Kerri Mahon
2. What color pants are you wearing? None, I'm wearing a skirt
3. What are you listening to right now? *NSYNC
4. What was the last thing you ate? York Peppermint Patty
5. Do you wish on stars? Yes
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Burnt Sienna
7. How is the weather right now? Hot & HUMID...
8. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? Darlene, my Golden Apple Awards chair
9. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes, absolutely
10. How old are you today? 40
11. Favorite drink? Champagne
12. Favorite sport? Figure Skating>
13. Favorite food? Lobster
14. What was the last movie you saw? PS with Laura Linney and Topher Grace
15. Favorite day of the year? My birthday
16. What was your favorite toy as a child? Teddy Bear
17. Summer or Winter? Autumn
18. Hugs or kisses? Both
19. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate, the darker the better
20. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back. Yes
21. Living arrangements? Co-op
22. When was the last time you cried? Everyday
23. What is under your bed? Dust bunnies
24. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Jenny Hulswit
25. What did you do last night? Had a mani-pedi with a good friend
26. Favorite smell? Lilacs>
27. Favorite TV show? Law & Order, SVU
28. Happy in life? I will be when this sword of damocles isn't hanging over my head
29. What are you afraid of? Never having someone to love again
30. Plain, buttered or salted popcorn? Neither
31. Favorite car? Rolls baby
32 Favorite flower? Lilacs>
33. Number of keys on your key ring? 5
34. How many years at your current job? Currently unemployed
35. Favorite day of the week? Friday
36. What did you do on your last birthday? Flew to London
39. How many cities have you lived in? 3
40. Do you make friends easily? depends
41. How many people will you be sending this to? Anyone who reads this blog!
2. What color pants are you wearing? None, I'm wearing a skirt
3. What are you listening to right now? *NSYNC
4. What was the last thing you ate? York Peppermint Patty
5. Do you wish on stars? Yes
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Burnt Sienna
7. How is the weather right now? Hot & HUMID...
8. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? Darlene, my Golden Apple Awards chair
9. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes, absolutely
10. How old are you today? 40
11. Favorite drink? Champagne
12. Favorite sport? Figure Skating>
13. Favorite food? Lobster
14. What was the last movie you saw? PS with Laura Linney and Topher Grace
15. Favorite day of the year? My birthday
16. What was your favorite toy as a child? Teddy Bear
17. Summer or Winter? Autumn
18. Hugs or kisses? Both
19. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate, the darker the better
20. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back. Yes
21. Living arrangements? Co-op
22. When was the last time you cried? Everyday
23. What is under your bed? Dust bunnies
24. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Jenny Hulswit
25. What did you do last night? Had a mani-pedi with a good friend
26. Favorite smell? Lilacs>
27. Favorite TV show? Law & Order, SVU
28. Happy in life? I will be when this sword of damocles isn't hanging over my head
29. What are you afraid of? Never having someone to love again
30. Plain, buttered or salted popcorn? Neither
31. Favorite car? Rolls baby
32 Favorite flower? Lilacs>
33. Number of keys on your key ring? 5
34. How many years at your current job? Currently unemployed
35. Favorite day of the week? Friday
36. What did you do on your last birthday? Flew to London
39. How many cities have you lived in? 3
40. Do you make friends easily? depends
41. How many people will you be sending this to? Anyone who reads this blog!
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Playing Catch-Up
It seems no matter what I do, I'm playing catch-up. I have so many things going on right now, that it's hard to keep them all straight.
Next week is our annual Wine & Cheese reception, now renamed the Golden Apple Awards, and I'm so excited about the whole thing I can't stand it. Our awards are beautiful, and I have high hopes that the event will come off well. Right now, we're a little low on industry people and attendees, but it all seems to come together two days before the event, when we're scrambling to make badges.
This is the first year that I will be actually hosting the event, although I was the reception chair for four years. I'm also the program chair for our chapter as well as being President, and of course, my thoughts are running to what can I do in 2006 to make our programs so exciting that members will want to come to the meetings! Also, how can I best serve our published authors to get them more involved in the chapter, in between meeting their various deadlines and dealing with their personal lives.
I also have to write my monthly President's letter tonight, and once again I'm at a complete loss as to what I'm going to be writing about. I never know ahead of time, I usually start off on one tangent and then end up on a completely different one. All I know is that it will involve Paranormals in some way since this is our focus for the October Keynotes issue.
I also have to confirm with our October speakers, and then give the go-ahead for our treasurer to order their books for the after program booksigning.
Yikes! Plus I'm working 5 nights a week, and still looking for a day job. Somewhere in their, I need to find the time to do my own writing. And get some sleep.
Next week is our annual Wine & Cheese reception, now renamed the Golden Apple Awards, and I'm so excited about the whole thing I can't stand it. Our awards are beautiful, and I have high hopes that the event will come off well. Right now, we're a little low on industry people and attendees, but it all seems to come together two days before the event, when we're scrambling to make badges.
This is the first year that I will be actually hosting the event, although I was the reception chair for four years. I'm also the program chair for our chapter as well as being President, and of course, my thoughts are running to what can I do in 2006 to make our programs so exciting that members will want to come to the meetings! Also, how can I best serve our published authors to get them more involved in the chapter, in between meeting their various deadlines and dealing with their personal lives.
