From Phillip Andrews (Urgent Reply)

I'm going to be having some fun with scammers. This piece showed up in my spam box about an hour ago. I also had the same message on 3-21, but didn't notice it as I don't check my spam box every day. There are a plethora of sites that play around with scammers. I decided to do the same. I'll post the dialogue as it occurs. Here's an excerpt of the first standard message:

Hello, Greetings to you my dear friend,It is obvious that this proposal will come to you as a suprise.Its because we have not met before, but I am sending you this email in regards of the fund transfer opportunity that will be of mutual benefit to the two of us. I am Barrister Phillip Andrews,the personal Attorney to the late Senator Paul lane Wellstone, a Citizen of the United states. On the 25th of October 2002, my client,his wife and their three children were involved in a fatal Plane Crash on their way home. Unfortunately they all lost their lives including other people in the Plane.Since then I have made several enquiries to several Embassies to locate any of my clients extended relatives, this has also proved unsuccessful. After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to trace and locate any member of his family but of no avail,hence I contacted you.

Because, afterall a random stranger is better than anyone else when trying to misappropriate funds. The plane crash really did happen, but in Northern Minnesota during his campaigning. My response:

Mr. Andrews, Gosh, was I ever surprised to receive your email. I was in my junior year of high school when that crash happened. Imagine, an important senator like that having no will or any way to take care of his wealth when it happened. Course, he probably didn't expect it, him being so young and all. I'd be glad to help. Let me know what I can do. Stacie

Let the games begin!

New Facts to Titalate and Amuse Your Friends

Gullible provides opening lines for every ackward situation that one may encounter. Heck, if nothing else, it should prove that anyone can put anything on the internet and call it a fact.

Teaching my Brain new Tricks

School was a long time ago, folks. Most of what I learned there would have been helpful had I stayed on the original career path. But since I took a major turn in life, I find that I need to teach myself how to do things that I should have known how to do years ago. Like HTML coding. Like how CSS works with HTML. But most importantly, how to trackback. Trackbacking is everywhere. I love the idea of reading other people's thoughts on a post that I've enjoyed. Often, I'll even post about and think, now my blog will be registered with the trackback. Alas, it is not so. First, I had to have trackback on my own blog. Hence, the change to Halcon comments. With Haloscan, I was trackback-enabled. (Yes, I'm making up words again. Deal.) My first post to trackback! But wait, somethings wrong. It's not working. Work calls, kids calls, marriage calls. Everything is left on the to-do pile. Several weeks pass and I figure I should tackle the problem again. I check out some helpful sites, mainly this one from TypePad. Very helpful, but I use Blogger cos it's free. Haloscan has a tutorial that I quickly find, now that I understand the theory of how trackbacks work. But wait - Blogger isn't automated. I have to do a manual trackback??? WHAT THE?? Okay, I can cope. After all, if I ping them, they might see me, more readers, wider audiences, etc. etc. All the things I want, but am not getting. So, I taught myself how do to this. I can't wait until Blogger makes it automatic.

The Blind Fragging the Blind

Okay, I have to admit that the title caught my eye and I had no idea what it said. Now I know how my five year old feels when I use words he doesn't understand (Pick - up - your - toys.) In reality, the article is about gamers who are blind. Personally, I never thought about it, but there's a growing number of them available for the blind.

"My dad had taken me as a young person to arcades and he would tell me what to do, and what was going on," said Feir, founder of Audyssey Gaming Magazine, an online quarterly for blind gamers. "I always thought that I could play myself if they were sound-based games." Now the games exist -- lots of them. Audio games represent almost every gaming genre, from multiplayer role-playing games to action-adventure titles, driving games, science fiction thrillers and puzzle games.

Totally awesome. I personally like RPG (role playing games.) But I couldn't imagine trying to find hidden items when I can't even tell what I'm looking for. But then too, I don't spend my days in the dark either. Brainstorm -- what an awesome way to explain to a sighted person how a blind person spends their day. I'm going to have to check into this further.

I think I'd like to...

...read the next Harry Potter book in one sitting. "Boss, I'm sick. I have Potter-itis. The only cure is to read."

Best Website in Oshkosh Contest

I've been nominated for Best Website in Oshkosh Contest held by the Oshkosh Public Library. I found out about it by checking my referrer logs. I wonder how the nominees for Academy awards find out. By reading the tabloids, perhaps? The listing of the my competition is cool. I didn't realize that so many sites were to be found in the area. Good luck, everyone!

I think I'd like to...

...hand a "Shut-up" card to anyone having an extremely personal phone conversation in an extremely public area.

I think I'd like to...

...give my screaming kid to the person who decided that the twist off top was not enough security for the gallon of milk and had to put an impossible to remove foil seal on the jug as well.

I think I'd like to...

...work in a porn shop. Then I could tell people "Have a good time" and know that they most likely will.

News about .Net

On Daily Dose of Excel a petition is being circulated about Microsoft's decision to not back support VB6 in .Net. As a consequence, any code written in VB6 or earlier would be extinct. Quite the scary thought for anyone who has any sort of customizing in VB6. From what I understand, the change to .Net serves only Microsoft's purpose. By not supporting the VB6 community, they are forcing a new product upon its users for the sole purpose of profit. The corporate greed of Microsoft is really pissing me off. How much money is enough?

Terms of wealth

I'm the 218,347,827 richest person on earth! Discover how rich you are! >>

It's all a matter of perspective, I guess. But it still doesn't get all of the bills paid. How rich are you?

Challenging the Church, Part 3

The last section of the book is a series of essays, interviews and "proof" of why The Da Vinci Code is false. I enjoyed the book up to this point. At the beginning it seemed like an unbiased review, a "hey, let our reader decide based on the evidence presented" sort of thing. In actuallity, the build up was to make their reader not believe a thing Dan Brown wrote. They even went so far as to outline, page by page, various geographical errors, timing errors and borrowed plot elements. All well and good, I guess, if you want to show that he could not possibly be right about the big conspiracy, if the author made mistakes about such little things. I still think it is a good novel and fun to read. It prompts people to think about what they really think regarding their faith and morals. It promotes intriguing discussions. But when it comes right down to it, it is a novel. No matter what sort of disclaimers are put in front of it.

New Potter Cover

The cover for Harry Potter's next adventure has been released. MSNBC interviewed Mary GrandPre about her efforts and artwork. Take a look and see what you think! Mugglenet also has some hints and spoilers about the new book, if you are interested. I won't post them here, just in case you don't want to know.

Luxuries you can live without -- and should

Luxuries you can live without -- and should This is the very message that I love to see and hear. I just hope that it spread wide and far.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it wasn't that long ago when the mere concept of Williams-Sonoma (or Restoration Hardware, Crate & Barrel, et. al.) would have struck most folks as . . . nutty. Oh sure, I'll pay a premium price to buy upscale versions of ordinary stuff -- replacing functional things I already own -- because my lifestyle must reek of affluence! Thirty years ago, people would have scoffed at such vanity. Today, inundated by high-end specialty stores in every corner of the retail market, more and more Americans are succumbing to the siren song of these so-called affordable luxuries. And at what cost?

All too often people forget to take a step back and think, Do I need this? Or am I pretentious?

Up-Coming Must Reads

Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer will be released in April 2005. Eoin's main character is Artemis Fowl, who begins his criminal career at the age of 10. This is the fourth installment in the series. I have the first three and love them. The Eldest by Christopher Paolini. Christopher began his career as a self-published author who broke through with persistence and detemination. He is also in his early twenties. His writes carefully, building naturally until each and every new event seems natural and flawless. Perfect for the fantasy genre. The Eldest will be available in August 2005.

Challenging the Church, Part 2

I'm about half way through Dan Burstein's Secrets of the Code. In my prior post I didn't have much of an opinioin yet. I'm here today to give what I have formulate thus far. The format of the book is excerpts of various scholars own works and interviews in support of various questions that the author detailed in his introduction. The answers range from the orthodox, or traditional, views to the gnostic, or heretical, views. I'm impressed with the balanced arguements. Each side is given their voice, leaving the reader to formulate his own opinion. The excerpts overlap and answer points or arguments that another may raise. While I can see where the gnostics have formed their opinions, theories, arguments. I just don't believe it. Is it because of my own background? Can I remove the filters that I have been trained to look through and evaluate their information in an unbiased manner? I believe so. My problem with their arguments lies with the whole. The point of the Bible is to show man how to get to heaven. The paths that the Gnostics follow do not do this. When they are taken as a whole, contradictions appear and no over-all message appears. Orthodox thought does this. I like some of the teachings that are found in the Nag Hammadi texts, but again, it's personal preference. It doesn't add to the over-all orthodox message. In some cases, there is an outright contradiction. Doesn't change the fact that I like it. My liking doesn't make it right either. I believe that what The Da Vinci Code does best is raise questions and cause people to think. Mr. Burnstein found that supplemental books sales have risen since The Da Vinci Code was published. (By supplemental books, he means books like his own or the Bible.) The mysteries are worth-while to look into. Don't take Dan Brown's word as truth. Additional Interesting links Dan Brown's website has a variety of supporting documentation, all from his point of view. Free. The Secret of the Code website is a paid site. For a mere, $19.95 you can explore what Mr. Burnstein has to say, receive articles and essays via email, plus a variety of other things. Personally, $19.95 for three months is steep for me, but everyone needs to make money somehow. I have to wonder at how many subscribers Dan Burnstein has collected when Dan Brown's site is free.

