Wisconsin Online for all the things to do in Wisconsin. The Milwaukee area is covered pretty well, at least. The Valley could use something like this. It's a great place to find bike trails, bike tours, bird watching hotspots and local events. It's one of my stops to answer the age-old question, "What do you want to do today?"
What was the last movie you saw in the theater? I think it was National Treasure with Nicholas Cage. An excellent movie recently released on DVD for $19.99. I know our tickets cost $16, since my husband and I pay out of one money pot. I'm pretty sure at least soda and popcorn were involved, but sometimes we find things in our pockets or my purse once we are already inside. I have no idea how that happens. If we did get the popcorn and soda there, it would have been the combo that's about $10. Crazy, isn't it? For $20 I could own the movie, but instead I had a one time experience with it on the big screen for $26. Every year the movie industry states that ticket sales are down. Every week, they report the highest grossing movie, usually making millions of dollars. Yet, I can own it for $20, if I am willing to wait 3-6 months for the DVD release. Sure I have to provide my own popcorn and soda, but for the extra six bucks, I can buy a box of microwave popcorn and a six pack of soda. If my fellow viewers prove to be talkers, I can throw popcorn or a pillow at them instead of shh-ing them to no avail. I am not subjected to a commercial loop or promos that I don't want to watch. And I get behind the scene clips that are usually as entertaining as the movie. Unless it is going to be totally awesome to see on the big screen, I'm skipping the theater and going straight to DVD section of Target.
The ducklings have hatched. My husband went out to check on them as he always does and comes back in, "I'm a father!" which really wasn't news as both of his boys were in the same room as us. We saw three of them in the crook of the tree. The momma duck has tolerated our looks and glances well. The babies are a little more adventurous and actually let my husband pet them. But yesterday afternoon, when he went to show them to a neighbor, they were gone already. We live near a creek and figured that she took them down there. They were already two days old, we figure. I'm just glad we didn't have to haul out the Baby Names book.
My husband says that I'm impossible to buy for. That he never knows what to get me. I decided to help him out by setting up a wish list at a few of my favorite stores. Just click on the link below and search for my name. It will show you what I've been wishing for. This is more fun than a wedding registry, let me tell ya' Amazon.com and click the link "Wish Lists." When you search for my name, use the one with the right birthday. Evidently there is another me out there. NordicNeedle.com and click the link "Search Wish Lists."
And Marian Keyes captures it in The Other Side of the Story. The novel begins with Gemma, whose father has just left her mother. Gemma herself was recently jilted when Lily stole her boyfriend. Lily just published a best seller and now JoJo, her agent, calmoring for the next book. JoJo is looking for her next best selling author and believes that it might just be Gemma, who has been writing about her own life. Or at least, what she wishes it was. This is the first Marian Keyes novel I've read, but I'm going back for more.
Is it possible that Google is the Wal-mart of the electronic world? Wired seems to think so.
Remember health class? The four food groups and the lovely square, at least if you are my age or older. I remember the shift to the pyramid, in order to incorportate fats and oils and split fruits and veggies into two categories. But the USDA has hit the 21st century and gone hi-tech. The new Pyramid is interactive based on age, gender and activity level. If this isn't enough for your tracking needs, they also have added a food and exercise journal, much like eDiets or Weight Watchers online. It takes your 1 cup of Honey Nut Cheerios and converts it to the equivalent grain serving and the percentage of your daily intake that it meets. It's slow, but pretty cool, if interested in tracking your food intake in detail. The only glitch that I found was that the pyramid generated from age, gender and activity level is different than the comparitive one inside the food intake equivalent. The differences aren't huge, but enough that you should decide which really is the one to follow and remember the percents from the first chart, if it is the one to follow.
Rummage sales are a favorite past time in my house. For most of us, at least. My kids love being able to park the vehicle and walk from one to the next, in search of treasures. I love looking for bargains that I want, know someone that whats it, or never knew that I had a need for it until I spotted it in the seller's garage. For instance, the wicker baker's rack and chair that I got last summer were a steal. As soon as I saw them I knew that they would be perfect in my back porch, even though I hadn't actually been looking for them. Books are one of those things that we always find on sale. My kids love to read and I love finding them for 10, 25 or 50 cents. My husband seems to have missed the finer points of rummaging. It's not so much about getting it done, unlike running errands. It's more about the time spent looking for those unknown treasures, walking from one to the next and the time spent together. I have obnoxious kids, I'm the first to admit it. But when it comes to rummage sales, the five year old has an agenda -- look for SpongeBob, Thomas, books and Blue's Clues. Movies and books are the stacks he looks for first, going for the toys last while I persue the adult books and kid's clothes. He is pretty good, unless it is close to lunch or there isn't anything for him to look at. Our rummaging party this last weekend included my husband. It wasn't until after I threatened to drop him off at home, that he understood I was serious about not rushing and taking our time. The kids weren't behaving nearly as bad and he thought and yes, we weren't looking for anything in particular, we were just looking. If he plans to come each and every time I go, I'm going to have to train him a bit better. After all, this is definitely an activity where the journey is more important than the end.