I also have to write my monthly President's letter tonight, and once again I'm at a complete loss as to what I'm going to be writing about. I never know ahead of time, I usually start off on one tangent and then end up on a completely different one. All I know is that it will involve Paranormals in some way since this is our focus for the October Keynotes issue.
I also have to confirm with our October speakers, and then give the go-ahead for our treasurer to order their books for the after program booksigning.
Yikes! Plus I'm working 5 nights a week, and still looking for a day job. Somewhere in their, I need to find the time to do my own writing. And get some sleep.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
There's always something!
Ever have one of those days where nothing seems to go right? Where you just want to go back to bed and wake up again, kind of like a do-over? Like Groundhog Day but without the pesky replaying of the same day over and over again. That's what my life was like yesterday.
It started off well, the sun was out and then went rapidly down hill, from the lack of working computers at the library to the non-starter of my job last night. Just one mess after another.
First the computers. As you all know, my modem is kaput and I'm too broke to buy a new one, so I've been using the free computers at my local library. I get 45 minutes, and sometimes extra if they aren't busy. Yesterday, out of the 12 computers my library has, 3 were working. Yes, 3. So I have to wait 2 hours to use the computer.
Than I goofed and forgot my appointment at the Department of Labor. If you get unemployment, you are required to go to these information sessions. Well my mine was yesterday, but I mistakenly thought it was Wednesday. Oops! Hopefully, I'll be able to make it up on another day. Keep your fingers crossed.
Not to mention that I also have to call up and let them that I haven't actually gone back to work yet. I need to keep the unemployment active, until I know that this job is going to fly.
Which brings me to last night. I get to work and discover that I get to watch one of my favorite shows, Prison Break. Great right? Well yeah, but there aren't exactly alot of product placements in a show set in prison, so basically I did nothing. No writing. It was fun, and I get paid, but I was looking forward to actually doing something, not just sitting around watching TV.
Hopefully tonight will be different. Of course, now I'm nervous because last night was such a non-starter. I'm hoping that they pair me up again with another writer, to help me out until I get my footing.
I also might be working another job Thursday night, a Lock and Key party as a coordinator which should be really interesting. I had other plans, but I can't turn down $75 when I'm poor!
It started off well, the sun was out and then went rapidly down hill, from the lack of working computers at the library to the non-starter of my job last night. Just one mess after another.
First the computers. As you all know, my modem is kaput and I'm too broke to buy a new one, so I've been using the free computers at my local library. I get 45 minutes, and sometimes extra if they aren't busy. Yesterday, out of the 12 computers my library has, 3 were working. Yes, 3. So I have to wait 2 hours to use the computer.
Than I goofed and forgot my appointment at the Department of Labor. If you get unemployment, you are required to go to these information sessions. Well my mine was yesterday, but I mistakenly thought it was Wednesday. Oops! Hopefully, I'll be able to make it up on another day. Keep your fingers crossed.
Not to mention that I also have to call up and let them that I haven't actually gone back to work yet. I need to keep the unemployment active, until I know that this job is going to fly.
Which brings me to last night. I get to work and discover that I get to watch one of my favorite shows, Prison Break. Great right? Well yeah, but there aren't exactly alot of product placements in a show set in prison, so basically I did nothing. No writing. It was fun, and I get paid, but I was looking forward to actually doing something, not just sitting around watching TV.
Hopefully tonight will be different. Of course, now I'm nervous because last night was such a non-starter. I'm hoping that they pair me up again with another writer, to help me out until I get my footing.
I also might be working another job Thursday night, a Lock and Key party as a coordinator which should be really interesting. I had other plans, but I can't turn down $75 when I'm poor!
Monday, September 12, 2005
Social Butterfly
Well, I had quite the social weekend for a change. I received an invitation to a book party on Friday and I almost didn't go because it was in Brooklyn, which is like going to another state if you live in New York. So instead of getting into my pajamas and watching a movie, I decided to be social and I schlepped on the 2 train to Park Slope and I'm glad I did.
It was a book party for the Latina Karma Sutra written by the sister of one of the members of the New York City chapter of RWA. Dr. Charley Ferrer is the only Latina with a PhD in Human Sexuality and her lecture was fun and informative. She self-published the book because she was told that there was no market for the book but she knew better.
The book is gorgeous with provocative but tasteful pictures. If you easily blush, this book is still for you. Personally, I think you can never have too many sex books! Don't think that just because you aren't Latina, you can't learn anything from this book. It's great for everyone, men, women, etc.
Saturday was our monthly chapter meeting and we had Jill Winters, author of Just Peachy, give a workshop on Killer Queries. It was just what the chapter needed. Queries get your foot in the door. If you can't interest them from your query, they'll never read the book no matter how good it is. That's just the way the market works now. We've also issued the Book in a Month challenge to our members, and we had 7 people who were interested which is great.
I also learned that Marymount Manhattan College is doing a chicklit course for four weeks which I make take as a precursor to starting the challenge.
Afterwards, I had fun shopping for wine with our Golden Apple Awards Chair. We ended up sharing a pitcher of Sangria before I went to work for more training. It's amazing I was able to concentrate.