Challenging the Church

When Dan Brown wrote The DaVinci Code he revived many arguments and theories surrounding the church and its traditional teachings. I hail from a strong Protestant upbringing, following the teachings of Luther as closely as possible in today's world. Naturally the questions he raised interested me. During a quick foray into the local library, I found a book entitled Secrets of the Code: The Unauthorized Guide to the Mysteries Behind the DaVinci Code by Dan Burstein. Mr. Burstein takes the stand of

...I feel I owe my readers at least an executive summary of the case I think the materials in this book present in aggregate. My personal conclusion is that the novel is a fascinating, well-crafted work of fiction that is finormed throughout by interesting bits of little-known facts and stimulating, but highly speculative though provocations. It is most valuagle when read as a book of ideas and metaphors - a notebook, Leonardo style, that helps the reader think through his or her own philosophy, cosmology, religious beliefs, or critiques

Personally, my opinion is still forming as I have not yet completed the book, but only a portion of the first section. The hypothesis of many scholars on the far left side of the spectrum is that Mary Magdelen was intended to be the leader of the church, that Christ wanted to restore the feminine leader to the church he was leaving behind. Some even take one step further and say that Jesus and Mary Magadelene were married (gasp!). The arguments, though logical, contradict everything that is ever taught about the life of Jesus. It is too far of a step for me to follow that. But I can the early formers of the church being very upset. Naturally, they would have felt, Peter should be the leader. I can see a conspiracy developing to crush this teaching, just as a decision had to be made as to which texts were official. Just avoid the ones that don't support it. The Catholic Church has often modified its teachings to suit the tone of the time. Priests weren't always required to be celibate, you know. I can see how the legends and stories of the regions could support the ideas presented, and developed by these scholars. But I see most of this with my writer's eye. I like Mr. Brown's novel. I enjoyed the suspense and intrigue. I appreciate the debates and discussions that have developed surrounding his novel and its controversy. If it is being discussed and debated, it forces people to evaluate their own belief system. To look at themselves and what their churches teach, or, perhaps, why they don't attend a church. I enjoy entertaining the possibilities as presented, playing the "What if" game. When I look at the pieces as a whole, the pieces that I have seen thus far, I have to side with the ones that do not contradict, the ones that support can be found through what I consider the true Bible, in spite of the recently discovered texts. I have to take a leap of faith and simply trust what my mind cannot comprehend. To have faith in what Jesus taught. But then too, when I look at all of the pieces, I begin to wonder why it matters. The purpose of the Bible is to teach people how to get to heaven. Everything else that comes from it is superfluous.

Terrifying, Yet Frighteningly Understandable

Smokers need not apply at Weyco, according to Newsweek.

Howard Weyers, the founder and CEO of the Michigan-based health-benefits-management company, attracted a lot of media attention—and the ire of workers’ advocates—when he let go four employees recently after they refused to stop smoking. Civil-rights activists accused the company of discrimination, arguing that Weyers was punishing workers for engaging in a legal activity on their own time.

While I can understand why companies could be motivated to do this, I would fear it too. I'm someone who would be targeted because of obesity. Too, with height/weight charts being what they are, who knows what to believe, really. Food for thought.

The Great Inside Joke

Three weeks ago, my oldest spent some time in the hospital with pneumonia. (He's better, thanks. Back to his normal troublesome self.) At the same time, the youngest was sick with the indeterminable cough/cold/fever that he has had four or five times this winter. Needless to say, I was a little distracted. When my brother called last night, to give me a bad time about not calling to let him and his wife know, I took the ribbing with a smile. Not becaue I'm good natured, you see, but rather because he was calling me on my birthday and forgot that it was. I called him back about a half hour or so after he had hung up, to point out the error of his ways in harrassing me. Moral: Before giving someone a bad time, make sure that they have nothing to give you a bad time about.

Bookworm Report, February 2005

My apologies for not posting yesterday. It was a bad morning. Double posts today, though. For the month of February, I read 923 pages or 3 books. In 2001, I read 3,049 pages/11 books; 2002, 3,409 pages/8 books; 2003, 1,911 pages/5 books; 2004, 2,597pages/8 books. The Raven King by Patricia C. Wrede Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynn Truss The Runaway Jury by John Grisham For the year, I've read 11 books, or 3,637 pages, which averages to 6 books a month, or 1,819 pages per month, and an average book length of 331 pages. I have some great things planned for the Bookworm Reports. Well, maybe not great, but things planned nonetheless. Have a great March!

This is why I love Dooce.com

As Heather describes her snowboarding experience I think, God she is amazing and I wish I was that brave. But I'm glad that she posts stuff like this so I can live vicariously.

Jury Selected

The jury selection for the Michael Jackson trial interests me as I recently re-read John Grisham's The Runaway Jury. I love how Grisham puts us in the jury room and shows, really, how juries can be controlled and manipulated. My other favorite to read is the play Twelve Angry Jurors. I was selected for jury duty once but excused. Being excused was understandable, but quite dissappointing. I wanted to serve, just to see how it all works. Can you imagine what it would be like to be on the jury for this trial? Or the author dreaming-up the various dramatic bits that may or may not happen?

Happy Un-Birthday to Me...

Some birthdays are good. Others are great. My husband really came through this year and made it a great birthday. He spent the last several weeks searching for a walkman -- the tape playing kind. It seems that these are a rare and unique find in the world today. I want one though, as mine has taken a dump. I like to listen to audio books when I exercise; it keeps me motivated. (No, I can't be done yet, the killer is right around the corner. Another ten minutes on the treadmill and I'll stop.) Not being able to find one, he decided to get me an MP3 player. Not being a gadget guy, he decided to let me pick it out myself. Before I do, though, I want to see if I can find audiobooks in MP3 format, cos that would just kick ass. He also scored big points by getting me a four-pack of Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso & Cream. I love the stuff, but seldom get it. A) It's highly addictive and makes me run around like a chicken missing its head. B) It is some what spendy compared to other forms of caffiene. C) I just don't think about grabbing any. But I like it much and it made the perfect self-indulgent birthday gift. The other big point scorer was the purchase of a video game. He says it's cheesy, but I disagree. I'm a Harry Potter fan(atic). He's anti-video game. He got a copy of Quidditch World Cup for the PC. The significance of this gift is more than I can express. You'd have to know my husband to understand. The cards that accompanied the gift were wonderful as well. He really planned for this gift and I appreciate it. Major brownie points earned.

Need a Suit?

Collision detection reports that the tailor for the royal family has his own blog about making his career as a suit maker. English Cut is witty and funny in a way only a Brit could be. I never realized the work that goes into a suit that really justifies the price he charges. Next time I have a suit made, I'll have to read the site to make me seem smart. Good thing I don't have suits made.

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

A Store that I wish were closer

Whimsic Alley is the ultimate Harry Potter store. They are giving Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince away to its customers. I'm seriously thinking about planning my next vacation to be near this unique shop. Their website is pretty good at giving the visitor a flavor for what they are trying to accomplish. I really like the how the store is set-up to be like Diagon Alley. Next time I need a "Potter fix" I'll head over their way.

My First Phishing Scam

On Friday, when I returned home after a hard day of work and checked my email, I received notice that my Union Planter's debit card account may have been compromised. Gee...this sounds familiar, but I don't have a Union Planter's debit card. Oh wait, I know why it sound familiar; it's the exact sort of phishing scam that everyone warns you about. I had never received spam like this before and found it amusing. It was quite through, looked like it was legitimate, except that I don't have a card from them. A quick Google search located that Union Planter is a real bank, but also being subject to the phish scam. The real Union Planters site has a link to a warning and what to do if you have received a phishing email. I also received an email confirming their receipt of my email and a "what to do" if personal information had been given. After having received, looked at, reviewed this particular phishing scam, I find it believable that someone might fall for it. But with all of the warnings, people should be smart enough to know that banks never ask for this sort of thing via email. It was a good chuckle for the end of the day.

Blogging At Work

No, I'm not, but this is an article about some people who were, what they did wrong and why I don't. Bloggers who were interviewed and fired include Rachel Mosteller, Heather B. Armstrong (of Dooce.com), Ellen Simonetti (the Delta Airline Pilot) and others. It is happening around the country. Companies need to wake-up and get policies in place.

This is the song that never ends...

Since not all songs are quite so memorable, Lyrics Freaks has the words that ellude the singer. Or in the case of "One Week" by Bare Naked Ladies, the words are just too fast to remember them all. My brain is slow.

Mommy Madness

Mommy Madness pretty much sums up the lives that most women with kids follows. As I read, I kept going "Yep, been there," "Yep, I can see that" and "Yep, that happened yesterday." I can only hope that awareness of this sort can only help. But I fear that the response will be "I'm too busy."