Laurie Notaro has got to be one of the bravest writers I know. Average Jane mentioned her on her blog, once upon a time, and I noted the name, curious to see what sort of stories Jane was reading. I am always surprised that people intentionally read non-fiction. I usually come across it by accident, as I had when I picked up Pledged. It was in the Lucky Day section and caught my eye. Ms Notaro writes tales of her life. The first book The idiot girls' action adventure club contains the tales that anyone who is single would normal wish to hide. Or, at least, pretend during the re-telling that it happened to a friend rather than yourself. I laughed outloud at her descriptions of the crazy corners of her life that most of us won't admit to having. The second book Autobiography of a Fat Bride didn't make me laugh outloud. I still enjoyed it, but not to the same degree that I did the first. Perhaps her tales of new marriage and growing old struck a little too close to home. Or, perhaps, it just wasn't as good as the first. At the time of this posting, these are the only books of Ms Notaro's that the Oshkosh Public library has. I plan to keep an eye out for others, should more crop up.
Ever since I posted about wanting email quizzes (thanks, by the by, Kelli) I have been getting tons of page hits from people looking for them. I haven't a clue to whether or not this is the sort of one that they are looking for, but I aim to please. Kelli sent me two versions, which I then combined and promised to return to her once I had completed them with my character descriptions for the latest novel I am working on. (See, Kelli? I didn't forget, I just haven't gotten them down yet.) The questions are... 1. What is your full name? 2. What color underwear are you wearing? 3. What are you listening to right now? 4. Legs crossed? 5. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? 6. How is the weather right now? 7. Last person you talked to on the phone? 8. First things you notice about the opposite sex? 9. Do you like the person who sent you this? 10. How are you today? 11. Favorite drink? 12. Favorite alcoholic drink? 13. Hair color? 14. Eye color? 15. Do you wear contacts? 16. Siblings? 17. Favorite food? 18. Last movie you watched? 19. Favorite day of the year? 20. Saturday or sunday? 21. Are you too shy to ask someone out? 22. Summer or winter? 23. Hugs or kisses? 24. Chocolate or vanilla? 25. Do you want your friends to write back? 26. Who's most likely to respond? 27. Who is least likely to respond? 28. Living arrangements? 29. What books are you reading? 30. Did you wake up before your alarm went off? 31. Buttered, plain, or salted popcorn? 32. Favorite crisps? 33. Favorite car(s)? 34. Were you named after anyone 35. Do you wish on stars? 36. When did you last cry? 37. Do you like your handwriting? 38. What is your favorite lunch meat? 39. What is your birth date? 40. What is your most embarrassing cd? 41. If you were another person, would you be friends with you? 42. Do you have a journal? 43. What are your nicknames? 44. Would you bungee jump or sky dive? 45. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? 46. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? 47. Shoe size? 48. Silver or gold? 49. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? 50. Who do you miss most? 51. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? 52. Last thing you ate? 53. Favorite sport? 54. What did you watch last night on tv? 55. Favorite sounds? 56. East coast rap or down south? 57. What's the furthest you've been from home? 58. Do you have a special talent? 59. What is the biggest secret that you’ve kept and for how long?
I've been reading Jory Des Jardins' blog Pause... for some time now. I like her sense of humor and style of writing. In a parallel universe, I'd be Jory. Her latest post What do Women Want had me nodding my head in recoginition and, occasionally, embarassment as I found traits of myself in her post. She recently attended a marketing seminar focused on marketing to women. Her thoughts about the seminar reflect what I feel on most days.