Sunday was the baby shower, which was lovely. The mama to be had pictures of the future baby framed on all the tables and a fun quiz on how well you knew the happy couple. I thought I should win the award for most creative, since I only knew maybe half the answers. I also met a woman who writes literary fiction. Her book sounded so interesting that I may have to reserve it at the library.
Sunday was also the final night of American Princess. I can't tell you enough how happy I was that Niqui made it to the final two. It was amazing to finally have a black contestant on a reality TV show that wasn't a stark raving bitch! For once, the stark raving bitch was a white chick, Angela S. who tried to hijack the final competition (all the girls came back to determine who would be the final two sort of like Survivor). Most of the girls asked pertinent questions how about the experience and why they should win the competition, but not Angela S. She decided it was time for a little revenge on the women that she felt were determined to get rid of her. Crystal put it correctly when she asked if they were in hell!
I love this show and I'm happy to see that they are doing another series. I'm too old to audition, but I do want to work on it in some capacity even if I have to do it for free, so I'm putting the feelers out and I'm going to try and get a job working on the show. Wish me luck!
It was a book party for the Latina Karma Sutra written by the sister of one of the members of the New York City chapter of RWA. Dr. Charley Ferrer is the only Latina with a PhD in Human Sexuality and her lecture was fun and informative. She self-published the book because she was told that there was no market for the book but she knew better.
The book is gorgeous with provocative but tasteful pictures. If you easily blush, this book is still for you. Personally, I think you can never have too many sex books! Don't think that just because you aren't Latina, you can't learn anything from this book. It's great for everyone, men, women, etc.
Saturday was our monthly chapter meeting and we had Jill Winters, author of Just Peachy, give a workshop on Killer Queries. It was just what the chapter needed. Queries get your foot in the door. If you can't interest them from your query, they'll never read the book no matter how good it is. That's just the way the market works now. We've also issued the Book in a Month challenge to our members, and we had 7 people who were interested which is great.
I also learned that Marymount Manhattan College is doing a chicklit course for four weeks which I make take as a precursor to starting the challenge.
Afterwards, I had fun shopping for wine with our Golden Apple Awards Chair. We ended up sharing a pitcher of Sangria before I went to work for more training. It's amazing I was able to concentrate.
Sunday was the baby shower, which was lovely. The mama to be had pictures of the future baby framed on all the tables and a fun quiz on how well you knew the happy couple. I thought I should win the award for most creative, since I only knew maybe half the answers. I also met a woman who writes literary fiction. Her book sounded so interesting that I may have to reserve it at the library.
Sunday was also the final night of American Princess. I can't tell you enough how happy I was that Niqui made it to the final two. It was amazing to finally have a black contestant on a reality TV show that wasn't a stark raving bitch! For once, the stark raving bitch was a white chick, Angela S. who tried to hijack the final competition (all the girls came back to determine who would be the final two sort of like Survivor). Most of the girls asked pertinent questions how about the experience and why they should win the competition, but not Angela S. She decided it was time for a little revenge on the women that she felt were determined to get rid of her. Crystal put it correctly when she asked if they were in hell!
I love this show and I'm happy to see that they are doing another series. I'm too old to audition, but I do want to work on it in some capacity even if I have to do it for free, so I'm putting the feelers out and I'm going to try and get a job working on the show. Wish me luck!
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Latter Day Pride and Prejudice
Yesterday was my first day in training at my hopefully new job. I can't tell you anymore about it because I signed a confidentiality agreement, which means my lips must be sealed. All I can say is it's a lot harder than it looks to do this job.
After my hard day at work, I decided to relax by watching the Mormon version of Pride and Prejudice (yes, there is a Mormon version, who knew?). What I mean by that is, the filmmakers are Mormons, and the movie was set in Utah, and what clearly appears to be Brigham Young University and nobody drinks in the movie, or has coffee unless it's decaffinated.
In this version of Jane Austen's classic tale, Elizabeth is an aspiring novelist who clearly has no idea how to properly format a manuscript, Jane is a foreign exchange student from South America, Kitty, Lydia and Mary are also students but not related to Elizabeth or Jane. They all live in a big house on campus owned by Lydia's family. Bingley is some kind of entrepeneur who sells classic music for canines CD's on television, and Darcey (who is still English) turns out to be a big time publisher. Collins doesn't end up with Charlotte Lucas, who in this version is played by Carmen Rasmussen from American Idol. Instead he ends up with Mary. The big misunderstanding with Bingley comes about because he sees Collins proposing to Jane, and mistakenly believes that they are engaged (?).
This movie wasn't bad, but it didn't have the sparkle, with or ingenuity of the other Austen adapations, Clueless or Bridget Jone's Diary. I couldn't figure out if Elizabeth was a undergrad or a graduate student, it's not really clear. She also has no desire to get married. She meets Darcy in a book store where the first misunderstanding occurs when she's slightly rude to him, and he's rude back. Because none of the women are related, they're just roommates, it lacks the tension of the book. It might have worked better if they had all been sorority sisters.
Also, Wickham in this version, isn't particularly venal, he's just a bigamist. And the actor playing Darcy was completely miscast. He started out well but then became completely goofy over Elizabeth. The great thing about Colin Firth was that he maintained Darcy's dignity even in the most ridiculous situations in Bridget Jones. The movie might have worked better if Darcy had been a visiting English professor who looked down on American English students, and he had to be Elizabeth's advisor or something.