Defending Vogue's Evil Genius:

Subtitled: The brilliance of Anna Wintour I read The Devil Wears Prada as a book group read in November 2003. I laughed; I cried; I was happy I no longer worked for the people that Miranda Priestly most resembled. In preparation for the book group, I did some online research and found out that the author of The Devil Wears Prada worked for Anna Wintour. The gossip about Lauren Weisberger and Anna Wintour was too good to pass up. Time passes and I catch this headling on Slate: Defending Vogue's Evil Genius. I have to read it. But [Anna] Wintour didn't get where she is without talent; she is incredibly smart about fashion. During her tenure, Vogue has been enormously successful: The September issue, which ran to 832 pages, was the largest issue of a monthly magazine ever to be published. And so it's worth getting beyond the caricature to examine Wintour's work at Vogue, without which there would be no speculation about the "real" Anna Wintour. Not a single mention of Lauren and her book, yet the inuendo is there. If Ms Wintour is half as bad as portrayed in The Devil Wears Prada she needs to be defending herself. I've had bad bosses before, but never anything like this one.

Happy Valentine's Day...

...a day late. My significant other and I celebrated by exchanging gifts that were difficult to find. My birthday is in February; it's close to Christmas; we both own lots of junk. But he did a good job and I really like the candles he picked out. The great part is since he picked them out, I can use them when he is home. Normally I pick out ones that he is really allergic to and I never get to burn them. And he got me a bar set. Now when I'm mixing my white russian, I'll know what the measurements are. I did the "Movie Night" theme bag for him. I picked up Pirates of the Caribbean on DVD, a box of movie theater (extra buttery) popcorn, a couple of sodas and a six pack of his favorite candy bar. He was most appreciative as well. It becomes increasingly more difficult to buy gifts. Even when I get a gift card, I have a difficult time spending it. I usually end up getting stuff for the kids or the house and justify my frivolous purchase at a later date by saying that I used my gift card for diapers and toilet bowl cleaner. Hopefully the day meant loved ones and spending time together. That was the best part - watching a movie that we both like and sharing a tub of buttery popcorn.

Avi in Oshkosh

Children's writer Avi will be at the Oshkosh Public Library on Wednesday, April 13, 2005, at 7 pm. I've read two of his books -- True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and Bright Shadow. I remember Charlotte Doyle, but not much of Bright Shadow. I like his writings and look forward to a chance to hear what he has to say. I'm going to look to see if he has written any picture books. Maybe the older child will want to go too.

Good things happen to those who wait

Did you ever have one of those days where nothing in your closet seems right? I'm hopeless at clothes, so most of what I own pairs with black, which means I wear alot of red and white. Today though, I was tired of the same color combination, as is everyone else in my office. So I pulled out a pair of cream slacks that are reserved only for skinny days. Lo and behold, they fit. Usually my stuff shirks in the closet. Maybe that gym membership is starting to pay off.

New Shoes

I'm not much of a shopper. I like to save my money and hate crowds. Plus, finding out that your pant size went up, even though your scale says you're down, is not labeled as "a good time" in my directory. But this weekend I hit TJMaxx in Appleton, one of two places I do like to look for clothes. If you're not familiar with TJMaxx, they buy stuff from other stores and sell it for cheaper. The catch is you never really know what will be there or what season it will be from. The other place I like is Kohl's. Sorry to leave you hanging there. TJMaxx is great for Christmas gifts. I usually find stuff that people will like that appeals to my frugal mind. This weekend's adventure occurred only because of another person in my party. (It's too soon to start shopping for Christmas, even for me.) While there, I found a pair of shoes that are fabulous. They work with dress pants, skirts or jeans (maybe jeans.) They were marked down to $11 from $75 (obviously a fashion from a previous season.) They fit as well as shoes ever do (My feet are too big for an 8 but too small for an 8 1/2. Go figure.) Today I wore them for the first time, outside of trying them on in the store. Did I mention that they have a 2 1/4 inch heel? Now I understand why I walk faster than almost every woman I know. Most of them wear shoes like this on a daily basis. Every step I take is about half of the size I normally would take. How in the *uck are you supposed to walk in these things and get to any place on time? They may end up in the back of my closet. I expect that they'll look rather sharp there.

My Kids Drink...

Or at least they try to. The other night, I was having an adult beverage of choice (Mike's Hard Lemonade) when my littlest one sees that Momma is drinking something from a really cool bottle. He picks his way across the room, chanting "Bottle. Bottle." Which, by the way, is his form of saying, "I'm thirsty, dammit, give some to me too." "No, honey, this is mine. Not for you." He turns his big blue eyes to me and says, "Share." Hard to argue with that logic since it is the biggest lesson that we are teaching right now. My husband had the IDEA that saved us; by rinsing out a previously empty bottle and adding some fruit juice, the littlest one left my beverage alone as he was no longer deprived of a cool bottle to drink his own beverage out of.

Textbooks are a Rip-Off

This study only confirms what anyone who has attended college recently already knows. Check out my thoughts on it at J-Walk's blog.

WisCon, the world's only feminist science fiction convention

Come hell or high water, I'm going I'm going. Along with a few of my companions from the Oshkosh Area Writer's group. The Writer's workshop is the piece I'm foaming at the mouth over. It's an opportunity to sit with a person in the field of sci-fi/fantasy along with a few other amateurs. Being women, they are even family friendly. They provide child care. I think that the baby would like that. (also added as a link in the Writer's Toolbox.)

Psion Series 5 - Handheld Computer

I have several hypothesis, but no solid facts, as to why the Psion Series stopped being produced. Most of those hypothesis start in Redmond, Washington. I heard about the Psion from one of the forums at NaNo. I did some online research and decided that this was the next on my "must have" list. I decided to go with the series 5 based on the reviews I read and its availability on Ebay. After I won the auction and paid for my Psion, I waited anxiously for its arrival. I'm super impressed with its performance. The reviews I read were accurate. Even though it was made available in 1997, I was able to download the transferring software from the Psion website, making the back-up process complete. It's capabilities include "Word", "Spreadsheet", "Data", "Agenda" among other things. It has an eery resemblance to Microsoft, making it extremely user-friendly. Backing-up files to the hard drive of my desktop system was painless as well, once I had the correct program. Every file that I create on the Psion can be converted to be used on the desktop and back again. It works like a PDA with a stylus and non-existant boot-time, but functions like a desk-top system. I found a few FAQ sites, even though the Psion is out of production. Eric Lindsay's site is the most comprehensive and full of tips and tricks. File Save As has one as well. The common denominator for both is that they are outside of the US. The Psion, it seems, never really caught in the States. The keyboard is tiny and somewhat difficult to type on. I'm getting better at it though, the more I use it. NaNo 2005 is really going to rock on this little machine.

An Alternative to Word

During NaNo I heard people talking about using Rough Draft to write their novels on. Now that I have so much time on my hands, I downloaded it and played around with it. It's a decent word processor and I'm sure I missed many of its useful features. I could really see my mom using it. She is chronicling family history; Rough Draft would better suit her hodge podge writing style than MS Word is. For myself, I don't believe I would ever use it. One, I just got a Psion Series 5 from ebay. It is a seriously fun PDA that I wish I had known about when they were first released. The Psion deserves its own separate posting, which I'll have tomorrow. Two, I spent some time as a desktop publisher using Word. As a result I know more about styles and formatting techniques than anyone really wants to know. But it means that I have Word totally pimped out on my PC and would have to spend serious time to create the same effect with Rough Draft. Finally, I don't think like Rough Draft is set-up to be thought with. In other words, the note taking feature, the multiple files if page or chapter breaks are required. My brain is hard wired to think like I store my files. At my old age I don't know if I would be able to switch. But, if you like the idea of having an electronic notepad to store with your story, and tend to write your story in piece rather than sequentially, Rough Draft might just be for you. If Microsoft drives you crazy, Rough Draft might just be for you as well. It does somethings better, like printing multiple files with one click.

Curiousity...

...Always did me in. Check out Clive's theories on "upskirting," "porn" and "free." The Theory Results coming soon.

Status 30

Sean Bonner of seanbonnerdotcom is turning 30 in another month. His thoughts about this are recorded at his blog under the project title Status 30. As an avid fan of the Link/Zelda games myself and approaching that same milestone, I understand, relate to and appreciate his thoughts on the matter. I'm glad to find out that it isn't just me.

Bookworm Report, January 2005

I live in Wisconsin. You'd think that people would know that it gets cold during the winter, yet I hear, again and again, "I can't believe how cold it is." Get a life. Go skiing or something. Wimps. For the month of January, I read 2,714 pages or 8 books. In 2001, I read 8,006 pages/25 books; 2002, 3,995 pages/12 books; 2003, 887 pages/2 books; 2004, 1,654/5 books. The Time-Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie Maerilon the Magican by Patricia C. Wrede Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson No Plot, No Problem by Chris Baty Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine The Beauty Bride by Claire Delacroix If the Shoe Fits by Jennifer Weiner For the year, I've read 8 books, or 2,714 pages, which averages to 8 books a month, or 2,714 pages per month, and an average book length of 339 pages. Someone asked me how I manage to read so much with work, kids, my blog, my other writing and the general craziness that consumes everyone's life. Here's my secret: I read really fast. No, it's true. I read about 100 pages an hour for the types of books I read. When I was in school it was quite a bit less for my text books -- maybe 30-50, depending on subject. If you think about it, I spent 27 hours reading in January. Or 60 minutes a day. I bet you watched more television than that this month. I really need to get a life and stop playing with my Excel-powered book list.