I mean, I'm a woman by definition, but I've never felt I was a typical female. I've spent an inordinate amount of time being the anti-female. Not male, per se, but not exactly a card-carrying, silicone inserting, meal skipping, child-bearing, strappy-heel-wearing type either. I figured perhaps they could enlighten me, as I often struggle with that question; not so much, "What do women want?" but "What do I want?" Maybe, by being surrounded by other women who could provide statistic breakdowns of what we seem to want, I would get some ideas. Maybe, along with some swag and a few business cards I'd score an epiphany. I felt fortunate being there on a don't-really-need-to-know basis. Those whose livelihoods depend on marketing to women are fairly screwed; imagine resting your career on an ever-shifting market. The opening presentation, given by Frank About Women, asserted that demo targeting is a no-no when marketing to women. Afterall, who is, say, the typical mother of a small child? Today, she's in her teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, or older if she's the primary caretaker of a grandchild. She's got a husband, or no husband, or maybe a wife. She spends her husband's money, or she spends her money on her husband. She floats between monikers of stay-at-home Mom, career woman, desperate housewife, DIY home renovator. Whoever she is, she prefers that you provide her with a solution, not a lifestyle option--she's already made her choices there, thank you.Read on at Jory's site.
Everything is better, today. As it turns out, the baby did have croup, but is doing remarkably well. Today it is me that is homesick. Not actually sick, I'll be going to work, but I want to stay home with him another day, just to play with him and be with him. Yesterday really showed me some of what I'm missing by being a working mom. Maybe a rich relative that I know nothing about will leave me enough money so that I can. On the other hand, by the end of this next weekend, I'll probably be ready to go back to work on Monday as they will have driven me nuts over the weekend. Never can have what we want, eh?
It's not me, though, it's the youngest. This is the worst part of being a parent. He woke-up with a raspy breathing and cough. No fever; it's a little below normal actually. I'm thinking, I'll stay home from work and my husband thinks, he can go to daycare. I have no idea which is the right response. Am I being too cautious? Is my husband too practical? Afterall, every other time we've taken him into the doctors, it has been a virus that they can't/don't treat. Who's to say that today isn't any different? I erred on the side of caution, but I'll probably being kicking myself after the doctor's appointment. Anyway, I'm at home today, instead of working. Well, I'm still working, just not at work.
You have to live in Wisconsin to truly appreciate snow on the first day of May. I'm so ready for warm weather. I haven't rode bike in two weeks I bet. For the month of April, I read 2,606 pages or 8 books. In 2001, I read 3,027 pages/15 books; 2002, 1,858 pages/3 books; 2003, 2,589 pages/6 books; 2004, 1,166 pages/3 books.
I will occasionally burn cds for people. But I'm cheap and generally buy my cds in bulk on a spindle and never have cases. Thanks to this website, I can make my own Paper Cd Case. Now I won't look like such a cheap bastard, just inventive.
I used to not eat it as much as I do now. I hated peeling the little buggers. Then, my friend and fellow blogger, Matthew, showed me a way that renewed my kiwi eating enthusiasm. Cut it in half. Use a spoon to scoop out the fruit. Voila! No peeling required. Thanks, Matt. Here's a half a kiwi to you.
Interested in being a con artist? The Dempsey family follows in their father's footprints whether they like it or not. Sophie Dempsey, in Welcome to Temptation, tries to keep her sister and brother in line while helping out her brother's ex-wife. The ex-wife and brother take off at the end of the book for an adventure of their own, continued in the next book, Faking It. Only Davy falls in love with yet another family of cons -- art cons. Thoroughly delighted with the whole series, family and love how the characters come back and let you know what is going on. As soon as I can, I'm going to read the other novels by Jennifer Crusie. A couple of the characters from Welcome to Temptation really should have a book of their own.
I spent my weekend un-earthing my sun porch. During the winter it is the collection spot for cardboard, misc broken items, things that probably should go in the garage but haven't yet and various other items. In reality it should house our lawn chairs and a table. I made sure it did. I can't quite convince my husband that eating out there would be fun, but my kids are all for it. On Saturdays and Sundays it makes a great spot to relax in, yet be able to hear the dryer buzz signalling that my next load is read to fold. Speaking of which...