There were some funny scenes of Elizabeth and Jane, depressed over their sorry love life, wandering the supermarket in their pajamas buying ice cream, and an incredibly convenient scene where Elizabeth falls asleep on a mountain and wakes up when it's dark and rainy. She conveniently stumbles upon a cabin owned by Darcy, where he and his sister are holed up for the weekend. It just didn't make sense.
I still haven't seen the Bollywood Bride and Prejudice, but I plan on renting it soon. I loved Bend it like Beckham, so I'm hoping that this movie is just as good.
After my hard day at work, I decided to relax by watching the Mormon version of Pride and Prejudice (yes, there is a Mormon version, who knew?). What I mean by that is, the filmmakers are Mormons, and the movie was set in Utah, and what clearly appears to be Brigham Young University and nobody drinks in the movie, or has coffee unless it's decaffinated.
In this version of Jane Austen's classic tale, Elizabeth is an aspiring novelist who clearly has no idea how to properly format a manuscript, Jane is a foreign exchange student from South America, Kitty, Lydia and Mary are also students but not related to Elizabeth or Jane. They all live in a big house on campus owned by Lydia's family. Bingley is some kind of entrepeneur who sells classic music for canines CD's on television, and Darcey (who is still English) turns out to be a big time publisher. Collins doesn't end up with Charlotte Lucas, who in this version is played by Carmen Rasmussen from American Idol. Instead he ends up with Mary. The big misunderstanding with Bingley comes about because he sees Collins proposing to Jane, and mistakenly believes that they are engaged (?).
This movie wasn't bad, but it didn't have the sparkle, with or ingenuity of the other Austen adapations, Clueless or Bridget Jone's Diary. I couldn't figure out if Elizabeth was a undergrad or a graduate student, it's not really clear. She also has no desire to get married. She meets Darcy in a book store where the first misunderstanding occurs when she's slightly rude to him, and he's rude back. Because none of the women are related, they're just roommates, it lacks the tension of the book. It might have worked better if they had all been sorority sisters.
Also, Wickham in this version, isn't particularly venal, he's just a bigamist. And the actor playing Darcy was completely miscast. He started out well but then became completely goofy over Elizabeth. The great thing about Colin Firth was that he maintained Darcy's dignity even in the most ridiculous situations in Bridget Jones. The movie might have worked better if Darcy had been a visiting English professor who looked down on American English students, and he had to be Elizabeth's advisor or something.
There were some funny scenes of Elizabeth and Jane, depressed over their sorry love life, wandering the supermarket in their pajamas buying ice cream, and an incredibly convenient scene where Elizabeth falls asleep on a mountain and wakes up when it's dark and rainy. She conveniently stumbles upon a cabin owned by Darcy, where he and his sister are holed up for the weekend. It just didn't make sense.
I still haven't seen the Bollywood Bride and Prejudice, but I plan on renting it soon. I loved Bend it like Beckham, so I'm hoping that this movie is just as good.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Las Vegas vs. Miami
My birthday is in less than two months, so I'm trying to decide what I want to do this year. Normally for my birthday I invite people out for drinks at some trendy restaurant or bar. Last year it was Flute, a champagne bar, and then on my actual birthday which was Election Day, I flew to London and officially celebrated the big one with my London friends. Jerry Springer, the Opera and dinner at the Wolsley. Probably one of the best birthdays I've ever spent, plus it was the 20th anniversary of my friendship with my friend Patrick.
This year, I'm thinking of getting the hell out of dodge and taking the act on the road. Right now the top two choices are Miami vs. Las Vegas, two places that I have never been but have always wanted to go. Sin City vs. gorgeous Art Deco Hotels, and a sandy beach. Both adult playgrounds.
It's a tough call. Of course, it's all in the name of research. There is a scene in Nearly Famous thats set in Las Vegas, so really I'd just be checking to make sure all my details are correct, as well as having fun. And Miami, well there are all kinds of stories that could come out of my trip to Miami, so really both trips would be a tax write-of as well as a birthday celebration.
Of course, I'd have to see which ones of my intrepid girlfriends are up to the task of going on a road trip with me to celebrate my birthday. I know that my BFF would be happy to go to either place.
I figure that we should be able to get a good deal on a hotel room since the trip would be in the middle of the week, and there are certainly a lot of flights from Newark to both places. And both cities have a Joe's Stone Crab House. Frankly, I'm leaning more toward Las Vegas. Ex sweetie pie could drive up from LA to party with us, and maybe I can convince some LA chicks to join in on the fun. I'm dying to stay at the Bellagio, but I'd settle for the Hard Rock or the Palms.
Granted, this trip all depends on whether or not i have the benjamins to spend. I may end up having to go to Mohegan Sun for my birthday. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it ain't Vegas.
This year, I'm thinking of getting the hell out of dodge and taking the act on the road. Right now the top two choices are Miami vs. Las Vegas, two places that I have never been but have always wanted to go. Sin City vs. gorgeous Art Deco Hotels, and a sandy beach. Both adult playgrounds.
It's a tough call. Of course, it's all in the name of research. There is a scene in Nearly Famous thats set in Las Vegas, so really I'd just be checking to make sure all my details are correct, as well as having fun. And Miami, well there are all kinds of stories that could come out of my trip to Miami, so really both trips would be a tax write-of as well as a birthday celebration.