Being a Kid

Maybe you are a kid. Maybe you remember being one. I'm proud to say that I have a couple that I love to pieces and I remember being one myself. But I don't recall, nor do I allow mine, to run wild with no supervision. At least, not until they are old enough -- say eleven, twelve, somewhere in there. Yet on a recent trip to the local YMCA, I was extremely disappointed to find 6th, 7th and 8th graders playing on playground equipment that was clearly meant for small children. A couple of parents even told their own kids that too many big kids were playing and they would come back later. The equipment in question was one of those climbing things made out of various levels of "boxes." Personally, I climbed right in after my kid and protected the car-like box he was playing in. The Y is very generous in its policy that allows children ages 6+ in this playground area without their parents. What they fail to realize is having one attendtant who never leaves the counter doesn't work. All she can see is the tv room and the pool table. As a parent, I can think of all sorts of bad things happening outside of her view. Not that she isn't capable of handling her job. The supervision would better be covered by two person, one of which should be over the age of 18 and feel comfortable to tell the "big kids" to knock it off. As my two grow older, maybe I'll change my mind. One of them will be five in March. I can't imagine leaving him alone to run, let alone to run with an ever changing number of unsupervised kids. They are just asking for trouble.

Double Posting

JWalk started a meme that I really like. Attention bloggers: This is my attempt to start one of those blogging memes, so please listen up... The goal of this exercise is to identify nine other bloggers that you would like to meet for dinner/drinks. The only caveat is that these bloggers must be strangers -- you haven't met them before. State the blogger's name, a link to the blog, and why you would like him/her to be in attendance. My list (in alphabetical order by blog name):... I have my own wish-list. Some of you are automatically disqualified, as I already know you. Jane of Average Jane Clive Thompson of collisiondection Fiat Lux of If you don't have cable and you're library card has expired... Heather B. of Dooce Dick K of Daily Dose of Excel Cybele of Fast Fiction Pharmgirl of The Life of a Pharmgirl... Barbara "A new one every time" Mikkelson of Snopes.com. Even though it isn't exactly a blog... (Blank). So I don't read nine blogs regularly...Suggest one for me and maybe I'll have another entry.

My Music

I confess I don't listen to as much music as I would like. Generally it's during the 5-10 minute commute and most of that is talk or commercials. As I grow older, I find that my musical tastes are being influenced by the dubious choices of my capricious husband. I recently found my radio tuned to one of the numerous country stations - a by-product of sharing one’s vehicle with those who have less discerning tastes that my own. Normally, I'm a 90s kind of girl. As I pointed the nose of my truck to work, I was distracted by the norm - other drivers; the baby in the back; remembering what was on my to-do list for the day. It wasn't until I was pulling into the baby-sitter's driveway that I realized that not only was I listening to country - I was singing along with the correct words. It's over, folks. I'm converted. The song was Toby Keith's "How do you like me now?" I must confess, I liked him well enough. Too well, truth be told. There's no room for the truth here.

The Beauty of Children

I envy my friend Kelli on days like this one. On Tuesday last week, my kindergarteners came to school and began their day like any other. They "signed in" and got their "paychecks" and began paying their bills. (A money system we set up to help learn the value of earning and spending money.) Throughout the morning, I noticed that every once in a while, one of them would go over to the table by the door and drop something in a box. This happened about 2 or 3 times and when it happened again, I asked the little girl what she was doing... Independent of anyone's prompting, these five and six year olds decided to set-up a fund for the Tsunami victims. Moments like these make me realize how great kids really are.

Money Matters

Being a some-what recent college graduate, I can still remember the days of counting every penney and stealing toilet paper from my then-current employer. If this sort of articlehad been around back then, I would have been up in arms. Now I think, gee, maybe the problem isn't minimum wages, but the landlords who charge an arm and a leg, along with the banks and utility companies. Some days I fantasize about what it would be like to redraw the lines of money and reduce inflation. I'd still be just over broke.

Finished at Last

People often ask me what the purpose of NaNo was. One part of it was that it convinced me that it was okay to finish a piece. I'm proud to say that I have completed my second novel. This one took a little longer to write. I started it during my last semster of college (Fall 2001.) The last words of the first draft were written on January 24, 2005. Whether that is happy or sad, I cannot say. I have another adventure that I'm going to embark upon in February -- the Curtis L Brown Writing Challenge. I need to have 2000 words on the topic "Job Application." The genre is open to anything -- prose, poetry, non-fiction, etc. As long as the postmark is dated 02-28-05, I'm a qualified entrant. After it's tagged and posted, I'll pick up the YA novel and start to look through it, make my notes, scene cards and edits. I'm giving myself a month for that. Then it is off to the very generous people who have offered to donate their time and editing skills. In some cases, they are being bribed or threatened, but hey, that's the fun of it, right? Then it is off to the publishers. (shiver) I can't believe I just said that. Gulp.

Johnny Carson Dies (MSNBC)

Just in case you hadn't already heard.

Good Hair Day

I have naturally curly hair that presents several different styling problems every day. I've read some of the lastest fashion magazines and all offer a variation on the same advice. Wash every other day (once a week, every three days, never). If shampooing, only shampoo the roots. Apply conditioner to ends only (roots to ends, middle to ends). Don't rinse conditioner (only partially rinse conditioner). Etc. etc. I've tried a few of the variations with little or no success. I even tried the wash-every-other-day thing. I ended up with really flat hair on the top and fuzzy on the ends. Not good. I've tried various brand name styling products with little luck. Tired of spending a fortune on something that doesn't really work, I decided to try Physique's curl forming lotion, which promises to manage and control the frizzies leaving the user with shiny, nice-shaped curls. Today is the first day of usuage. I'm having a good hair day. In the winter, I tend to have dry hair prone to static electricity. Fun when you are a kid, not so fun as an adult. In the summer, I have oily roots and dry ends. If this stuff helps both of those conditions, I'm going to buy a case of it.

Google Search versus All Others

I'm always interested in how people find my site. After all, I seldom link and comment on news stories, preferring my own life and the stories it produces. Along with the multitude of books I read. Anyway, I often look at the referrer logs that Extreme Tracking provides for me. I've noticed something that may or may not be worth comment. Google will correctly identify the keywords the searcher requested, but direct them only to my home page, even if the search should refer to an archive. Yahoo (I mean Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, etc. refer to the correct archive page. Being that Blogspot is powered by Google, you'd think that they wouldn't do this. Funny, eh?

Blogging About Work

I decided that I need to stop blogging about work. I made a blog connection recently between two of my favorite voices on the web - Average Jane and If you don't have cable... lead me to Dooce. Dooce is, as defined by the urban dictionary: "Losing your job for something you wrote in your online blog, journal, website, etc." The author of Dooce had this happen to her. Check out the whole story. While she didn't refer to company or boss by name, she was ratted out by someone at the company. I wouldn't be concerned, except that like any job, it can be irritating at times. I've never posted in the manner that Dooce did, I could see it happening, should I ever turn off my inner editor or have a really bad day. Others have gotten fired for their web exploits. An employee of Microsoft had it happen as did a former Delta Airline Flight Attendent. A Google search shows multitudes of others too. My referrer logs have shown my name popping in a couple of times as searches. While I have no way of knowing why, I don't want it to be the end of my job either. What annoys me the most is that now I have to censor myself. I already do a bit because I had decided to use my real name rather than a sobriquet. With relatives and friends being potential readers, I didn't want to use this as a forum for ranting. That's what husbands are for, right?

The Time-Traveller's Wife

I first heard about this from J-Walk's blog. I found it in the "New" section of the library's listing, so I pounced on it. The story is quite moving in ways I never imagined. Told from both the point of view of Clare and Henry, it flows through their lives both chronologically and event-driven. Henry, you see, is a time traveller and Clare is his wife. They first meet when Clare is 6 and Henry is 34. Clare's childhood is a series of meetings with Henry interspersed with waiting for Henry. Knowing him has set her apart in ways that neither imaged. Probably the best love story I've read in ages. I even bought it as a Christmas gift for someone else that I know who likes to read. Two thumbs up.

Getting my New Book

I put my new Harry Potter book on reserve Saturday. I opted to go with a local bookstore and ignore the multi-million dollar stores. I'm sure you can think of a few places. Since I'm relatively new to Oshkosh, I don't know all of the in's and out's of the town. I figured that Little Professor bookstore was my best bet to get my book as Basic is a religious book store. Boy was I wrong. I actually went to Little Professor a few weeks ago, maybe two weeks after they announced the publication date. To my surprise I was told that they weren't taking any reservations. I cleaned out my ears and gave her my best incredulous look. They couldn't even order it yet, so they wouldn't take any names. So what you're saying is that you won't sell me a book. Okay, I guess. I was quite disappointed. Not only am I a huge Potter fan, I've never been to a midnight release. (I was pregnant when number five was released. I figured it would be bad for me to do that as I would have most likely stayed up the rest of the night to read it too.) I sulked and pouted and told everyone who would want to know about the bad service I received. What really pissed me off wasn't that they weren't taking reservations, but that the lady made me feel like a real idiot for even asking. After pointing out to her that Barnes and Noble, Borders and Amazon would most likely take my money, I left, feeling quite a drift and disappointed that I was going to have to drive to Appleton for a midnight release and waiting for god only knows how long, I hesitated in ordering a copy. Low and behold, another option presented itself to me -- Paper Tiger. What a lovely book store that is willing to sell its books. They don't know the discount yet, but they were more than willing to take my name and promise that they would have a midnight release. The lady at the desk, Kim, didn't even laugh at my companion and I when we requested two copies. She might have been my mother, but it doesn't mean I'm going to share. Paper Tiger sells all paperbacks, along with a few magazines and tobacco for pipes. It makes for a quite aromatic mixture when snooping through the stacks. I'll definitely go there again when I'm in dire need of a book. And I'll be there at the wee hours of morning on the 16th too. See you there.

Missing Man Found

A while back I posted about Danny Clune, a Bookcrossing programmer who was missing. His body as been found. This news story has all of the details. Rest in peace, Danny.

Office Space

At work, I sit in one of those places where conversation accumulates. I'm sure you've used it. It's a nature meeting place for people, usually near narrow hallways and food tables. Everyone in my building finds it very convenient to hold impromtu meetings right outside of my cubicle. To make it even more interesting, I also have three of the loudest neighbors ever. Two of them have office doors and use them, but the sound still escapes. I like conversing with my co-workers as much as the next person, but on a day when I have lost all of my personal macros due to a network glitch, I'm a little annoyed. Quite frankly, I've very annoyed. But, soon I'll be moving to a nearly silent office. Then I'll post about the creaking of the floor joists that are distracting me from whatever programming that I am doing.

Christmas Gifts Revisited

I did little, if any posting about Christmas. Now that I am unloading the boxes and throwing away the various cardboard boxes and plastic-coated twist ties, I have a few comments I should have made earlier. My kids received the usual assortment of toys ranging from "How did I ever live without this" to "What is it?" Having had the opportunity to remove each and every one of these toys from their boxes lately, I realized that shoplifting must be a huge problem for stores today. Each and every toy had at between two and twelve plastic coated twisty-things to keep the toy in the box. Their length ranged between four and eight inches. Removal of said twisty-things is hindered by children screaming for their toys. That might have been me scream...I blocked the bad memories. I got quite a few gift cards, which are great if you can coordinate everyone to give you gift cards to the same place. Instead I end up with several gift cards to different places, all of which manage to be $20-50 short of the amount I need to get what I really want. Instead I end up spending my own money to "complete the gift." Next year, I'm going to promote Visa giftcards. Even worse then the under-charged gift card is the totally worthless gift. One relative drew my name for the family exchange. Recognizing that she didn't know me well enough to get a gift for me, she called and asked what I would like. It was a bad time (read: child 1 steal toy from child 2) so I said I would have to get back to her, but I did like to read and books were usually a good gift. I returned her call a couple of weeks later, with some titles in mind. "No need. I got you something that you'll really like." Great, I'm thinking. It was a collection of soap and lotion. You know the kind, the generic brand name that leaves you dry and scratchy. To make it worse, I have a husband that is extremely allergic to smelly bath products. Before I purchase anything that I haven't ever used before, I run a "sniff test" by him. As this lady was family on his side, who comments when his allergies are bothering by, she must have had a brain fart. I can't think of any other reason for her to give me something like that. Except that it is the very sort of thing that she loves. Which leads me to another awful gift -- give what you secretly want. The guilty party is penning the very words you read. There's a book that I love, that I gave as a gift to someone may or may not like it. But I loved it so much and it was such a beautiful story that I couldn't help it. While I'm sure she will like it, I'm not confident that she will want it for Christmas. So I paired it with a giftcard. The amount is probably insufficient for what she'll want to buy, but hey, it's Christmas. What would it be like without some bad gift-giving?

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clark

I first heard of this book from Average Jane. She liked it and linked to a couple of reviews. Her description intrigued me enough to read the reviews and check out the book. It was awful. The review I read described the work as "Victorian England meets Harry Potter." Being a fan of both genres, it was a must read. I only managed the first 120 pages of the 750+ available. I'm fond of Jane Austen, Wilke Collins, the Bronte Sisters. I detest Charles Dickins, which served as the model for "Victorian" as named in the review. The work was very reminscient of good ol' Charles, right down to the making me fall asleep part. Every time I try for one of his novels, I feel as though someone is telling a joke that I'm not getting. Ms Clarke's novel gave me the same feeling. I wanted to read a few more pages, maybe another 50, but the library needed the book back. I'm debating as to whether or not I want to reserve it again. I just can't believe that it was so well received, yet, be so unappealling to me. Maybe it needed more of a chance... Which leads me to my next thought. How many pages should be read before abandoning a book?

New Year, New Resolutions

I'm not much for New Year's resolutions. In general I like my life and work to improve it every day. One thing that is always on my list of "Need to Improve" is get more exercise. To this end, my husband and I joined the Oshkosh YMCA last September when they were having a sale on joiner fees. At first I went 2-3 times a week, but between NaNoWriMo and sickness in November and December being December, it quickly trickled down to once a week. To correct this, I decided that I needed to do something different. They offer various classes -- spinning, kick boxing, fit for life, etc. -- but most of them were on bad nights or during the day. I found one that would work -- Yoga. I've tried yoga before, in my home. I have a video I like, but seldom use. (Finding one hour where no one is around to laugh at me it hard to do.) It's offered twice a week, but I can only go once. Good enough, as long as I hit the treadmill or elliptical runner twice a week too. I went to the class a couple of nights ago. It was very similar to the video I had used before, so I didn't look like a total moron. The next day attested to the workout I got. My upper body was sore, but pleasantly so. I could tell I used my muscles, but didn't over do it. The best part was the supplies that they provided. One of the reasons I didn't use my own video was I'm not extremely limber and need a few props, which are quite spendy. The Y had all of the props and using them made the workout more comfortable. If I have a resolution this year, it will be to attend yoga class once a week and exercise outside of that two times a week. Oh, and finally finish that novel I'm working on. The first draft of it anyway.

Driving in Oshkosh...Or Anywhere

(Pulls out box labeled "Soap" and climbs on) Have you been driving lately? I'm willing to bet you have. Maybe you were the guy who drove with his blinker on for the five blocks I followed him. Or perhaps you were the teenager in the car with three of your friends. Or maybe you were the soccer mom in the mini-van. If you weren't one of my fictional characters, you must have been like me, an average driver trying to get across town for work, groceries or miscellaeous errands. Along the way a variety of annoying things occurred. Let's review. The School Zone It always happens to me. I get behind the person who doesn't read the fine print on the school zone sign. The ubiquitous "15 MPH" sign has some additional words -- When children are present. In other words, when no kids are to be seen, the normal speed limit applies. When is that guy ahead of me realize that no child is going to be walking to school at 6:45 am and he can go 30 mph instead of 15? The Traffic Light I didn't take driver's ed in Wisconsin therefore I am exempt from calling them "stop and go" lights. But I did take driver's ed. Some basics to be reviewed. Green turn arrows -- use them. Yellow means slow down and stop if possible. Red means wait your turn. And green still means go. Next time you are waiting at the light, just see how many people violate this simple color-coded system. I'm really getting sick of missing my green turn arrow because the cross traffic can't understand what a red light means. My vote goes to the guy who pushes for funding to get cameras on the traffic lights and has the police department issuing tickets as a result of their findings. Left Turn Lanes Who ever did the traffic pattern studies in Oshkosh must have really like left turn only lanes. As I sit and wait for the third time at the corner of 6th and Ohio, I wonder what it would be like if all of the left turn lanes disappeared. Turn Signals Just because the driver ahead of me knows where he is going doesn't mean I do. That stick on the steering wheel? The one that has some dust on it? It is your turn indicator. Others around you appreciate your utilization of said device. (steps down from soap box and slides it back into the dark corner) The worst part of it is when the enforcers of the rules are the one who break them. Until they start following the regulations of the road, everything becomes a scoff law.