Of course, I'd have to see which ones of my intrepid girlfriends are up to the task of going on a road trip with me to celebrate my birthday. I know that my BFF would be happy to go to either place.
I figure that we should be able to get a good deal on a hotel room since the trip would be in the middle of the week, and there are certainly a lot of flights from Newark to both places. And both cities have a Joe's Stone Crab House. Frankly, I'm leaning more toward Las Vegas. Ex sweetie pie could drive up from LA to party with us, and maybe I can convince some LA chicks to join in on the fun. I'm dying to stay at the Bellagio, but I'd settle for the Hard Rock or the Palms.
Granted, this trip all depends on whether or not i have the benjamins to spend. I may end up having to go to Mohegan Sun for my birthday. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it ain't Vegas.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Another Tuesday Morning
Good morning everyone! I've had my coffee and am in a reasonable mood today, although I have an appointment with my lawyer this afternoon, which involves some check writing, which is never a good thing. On the bright side, I have a baby shower to go to this weekend, which should be fun. A friend of mine in my RWA chapter is expecting her first baby next month, and her shower is on Sunday. I plan on running out and buying goodies for the Mommy to be. I figure all her other friends will be giving her mondo gifts for the baby, but no many people think to give the new Mommy anything, so I'm hoping to find all sorts of goodies for her to let her know that she's more than just a womb.
Our next chapter meeting is on Saturday, and I'm excited that we have Jill Winters author of Just Peachy giving a workshop on query letters. After writing a synopsis, the only thing worse is writing a query. Writing the damn book is easier.
As I mentioned, I'm actually feeling perky enough to do some work on my manuscript Nearly Famous. I've cut another 30 pages from the manuscript. It's still coming in a little long, but not as long as it once was. I'm putting a scene back in, and writing a new one, and then it's just tidying up some of the scenes that make no sense, and have no context and then it's off to the agent.
My training for my new job starts tomorrow. I actually get paid for the training, even if I don't make it past the training period which is nice. I just received an email with a 26 page manual, and two other inserts that I need to read, plus I have to take a sexual harassment test on on-line tomorrow. Since my job consists of watching TV for 4 or 5 hours, I don't know when I would have time to sexually harass someone or when someone would have time to harass me but it's required by law.
I'm picking up a copy of First Draft in 30 days, a book that was recommended in the new RWR to read before I finish the first Draft of my next project. I'd rather pick up something fun to read like the new Julia Quinn, but my pleasure reading has to take a back seat right now to the writing thing.
Watched the 3rd episode last night of Prison Break. It's a great show if you don't think too hard about the premise. I've also become addicted to this Australian show called McLeoud's daughter's on the WE channel. I think it's because I find Australian men extremely alpha and sexy which is very retro of me. Hmm! this bears analysis!
Our next chapter meeting is on Saturday, and I'm excited that we have Jill Winters author of Just Peachy giving a workshop on query letters. After writing a synopsis, the only thing worse is writing a query. Writing the damn book is easier.
As I mentioned, I'm actually feeling perky enough to do some work on my manuscript Nearly Famous. I've cut another 30 pages from the manuscript. It's still coming in a little long, but not as long as it once was. I'm putting a scene back in, and writing a new one, and then it's just tidying up some of the scenes that make no sense, and have no context and then it's off to the agent.
My training for my new job starts tomorrow. I actually get paid for the training, even if I don't make it past the training period which is nice. I just received an email with a 26 page manual, and two other inserts that I need to read, plus I have to take a sexual harassment test on on-line tomorrow. Since my job consists of watching TV for 4 or 5 hours, I don't know when I would have time to sexually harass someone or when someone would have time to harass me but it's required by law.
I'm picking up a copy of First Draft in 30 days, a book that was recommended in the new RWR to read before I finish the first Draft of my next project. I'd rather pick up something fun to read like the new Julia Quinn, but my pleasure reading has to take a back seat right now to the writing thing.
Watched the 3rd episode last night of Prison Break. It's a great show if you don't think too hard about the premise. I've also become addicted to this Australian show called McLeoud's daughter's on the WE channel. I think it's because I find Australian men extremely alpha and sexy which is very retro of me. Hmm! this bears analysis!