Books, Not Movies

I don't know why I do it to myself. Perhaps I'm into torture. Or maybe curiousity simply got the best of me. Whatever the reason, I simply have to stop seeing movies that started their careers as books. At least for the books that I have read. I had resolved in the past to do just that, but last night, I had a lapse. I rented "Ella Enchanted." It is a wonderful book that I've read several times. When I taught, I read it to my kids. They liked it too, even the boys. The book is charming of its own accord. What could they have done to it? Ruined it, I say. The plot lines and characters are loosely based on the story and characters developed by the author. Other than the bare minimum required to assume the same title as the novel, nothing matches. After the first scene in the movie, I knew it would be a disaster. It didnt' even take the first scene in its entirety, perhaps only half of it. I cannot imagine why the executives would change such a charming book into a mediocre movie. It isn't like the Potter series where the majority of the world has read it already and plays to those readers. No, they tried to make it into something it wasn't. It may have been a good movie. My opinion is too biased in favor of the book to even see if the movie was good. I didn't care for the fan-club-obsessed teenage girls. It was too modern for the time frame, even if it is a fairy-tale. I will have to settle for reading the book and completely ignoring the movie. I was tempted to watch "Tuck Everlasting" too. I'll probably skip it now.

A Chinese Blessing...

This came to me via forward from Kelli, of A Far Greener Country. I usually skim forwards, as I've seen most of them or it's making the rounds of my friends. This one I had not seen before and it made me laugh. Not so much the story, but the "moral" at the end. A water bearer in China had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One pot had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After 2 years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream... "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house." The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path. Every day while we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house." Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them. Here's to all of the crackpots in my life.

The Joke's on Them

Got a great "You'll never guess what happened today?" story? Clientcopia takes these tales of client woe's and posts them for all to see. It's not just your boss or your annoying neighbor. These people are everywhere. When I need a good laugh, I go to the Top 20 page. It changes frequently to confirm that there is a bigger moron out there than the one that sits next to you.

Population: 485 by Michael Perry

Last year I attended a writer's conference where Michael Perry was the keynote speaker. I found him to be funny, witty and a country hick. (I grew up in South Dakota, I'm allowed to point that particular finger.) I liked him well enough to buy his book Population: 485 and to visit his website Sneezing Cow. I finally read the book in December. After listening to Mike speak about his life in a small town and writing about it, I wanted to do the same and used NaNoWriMo to do that. But what I didn't want was Michael's influence on my own writing. Since November was over, I dug his book out of my stack of "To Be Read" books and settled in. As I read, I laughed. And cried. Some parts made me go, "Hey, I know that guy." Other parts made me wish that I was a little closer to my own hometown. Mike's voice changes depending on the content and points to his ability to adapt his voice to the subject matter at hand. I wished I was still teaching writing as I read his book. Trying to explain a concept as abstract as "voice" to 7th and 8th graders would have been much easier if I could have read passages of Mike's book, Population:485. When listening to him speak, I had to chuckle silently every time he mentioned the title, Population: 485. His skill at working his point back around to his work was wonderful to witness first hand. It inspired me to do the same when I publish my own novel. The book sells for less than $15 and is well worth the money. Being from a town even smaller than Mike's hometown led me to appreciate the sameness that connects all of us, whether you're from Wisconsin or South Dakota. He has another coming out in April, Off Main Street. I hope his book tour brings him close to Oshkosh. I'd like to see him again.

Bookworm Report, December 2004

After the stress of NaNo and preparation for the holidays, I took some time from work and dived into a few fantasy novels. I've enjoyed Patricia Wrede's "Enchanted Forest" series before. The other novels by her were a grand combination of London during the height of "The Season" and The Ton but with the added advantage of magic for the characters. For the month of December, I read 4,647 pages or 15 books. In 2001, I read 4,032 pages/14 books; 2002, 2,017 pages/4 books; 2003, 1,305 pages/4 books. Secret Admirer by Patricia MacDonald Hot Ice by Nora Roberts Magician's Ward by Patricia C. Wrede Calling on Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede Talking to Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede Population: 485 by Michael Perry Sorcery & Cecelia or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede & Caroline Stevermer Book of Enchantments by Patricia C. Wrede The Grand Tour by Patricia C. Wrede & Caroline Stevermer Night Fall by Nelson DeMille Blue Dahlia by Nora Roberts The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks Sleeping Beauty by Philip Margolin Jonathon Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke Why They Killed Big Boy by Michael Perry For 2004, I read 94 books, or 33,910 pages, which averages to 8 books a month, or 2,826 pages per month, and an average book length of 361 pages. The new year is looking good for reading. For Christmas I received some gift cards, including Barnes & Noble. The Oshkosh Public Library has been great with their on-line request services. I save myself some time by going to their site and requesting books instead of browsing the stacks. I get alerts from some other online services, like Barnes & Noble. And I check out the new arrivals section too. I have some comments about the books I read this month that I'll use for fodder this week. But all of it will be worthwhile, I promise. Happy New Year and cheers to good books and those that create them!

Snope's, my favorite place to check out the latest email forward, has compiled a list of New Year's traditions. The kissing at midnight angle is one most people are familiar with. I've seen the others turn up in various forms in various books over the years, but I delighted in reading them anyway. Pick one out and make it your new tradition for kicking of the new years to come. via Average Jane

How to fix Mom's computer

How to fix Mom's computer is a great how-to for anyone wondering about how to rid a machine of spyware, adware and any other nasties. I wish I had found this article a little sooner. I might have been able to help my sister-in-law better when their machine was taken over by malware.

Lists, Lists and yet, Still More Lists

Fimoculous.com has lists covering the best and worst of every possible subject for 2004. Great for the compulsive list reader. via J-Walk

Top 10 Odd College Courses

Where were these courses when I was in college? MSN Encarta lists ten of the Odd College Courses and the universities that offer them. I think I'd lik the "Art of Walking" offered by Centre College.

SnowDays

I trust that you had a very merry holiday season. Especially those of you who scored some time off from your company this week. Now that Christmas is over, I'm sure that you are looking for something amazing to do with your time (like you don't have enough to do already, I know.) J-Walk posted this link a while back. When I was a kid, snowy winter days meant making snowflakes. Popular Front: SnowDays brings this winter past time to a new level with its virtual snowflakes. Making one is quick and easy. Unlike their paper counterparts, they have an "undo" button, in case you make a mistake. Happy snowflake making!

Addictions

Hi, my name is Stacie, and I'm addicted to chapstick. (Hi, Stacie.) A chapstick addiction really seems quite innocent compared to most of the addictions that exist, but can prove harrowing anyway. Consider, if you will, the plethora of selections available from the local department store. The flavor range and product names range from the normal (Mint) to the morid (stinky boy stench, which was grape flavored, by the by.) Managing and handling an addiction in such an environment can cause paralysis. My own addiction suffers most when a tube of chapstick is not readily available. To forever end this situation, I carry four or five tubes of chapstick in my purse. A couple more are stashed in my nightstand drawer. A few at my desk at work and in my truck and life is secure. But today, I noticed something different about my chapstick. It had directions. Remarkable that someone would require directions as to the usage of chapstick, I snickered. But nevertheless, there they were. "Apply to lips as needed." Duh. But what truly made me laugh was the warning printed just under the directions: "Stop use and ask a doctor if condition last more than 7 days." I've been using chapstick every day, several times a day, for more years than I can remember and never once thought that I might need to call a doctor since my (cough) "condition" wasn't improving. And when my schedule clears, I'll make an appointment for that very reason. I reckon I'll have time somewhere around 2021, after the baby graduates high school and before he goes to college. Provide, of course that I remember and nothing dramatic happens between now and then.

Mother of Suicide Victim Sues Wal-Mart

People are taking it too far. As unfortunate as an event like this is, what they want to propose is worse. The suicide victim bought a gun and used it. The mother believes that if the "associate" had asked, "What are you going to use this for?" the whole event could have been prevented. Personally, I don't like Wal-Mart and take pains to avoid shopping there (especially after reading this study about Wal-Mart's labor practices.) But I don't want them asking me what I am going to use my purchases for or checking my medical records to see if I should be allowed to buy it. It may start with just guns, but it could quickly evolve into the amount of junk food I buy (Gee, Ms. P, you are on a weight loss medicine. I don't think that box of ho-hos is going home with you today) or the video games I buy (Gee, Ms. P, you have small kids at home. This game is too violent for them to be around. Not going into your bag.) Maybe I'm taking it too far. Actually, I know I am. At what point, though, does "too far" become "really close?" I don't know and I don't want to find out. This is a country founded on freedom. Yet at every turn someone is calling for more checks, more balances, more limitations. When does it end? Truly, I am sorry for the loss of the victim's family. Is further limitation of our constitutional rights the best answer? via MSNBC

Holiday Shopping Idea

Need a present for your favorite cube dweller? Cubefigures might be just what you are looking for. Think Legos meets Office Space. I love them. Not that I have any, but if I had some, I'd set up my own little cube world on my spare desk. Just wanted you to know what I'd like for Christmas. (via J-Walk)

July 16 -- The Date to Wait For

New Harry Potter book to be published July 16. Need I say more? Other than I'll update my template to include a calculator at time this weekend. I just can't do it right now.