Monday, September 05, 2005
How to help: Hurricane Katrina
American Red Cross
PO Box 37243Washington, DC 20013
(800) HELP-NOW
www.redcross.org
Adventist Community Services
1-800-381-7171
www.adventist.communityservices.org
America's Second Harvest
35 E. Wacker Dr., Ste. 2000
Chicago, IL 60601(800) 771-2303
www.secondharvest.org
AmeriCares
88 Hamilton Ave.
Stamford, CT 06902
(800) 486-HELP
www.americares.org
The Baton Rouge Area Foundation
402 N. Fourth Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
(877) 387-6126
www.braf.org
B'nai B'rith Disaster Relief Fund
2020 K St., NW, 7th Floor
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 857-6600
www.bnaibrith.org
Catholic CharitiesCatholic Charities USA
PO Box 25168
Alexandria, VA 22313-9788
(800) 919-9338
www.catholiccharitiesusa.org
Christian Disaster Response
941-956-5183 or 941-551-9554
www.cdresponse.org
Christian Reformed World Relief Committee
1-800-848-5818
www.crwrc.org
Church World Service
1-800-297-1516
www.churchworldservice.org
Convoy of Hope
330 S. Patterson Ave.
Springfield, MO 65802
(417) 823-8998
www.convoyofhope.org
Corporation for National and Community Service Disaster Relief Fund
(202) 606-6718
www.nationalservice.gov/about/donations/index.asp
Disaster Psychiatry Outreach
1-212-598-9995
www.disasterpsych.org/default.aspx
Episcopal Relief and Development
815 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10017
(800) 334-7626
www.er-d.org
Feed the Children1-800-525-7575
www.feedthechildren.org
Gifts In Kind International
333 North Fairfax Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 836-2121
www.giftsinkind.org
Habitat for Humanity International
121 Habitat St
Americus, GA 31709
(229) 924-6935
www.habitat.org
Humane Society of the United States
HSUS Disaster Relief Fund
HSUSDept. DRFHBM
2100 L Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
(888) 259-5431
www.la-spca.org
ICNA Relief
166-26, 89th. Avenue
Jamaica, NY 11432
(718) 658-7028
www.icnarelief.org
Islamic ReliefP.O.
Box 6098Burbank, CA
91510(888) 479-4968
www.irw.org/donate/
Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundationc/o Division of Administration
1201 North Third Street, Suite
7-240P.O. Box 94095Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9095
www.katrina.louisiana.gov
Lutheran Disaster Response
800-638-3522
www.lwr.org
Mennonite Disaster Service
717-859-2210
www.mds.mennonite.net
Mercy Corps
Dept. WP.O. Box 2669
Portland, OR 97208-2669
(888) 256-1900
www.mercycorps.org
National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
P.O. Box 151973
Alexandria, VA 22315
(703) 339-5596
www.nvoad.org
PO Box 37243Washington, DC 20013
(800) HELP-NOW
www.redcross.org
Adventist Community Services
1-800-381-7171
www.adventist.communityservices.org
America's Second Harvest
35 E. Wacker Dr., Ste. 2000
Chicago, IL 60601(800) 771-2303
www.secondharvest.org
AmeriCares
88 Hamilton Ave.
Stamford, CT 06902
(800) 486-HELP
www.americares.org
The Baton Rouge Area Foundation
402 N. Fourth Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
(877) 387-6126
www.braf.org
B'nai B'rith Disaster Relief Fund
2020 K St., NW, 7th Floor
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 857-6600
www.bnaibrith.org
Catholic CharitiesCatholic Charities USA
PO Box 25168
Alexandria, VA 22313-9788
(800) 919-9338
www.catholiccharitiesusa.org
Christian Disaster Response
941-956-5183 or 941-551-9554
www.cdresponse.org
Christian Reformed World Relief Committee
1-800-848-5818
www.crwrc.org
Church World Service
1-800-297-1516
www.churchworldservice.org
Convoy of Hope
330 S. Patterson Ave.
Springfield, MO 65802
(417) 823-8998
www.convoyofhope.org
Corporation for National and Community Service Disaster Relief Fund
(202) 606-6718
www.nationalservice.gov/about/donations/index.asp
Disaster Psychiatry Outreach
1-212-598-9995
www.disasterpsych.org/default.aspx
Episcopal Relief and Development
815 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10017
(800) 334-7626
www.er-d.org
Feed the Children1-800-525-7575
www.feedthechildren.org
Gifts In Kind International
333 North Fairfax Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 836-2121
www.giftsinkind.org
Habitat for Humanity International
121 Habitat St
Americus, GA 31709
(229) 924-6935
www.habitat.org
Humane Society of the United States
HSUS Disaster Relief Fund
HSUSDept. DRFHBM
2100 L Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
(888) 259-5431
www.la-spca.org
ICNA Relief
166-26, 89th. Avenue
Jamaica, NY 11432
(718) 658-7028
www.icnarelief.org
Islamic ReliefP.O.
Box 6098Burbank, CA
91510(888) 479-4968
www.irw.org/donate/
Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundationc/o Division of Administration
1201 North Third Street, Suite
7-240P.O. Box 94095Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9095
www.katrina.louisiana.gov
Lutheran Disaster Response
800-638-3522
www.lwr.org
Mennonite Disaster Service
717-859-2210
www.mds.mennonite.net
Mercy Corps
Dept. WP.O. Box 2669
Portland, OR 97208-2669
(888) 256-1900
www.mercycorps.org
National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
P.O. Box 151973
Alexandria, VA 22315
(703) 339-5596
www.nvoad.org
Laboring on Labor Day
Hey! I'm actually writing this on a computer at an Internet Cafe in Times Square. $5 for 4 hours of internet use, not bad.
First, I want to wish my sister a Happy Birthday today! I won't tell you how old she is, she'd kill me, but we both celebrated significant birthdays last year.
I still haven't heard from my friend, but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that she's safe.
I have to just say how amazed I am by the way people have stepped up in the wake of the Katrina disaster, considering how ineffective the Federal government has been to respond. I don't just mean the celebrities like Harry Connick jr, Wynton Marsalis, Tim McGraw, and Ellen Degeneres, but I'm talking about ordinary people, who have taken the time to raise money and to get supplies to those affected by the disaster.
I was watching Ellen this morning, and she told a story about an ordinary guy who managed to find a truck and gather supplies, and then drove to Memphis, and then managed to get the supplies to New Orleans. The Romance community has been out in full force to raise money for those of in the community who have been hit by Hurricane Katrina. It just goes to show you that people can make a difference.
Meanwhile George Bush is wandering around looking like an idiot, spouting meaningless platitudes, and threatening to jail the people who have been looting to survive. I just don't think that he really gets it. When Kanye West said on NBC that Bush doesn't care about black people, I think the correct answer is that Bush doesn't really care about anyone who can't contribute to the republican party. He's a privileged white boy who has been shielded all his life from the harsh realities of life. His daddy and his daddy's friends constantly rescued him from every disaster, so that he came out smelling like a rose.
Now, Chief Justice Rehnquist has passed away, leaving two spots on the Supreme Court, and I'm a little frightened as to who else Bush is going to nominate for the other spot. He already wants Roberts to be Chief Justice.
On a lighter note, I've actually spent the weekend re-reading my manuscript. I have alot of work to do on it, but at least I have some idea of how I want it to end now. I'm going back to my original plan for the ending, and cutting a scene that now seems a bit cliched. Now I know why it never worked. I still need at least two more good scenes for the book, so I'm going to be brainstorming those scenes this week.
I'm having a bit of a dry spell in terms of reading. Apart from Alison Kent's latest Blaze, nothing is really grabbing my attention right now, so I'm re-reading an old book on the mystery of who murdered director William Desmond Taylor in 1922, a mystery that was never solved. Giving me some interesting ideas for the paranormal that I want to work on.
I also watched several movies this weekend, including Ali, The Woods, and the Upside of Anger with Kevin Costner and Joan Allen. I have to say that I didn't particularly like Ali, I thought Will Smith was out of his league playing Muhammed Ali. I was so bored that I didn't even finish watching the movie.
The Woods, I figured out what was going within the first ten minutes of the movie. No surprises there. I still like M. Night Schmalayan, but he needs some new tricks. Upside of Anger, I really liked, and I'm hoping that both Joan Allen and Kevin Costner have their work recognized at Oscar time, and I never thought I would say that about Kevin Costner.
First, I want to wish my sister a Happy Birthday today! I won't tell you how old she is, she'd kill me, but we both celebrated significant birthdays last year.
I still haven't heard from my friend, but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that she's safe.
I have to just say how amazed I am by the way people have stepped up in the wake of the Katrina disaster, considering how ineffective the Federal government has been to respond. I don't just mean the celebrities like Harry Connick jr, Wynton Marsalis, Tim McGraw, and Ellen Degeneres, but I'm talking about ordinary people, who have taken the time to raise money and to get supplies to those affected by the disaster.
I was watching Ellen this morning, and she told a story about an ordinary guy who managed to find a truck and gather supplies, and then drove to Memphis, and then managed to get the supplies to New Orleans. The Romance community has been out in full force to raise money for those of in the community who have been hit by Hurricane Katrina. It just goes to show you that people can make a difference.
Meanwhile George Bush is wandering around looking like an idiot, spouting meaningless platitudes, and threatening to jail the people who have been looting to survive. I just don't think that he really gets it. When Kanye West said on NBC that Bush doesn't care about black people, I think the correct answer is that Bush doesn't really care about anyone who can't contribute to the republican party. He's a privileged white boy who has been shielded all his life from the harsh realities of life. His daddy and his daddy's friends constantly rescued him from every disaster, so that he came out smelling like a rose.
Now, Chief Justice Rehnquist has passed away, leaving two spots on the Supreme Court, and I'm a little frightened as to who else Bush is going to nominate for the other spot. He already wants Roberts to be Chief Justice.
On a lighter note, I've actually spent the weekend re-reading my manuscript. I have alot of work to do on it, but at least I have some idea of how I want it to end now. I'm going back to my original plan for the ending, and cutting a scene that now seems a bit cliched. Now I know why it never worked. I still need at least two more good scenes for the book, so I'm going to be brainstorming those scenes this week.
I'm having a bit of a dry spell in terms of reading. Apart from Alison Kent's latest Blaze, nothing is really grabbing my attention right now, so I'm re-reading an old book on the mystery of who murdered director William Desmond Taylor in 1922, a mystery that was never solved. Giving me some interesting ideas for the paranormal that I want to work on.
I also watched several movies this weekend, including Ali, The Woods, and the Upside of Anger with Kevin Costner and Joan Allen. I have to say that I didn't particularly like Ali, I thought Will Smith was out of his league playing Muhammed Ali. I was so bored that I didn't even finish watching the movie.
The Woods, I figured out what was going within the first ten minutes of the movie. No surprises there. I still like M. Night Schmalayan, but he needs some new tricks. Upside of Anger, I really liked, and I'm hoping that both Joan Allen and Kevin Costner have their work recognized at Oscar time, and I never thought I would say that about Kevin Costner.
Friday, September 02, 2005
Another Nail for My Heart
This week has been extremely up and down. I've gone on four job interviews, haven't heard from my friend about my apology and another friend is lost due to Hurricane Katrina. When I say lost, I mean I'm unable to contact her because of the power lines being down. She lives in Mobile, and I know that her cousin lives in New Orleans, so I'm sure that she's worried about him, whether or not he was able to be evacuated. So right now, I'm just playing a waiting game, hoping that she's not clinging to the roof of her house somewhere with her boyfriend, that's she's safe and sound.