A Story of Understanding and Hope

I've had, unfortunately, a few of my near and dear fall victim to cancer. Watching their struggle, knowing the odds, risks and potential outcomes is something that cannot be understood by those who have yet to endure this path in life. One man watched as his mother fell victim to the terrible disease. Mom's Cancer shares that struggle with others. The narrative is simple and covers the wide array of emotions, struggles and victories that cancer patients go through along with the victim's family. The author explores his reactions to the news and treatment as well as several other family members. Saying that enjoyed reading this comic isn't quite right. Knowing that others out there feel as I felt helped me to realize that my reactions were normal and that others experience the same. (via J-Walk)

New Worm

Urban Legends Reference Pages: Computers (Zafi.D) reports a new worm just in time for Christmas. Make sure your firewalls and security is up to date and ready to block this unwelcome present.

Find Danny

Dan Clune is missing. He is a programmer who works for Bookcrossing. This site gives the details that are needed to get Danny back to his family. Please take a couple of minutes to look at the picture. He isn't from the Oshkosh area, but who knows how far from home he really is. If you click on the "What you can do" link, it will take you to a list of contacts for various news sources. The family asks that they be contacted and request to have the story run so more people hear about it. The leads that these sort of stories have produced have been good, according to the investigators. Thanks.

Irritation At Blogger

Sorry, folks, but you are going to get a lame post today. I had a great one, but when I hit the infamous "Publish" button, Blogger took that to mean "Lose it." And it's not the first time. My posting about Average Jane's wedding took me four tries. I'd like to say that my writing improved for it, but I'm pretty sure that version two was much better than version four. I just updated my template to have the same thing happen. I had to do it twice before it would work. The most irritating is that often times I do copy my entry into Notepad or MS Word, depending on what I am feeling like. The day I do, everything works smoothly. But the day that I don't, everything goes to hell in a hand basket.

The Cutting of the Donut

I work in an office where treats periodically appear. Between birthdays, holidays and the goodness of someone's heart, one can often find a tray of donuts, bagels or some other tasty offering. If the donuts are from Copps Food Center, they are enormous. We are talking about the 3000 calorie donut. Just as often though, they are Krispy Kremes and are of a reasonable size. The table generally used for these treats is outside of my cube. Whenever there is food, I get to hear about it every few minutes. Or smell it, if it is particularly aromatic. Besides fighting the urge to nibble, I also must endure the constant stream of comments about cutting. A few individuals have decided that nothing should ever be cut. The taker should take the whole donut and throw out the uneaten portion. I can appreciate his reasons, but object to them none the less. If I know that I am not going to eat all of a donut, why shouldn't I cut it in half and prevent waste? If I want to sample two kinds, should I really take both just to appease the objecters? Even though I know I won't eat all of it and god knows my waist line doesn't need it? The main objection to the cutting of said treats is how the cutting is done. A few individuals are less concerned about germs than others. They will cut the donut and touch both of the resulting pieces, but leave one of them. Also known as germ sharing. When I cut a donut, I am careful to touch only the piece I take. Yet, because of my proximately to the treat table, I am subjected to the constant exclamations of everyone who walks by -- regardless if they are for or against the practice of cutting treats. Truly, I don't see what the big deal is. So what if you cut only a sliver to get a taste, but a fraction of the calories. So what if you do that two, three or twenty+ times a day. What does it matter? Then I heard this. Genltemen restrooms, being what they are, allow all frequenters to learn each other's restroom habits. Without going into detail, some people should have stayed in kindergarten a little longer to learn good habits. I'll cut a donut, but I'll think twice about taking one that has been cut. Especially if some of those gentlemen have been near the table recently.

U-M's entire library to be put on Google

If only U-M's entire library had been on Google when I needed it for the numerous papers my literature degree required of me. What my GPA could have been.

Average Jane Goes to Vegas

Average Jane, a fellow blogger whose blog I read regularly, has gone to Las Vegas. I love Vegas. Sigh, I wish I could have gone instead of her mis-matched boots. Jane will be posting about her trip throughout the week. Parts One and Two have been posted already. I've been to Vegas twice before, once for a business seminar and once to get married. I'd highly recommend getting married in Vegas. I might be going again in February but that depends on a few things, like work. Until it is decided, I'll live vicariously through Jane's postings.

The Twelve Days of Survival

As an adult, my perspective of Christmas and holidays in general has changed. I used to anticipate the arrival of Santa and the truckload of toys he would delivery throughout the neighborhood. I would lie awake for a good portion of the night, waiting until it was even remotely close enough to a decent hour so I could creep out in the living room to check my stocking and scope out the unwrapped presents under the tree. I'm grateful that my kids sleep until six-thirty and take naps. I love watching their faces as they unwrap one gift and are delighted with what they find. They are still into "quality," so we often have to urge them to unwrap the next thing as they are busy playing with the first. I used to love all of the candy and food that just seemed to sit everywhere. No one told you that you had had enough cookies for the day. Instead, every adult turned a blind eye to the number and quantity. The office I work in receives food baskets and gifts from a large portion of our vendors. By the end of the day last year, I would be so stuffed that I have to remind myself that my family hasn't been snacking without constrant and that they do expect to find dinner on the table shortly. Christmas parties used to mean a half day of school and not much work during that half day. Now Christmas parties mean baby-sitters and remembering not to drinking too much. Buying presents used to mean begging money from my parents. Now it means trying to find something for someone that I don't know very well, but drew their name out of the bucket. It means credit card bills, long lines and impossible parking. The only shopping I do in December is grocery shopping. I'm one of those people who have 65% of it done by the end of October and 80% by Thanksgiving. The remaining 20% I have decided what I'm getting for them and do it on my lunch break. Christmas is less about family, God and sharing with one another. Christmas is more about buying, spending and hassle. Is this because I'm an adult or because I'm a grinch?

Building a Gingerbread House

I decided to fulfill one of my Christmas fantasies and build a gingerbread house. I cheated and bought a kit. Gimme a break; my assistant was four-years-old. It started out well. The kit looked fun. I got it on sale even. Then I got home and opened it. The pieces were intact. Opening a box to broken pieces was one of my fears, so I checked it out before I even told the little guy about the house. The white frosting was easy to make. Just add water varieties usually are. They included packets of red and green dye that I opted not to use based on their packaging. Food coloring in plastic tubes sounded like a disaster to me. I figured that regular food coloring would be okay to use instead. More on this later. The kit included a plastic piping bag which I filled with white frosting. At this point I discovered why the icing instructions were adement on keeping the frosting moist through the use of wet cloths. Instantly my hands were spotted with fast-drying white dots and dribbles. The little guy and I started with the back wall and on of the side walls, per instructions. Note to self: Construction of gingerbread houses requires four capbable hands. I called for my husband to come help and distracted the little guy by sending him to show Grandma the house we were building and the other ones available. I hadn't opted for the train kit, but based on his coaxing, we might end up with it yet. Once the four walls and roof was one, I gave the little the special task of decorating with the available candies. Our base was a white cutting board that is seldom use due to its size. We drew sidewalks and made bushes and in general had fun. The little guy was disappointed that we didn't have any men to put in it, but overall, he was happy with the house we built. Next time, though, I'm going to trust the kit. Remember my food coloring substitution? The effect was really, really, really runny frosting. The windows were supposed to be red outlines. They look more like red globs. The verdict hasn't come in yet on the green bushes and trees yet. If they hardened sufficiently well by tonight I'll try to stick them on the house with regular frosting. Otherwise I'll just "drop" them. Overall, I had fun. I probably do it again next year, but no way am I doing this without a kit. I don't think I could handle all of the steps without a crutch.

How my Dog is Like God

Disclaimer: I am not trying to be sacrilegious, nor do I worship my dog. I have a 3 1/2 year old black lab named Elle. Every day I come home and she is thrilled to pieces to see me. She jumps around, trying to give me kisses. In her own way, she is asking how my day was. Regardless if I have been gone five minutes or ten hours, her reaction is always, "Hi, Mom, how's it going? What did you do?" I imagine that God works the same way when someone shows up for church, regardless of what day of the week the service is. "Hi, how's it going? What did you do today? Gosh, I'm really glad to see you." After I've spent some time talking to Elle and telling her that I am glad to see her too, we spend some time together doing what she wants. Some days it is playing fetch; other days it is petting her behind the ears in that special spot she loves so much. Once at church, I sit in my pew and think about what the pastor might have to say that day. Sometimes I'll know the hymn the organist is playing, other days I think of the talents that the organist has. I'll prepare for worship with prayer. When I get to church, I spend some time doing what makes God happy. When I am not feeling well, Elle sits and comforts me. She does what she can to make me feel better. God does what he can too, through medicines, good foods and rest. Elle likes it when I take her on car rides. She likes it when I take her for walks. God likes it when we take him along too. Elle guards my house at night. She sleeps by my feet and if she hears a strange noise, she growls alerting me to the possible danger. Usually there isn't any. God guards and watches out for us too. He keeps the trees from falling on our roof. He keeps the bad guys away from our house. He provides smoke detectors to alert us if necessary. Every day Elle reminds me of something else God does for us. I'm pretty sure it is not a coincidence.