We've all seen the pictures on TV of New Orleans underwater, and the devastation in Mississippi. All the TV networks are planning a telethon tonight, and you can make donations to the American Red Cross for the victims. Even George Bush cut his vacation short to head out the affected areas.
Also, this week I received a 'Dear Author' letter from an agent. Only this one was a little different. This letter actually apologized for the fact that it was a dear author letter, which didn't help. It's not that hard to do a merge document so that authors would at least get a letter with their name included. When I worked at American Express for their foundation we received upwards of 100 grant applications a week, and we always sent out letters that were generic refusals but at least we personalized them with their name.
I could have a second career training agency assistants or interns how to use Word for merge documents.
On a lighter note, I've been offered a job writing. Yes, writing. Granted it's writing questions for a market research group, but nevertheless a writing job it is. The only problem is that it's nights and weekends, which means that I would also need a part-time job at least two or three days a week during the day, to make enough money to live. So that's my plan right now, finding an arts organization or museum that needs part-time help.
Have a great labor day weekend! I plan on actually working on my revisions (Surprise, Surprise) and catching up on all the blockbusters that I'm too cheap to pay money to see.
We've all seen the pictures on TV of New Orleans underwater, and the devastation in Mississippi. All the TV networks are planning a telethon tonight, and you can make donations to the American Red Cross for the victims. Even George Bush cut his vacation short to head out the affected areas.
Also, this week I received a 'Dear Author' letter from an agent. Only this one was a little different. This letter actually apologized for the fact that it was a dear author letter, which didn't help. It's not that hard to do a merge document so that authors would at least get a letter with their name included. When I worked at American Express for their foundation we received upwards of 100 grant applications a week, and we always sent out letters that were generic refusals but at least we personalized them with their name.
I could have a second career training agency assistants or interns how to use Word for merge documents.
On a lighter note, I've been offered a job writing. Yes, writing. Granted it's writing questions for a market research group, but nevertheless a writing job it is. The only problem is that it's nights and weekends, which means that I would also need a part-time job at least two or three days a week during the day, to make enough money to live. So that's my plan right now, finding an arts organization or museum that needs part-time help.
Have a great labor day weekend! I plan on actually working on my revisions (Surprise, Surprise) and catching up on all the blockbusters that I'm too cheap to pay money to see.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Ten Little Known Facts about New York
I've lived in New York City my entire life apart from the 2 1/2 years I spent freezing my behind off in Syracuse, and the extended periods of time that I've spent in the city of my dreams, London. So I was interested when I came across this book in the library, Strange but True, New York City. There was stuff in this book that even I didn't know. This book was so interesting, I plan on buying a copy to stuff in our basket for National next year. So with that in mind, here are Ten little known facts about New York that I recently learned.
1. Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn was built in 1787 making it the second oldest public school in the country.
2. The term 'Big Apple' was first used by author Edward S. Martin in his 1909 book, The Wayfarer in New York, to reflect the sentiment that the city received more than a fair share of the nation's wealth.
3. The world's largest gothic cathedral is the Cathedral of St. John the Divine (I had my high school graduation at the Cathedral).
4. New York has the highest concentration of peregrine falcons in the world.
5. There is a whispering gallery in the Oyster Bar in Grand Central station. You can stand at one end and people can hear you whisper at the other end.
6. Nathan Hale was executed by the British not only for being a spy but also for attempting to burn down New York City.
7. Robert Johnson, a Brooklyn pharmacist, invented the Band-Aid
8. Bellevue Hospital, established in 1734, is the oldest established general hospital in the country. It was the first to offer a hospital based ambulance service, and the first to establish a nursing school.
9. The surface temperature of an average New York City street during a hot summer day is 150 degrees Fahrenheit. An egg begins to cook at 145 degrees Fahrenheit making the expression 'hot enough to cook an egg' a reality.
10. Manhattan has the highest population density in North America but anyone who has been to New York could probably figure that out.
1. Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn was built in 1787 making it the second oldest public school in the country.
2. The term 'Big Apple' was first used by author Edward S. Martin in his 1909 book, The Wayfarer in New York, to reflect the sentiment that the city received more than a fair share of the nation's wealth.
3. The world's largest gothic cathedral is the Cathedral of St. John the Divine (I had my high school graduation at the Cathedral).
4. New York has the highest concentration of peregrine falcons in the world.
5. There is a whispering gallery in the Oyster Bar in Grand Central station. You can stand at one end and people can hear you whisper at the other end.
6. Nathan Hale was executed by the British not only for being a spy but also for attempting to burn down New York City.
7. Robert Johnson, a Brooklyn pharmacist, invented the Band-Aid
8. Bellevue Hospital, established in 1734, is the oldest established general hospital in the country. It was the first to offer a hospital based ambulance service, and the first to establish a nursing school.
9. The surface temperature of an average New York City street during a hot summer day is 150 degrees Fahrenheit. An egg begins to cook at 145 degrees Fahrenheit making the expression 'hot enough to cook an egg' a reality.
10. Manhattan has the highest population density in North America but anyone who has been to New York could probably figure that out.
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