Signs of the Holiday Season

Building gingerbread houses always sounds like lots of fun, but I never had done it. Fond du Lac actually sponsors a contest for the best among all entries. I wonder if using this site would disqualify me? Living in Oshkosh probably would.

New Ulm fire cleanup is greasy, gooey mess

I post this for all of us who have fond, and not so fond, memories of New Ulm, Minnesota. Can you imagine those poor people who have to trek up the Hill for classes right about now? I wonder if VP Shone will excuse them.

Hit Me, Please

I must have a "hit me" sign on the back of my truck. A couple of weeks ago I was involved in a minor fender bender in a parking lot. It's one of those where both of us were backing up and hit each other. The insurance claim jury is still out, but I anticipate it will come back 50-50 fault. My bumper is scratched, but nothing serious. We'll probably get it fixed out of pocket. Last night I was driving south on Hwy 41 near the Neenah-Menasha-Appleton area of things. It was foggy and rainy; the road weren't slick, but it was only a matter of time. I was in the far left lane of the three lane road. As I was passing a small SUV in the center lane, another car was following me so close that I couldn't see their head lights or most of their hood. I know I have a big truck, but tailgating is best done when I am parked at Lambeau field during daylight hours. As I moved in front of the small SUV in the center lane, I turned on my signal to indicate I was moving. I was really uncomfortable having someone following me that close, but it was evident that they were in more of a hurry than I was. I moved over, only to find yet another car was behind me in the center lane -- not the small SUV but a mid-sized sedan. I have no idea where they came from. All I know is I kept watching my mirrors and checking my blind spots. I assume that they were in the right hand lane and switched to the center about the same time I did. After the first tailgater was passed me, I moved back into the left lane. The mid-size sedan kept tailgating me with the same furousity of the original tailgater. As she drove by me, she flipped me off and screamed, "You -ucking -itch." I assume she meant me, and not the person to whom she spoke on the cell phone. She then whipped around another car in the right hand lane, moved in front of them and drove probably an 1/8 of a mile to exit at the Neenah Wal-Mart. I really don't know who would have been at fault if we had hit one another. From my point of view it was her fault. I'm sure she would have said that I didn't signal and she moved into the lane before I did, so I should have seen her. Maybe I should have. I have insurance and they are accidents, not on-purposes. What really bothers me is her reaction, which has become typical of every driver on the road. Few people use turn signals. Lane changes are random. Talking while driving is prevalent. Yet, I'm a -ucking -itch because I did everything possible to make sure that the lane was clear before I moved, including using my signal? Please, lady. Take responsibility for your actions. I was ahead of you, using my signal to indicate my intention to change lanes. You were far enough behind me that, if we had hit, you would have hit my bumper. I'm just going to have to remove that "hit me" sign. I just hope I can find it.

Where's the innovation?

At Dick's Daily Dose of Excel a great discussion has been filling the comment box. Stephen Bullen, a Microsoft MVP, asked "Where's the Innovation" in Excel? The comments and resulting discussion have been fabuous. I use Excel at work and would consider myself an Intermediate user. Dick's blog is great for research, posting and finding help. I've commented a couple of times on this discussion.

Winter Treats

Most people think of winter as a time for snow-related activities. Not me. I think of winter as hibernation. One of my very favorite winter treats makes its appearance around Christmas time. Oh sure, it can be found year round, probably, but in my mind it is a Christmas candy and always will be. The treat? Chocolate covered cherries. When I was young and foolish, one of my favorite weekend activities was a trip to the local department store. I'd get a book, usually romantic in nature, a new candle and a box of chocolate covered cherries. I didn't have a set time to start or anything like that, but the indulgence of reading a book in one sitting while burning a candle and eating a whole box of chocolate covered cherries was complete bliss. Now that I am old and pretend to be wise, I have kids and find that I am completely unable to indulge in the above described activity. I love my family, but (could you hear that one coming?) I would love to send them away for a day to enjoy my favored past time. Then I'd have them all come home so I could shower them with love.

Writer’s Toolbox

The following collection is really for my own purposes. But if I am collecting links of excellence and worthy of my time, I should bless the rest of you with the fruits of my labor. Many of these have come from the boards of NaNoWriMo. Thank you to everyone that is contributing and making it such a fertile field. Excellent Resources for Writers The Scriptorium has a great tool box for writers. How Stuff Works explains things to you that your characters already know about. Info Please is a collection of pop culture for any given year. If your opus takes place in 1927, this is where to find out the "common knowledge" of the day. Fantasy Writers contains most everything a fantasy writer would need. Role Playing Games Character sheets aren't just for D&D players. Great for fantasy novels or brain teasers for "normal" characters. Holly Lisle shares her experiences as a writer with the rest of us. She has a little bit of everything on her website, including a section on what it is really like to be a writer. Time Travel plots from various movies is explored on this site. Great for discovering rules and conventions of time travel. Sacred Texts has excellent works for those characters who worship outside of convential realms. Rough Draft, an alternative word processor. The program was written specifically for writers and has some unique features that cater to us. Organizations Wisconsin Region Writers' Association WisCon, the world's only feminist science fiction convention Available as a Word Document Please Email Requests to raspberry.latte [at] gmail [dot] com. In the subject line, say "Writer Documents" otherwise I'll think it is spam. If I have not sent you anything after a week or so, leave a comment somewhere and I'll for sure catch it. From Astrology.com Astrology Signs – personalities according to astrological signs Chinese Astrology – personalities according to the Chinese year The Elements – speak to the basic nature and temperament of a Sign The Qualities – address their manner of expression The Eclectics Character Sheet From BurningVoid.com RPG Character Sheet (Practical Questions and Inspirational Questions) Other Sources Basic Statistics – from NaNo participant krazikrys Thirty Days of World Building – from NaNo participant mortaine Stories, Ideas and Things to get Your Creative Juices Flowing Yes, this section is void of anything useful. I am working on it. My bookmarks are just in a different spot right now. Ideas are always welcomed and will be considered. If they do not meet criteria for any reason, they will not be posted. Please, don't ask what the criteria is. It will simply have to pass my ultra demanding test and evaluation.

Bookworm Report, November 2004

Even though the majority of my attention was on NaNo this month, I still had time to read. Basically, I gave up every side project and activity, except reading. A couple of the titles were re-reads. I love Patricia Wredes Enchanted Forest Series. I need to find and read the other titles. Maybe next month. For the month of November, I read 2,747 pages or 8 books. In 2001, I read 5,139 pages/19 books; 2002, 4,076 pages/13 books; 2003, 2,448 pages/7 books. Double Shot by Diane Mott Davidson Metro Girl by Janet Evanovich Night Watch by Terry Prachett London Bridge by James Patterson Hour Game by David Baldacci Mimosa Grove by Dinah McCall Talking to Dragons by Patricia Wrede Searching for Dragons by Patricia Wrede For the year, I've read 79 books, or 29,263 pages, which averages to 7 books a month, or 2,439 pages per month, and an average book length of 370 pages. Next month should be interesting. During Christmas break, I plan on joining the ranks of bad mommies and send my kid to day care even though I will be home. I firmly believe in the value of the routine. Plus, it will give me a chance to do things like clean without dodging small bodies or picking up the same collection of toys 800 times.

I'm a Purple Bar Winner

My Purple Bar shouts to the world that I am capable of writing 50,000 words in one month and producing a complete story. So what if it needs major work and editing since it is probably crap? I did it! I decided to be an over-achiever and write a little more, just incase. I went over by 51 words. Some could argue that the chapter titles don't count, but I would rebutt with "So what if it isn't story line. It's still content." Still others would contend that my practice of uncontractionizing my contractions doesn't count either. But I checked the rules and the forums. Survey says that it is Okay. I'm okay with what the survey says. I plan to do some editing, because as I have indictated before, I drew heavily from some of the people and places that I have known. I should be able to start on this during Christmas shut down. For those of you eagerly awaiting the conclusion of Cady's story, I'm picking up the pen again for that opus. If I can write a complete novel in one month and have 50,000 words for my readers, by goodness I can finish this story. Of course, first drafts are often less than perfect. The first goal will be completion. The second, perfection. Thanks for everyone's words of encouragement, good thoughts and good karma. I am feeling really proud of myself at the moment. Normal blogging activities should resume tomorrow.

Spying on Chat Rooms

I never know what to think about articles like this. On one hand, I don't want things like September 11th to happen. If terrorists are using means like chat rooms to communicate, then we should be able to find them. On the other hand, it feels like some sort of violation, much like finding out your little brother has been reading your diary. If I think of the internet and chat rooms as a restaurant or shopping mall, I do better. When talking in places like that, you expect people to be listening. In those situations, you can't help but hear kind of things. If I can think of it that way, I might be okay with it. Having to think of it in a different sense than how I instinctively think of it makes me think that my logic is flawed. (Poor sentence construction, I know.) The only violation then is the censoring that I do to myself cos I'm not willing to speak of certain things in public places. No rights are violated, but, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I just don't like it. It makes me think of books like Digital Fortress by Dan Brown. To what extremes will people go to protect the nation and violate privacy? This blogger found out. (via J-Walk)