...in Wisconsin anyway. This cheap gas site relies totally on vistors to update it. I work near a Kwik Trip and have found that the prices have been faithful between website and pump. Thanks, Ruth
Remember how I said one day I'd own a duck, because my kids and my husband would gang up on me? Nature chipped in too. A pair of mallards can often be found in either our yard or one of the neighbor's. They're a cute couple as they trot down the sidewalk or perch on the front step. Evidently their visits were scouting trips for a new home as they decided to build their nest in the tree in our front yard. Yes, I said, a tree. The nook of choice was the lowest of all available to them, but it still puts them 8 or 9 feet off the ground. The female seldom leaves since she has eggs up there as well. I know that they've been there for a while, but I have no clue as to how long. Two of the eggs have dropped to the ground and cracked. My husband, ever the concerned naturalist, finished cracking them open and figures it is a week or two before she has ducklings. Now that we know that they are there, duck feed has been purchased. My husband is trying to figure out how to get a water dish up there for her too. He did go so far as to take out the Red Ryder BB gun and practice his aim, just to warn off preditors. Our neighbor lost $50 in a bet to his girlfriend. He was convinced that we were feeding him a line, while she believed us. I just want to know how the female knew that of all the yards she surveyed, ours would offer the most protection in the form of my husband.
A slim volume with two new stories that fill in the gaps between the three novels previously published by Eoin Coulfer. Also included are interviews with select characters, namely Artemis, Holly, Julian, Butler, etc. One of the stories details how Holly earned her position in LEPrecon. It has a great ending twist that fills in character detail that you know is there, but love to see. I still need to translate the three-page Fairy Language passage that is in middle. More interesting details are to be found, I'm sure.
My family really loves a good lasagna. My normal recipe is somewhat haphazard, ie. if you aren't comfortable not using measurements, don't ask me for it. When I make this particular dish, I start in the morning and let it sit in either my fridge or my back porch (if it is in the winter) until supper time. I firmly believe that part of its greatness is the sitting period. Sometimes, it just sounds really good and I don't have the time to make it the way I want. Presenting, Fake Lasagna.
Wanted: One Groom by Pat Ballard was one of the most unrealistic and hard to swallow books I've ever read. The premise is the main character, Hanna Rockwell, needs to get married and fast if she wants to inherit her grandfather's riches. Plot twists include extra-marital affairs, ex-rock star comebacks and finding true love through arranged marriages. The one good thing about the book was Hanna represented a real woman with weight issues. The bad side to this issue is the way her brother reacts to her imperfection. I couldn't buy it. He was nasty and insulting in a thoroughly unbelievable fashion. The arranged marriage theme is cute, if you are a teenager or young adult. I could truly imagine having enjoyed this book when I was thirteen or fourteen, but not as an adult. It's books like this that make me believe that my own writing efforts can find a voice, an audience and a publishing contract.
J-Walk has spent more time customizing his cd collection that I do reading. But this tweak takes the cake.
Jodi Picoult writes women's fiction. She dives into the issues faced by mothers. Each book of I've read has made a small part of me stand up and say, "Yes! Me too!" Whenever I pick up a Jodi Picoult book, I know that I'm going to explore corners of my life that I had no idea existed. Songs of the Humpback Whale was no exception. The novel is told in the voices of five characters -- Father, Mother, Daughter, Mother's lover and Mother's Brother. Just knowing the voices Ms Picoult uses should be enough to give you a bit of the storyline. The father is a marine biology, specializing in the study of whales. He loves them completely, a love that takes over the life of his family. One day the mother has had enough and leaves. The great part about using every character to tell the story is the sympathy develops for each person trapped in the same passage. The faults of the mother, father and daughter are laid open in a way that I've never encoutered before. This is the second novel of Ms Picoult's that I have read, but her first written. The other was Harvesting the Heart, a beautiful story of young, reluctant, motherhood. Her name is on my list of "To Be Read" so I get to all of her works.
I rode to work for the first time yesterday. It took me about 20 minutes to go 3 1/2 miles. Granted, I'm not breaking any speed records, but it really isn't as long of a ride as I thought it would be. I enjoy riding for a couple of reasons. It's good exercise. I'm moving my own body weight, the weight of the carrier and the weight of the passengers in the carrier. Thank God that it is only one passenger at this point. By going slower, I see more things and get a different view of Oshkosh. You know how sidewalks usually dipped down and meet the surface of the road? Well, they don't always. I'm okay with it as my bike has shocks. But poor baby in the carrier. He is bounced around like tumbleweed when they don't. For the routes I've taken, I know if the road or the sidewalk is better to ride on. I meet people biking on busy streets like 20th and I think, I'm not that brave, especially with the carrier. People see me, but not the flag behind me that means a carrier. Spring means green, but this year I'm discovering that green comes in many more shades and tones than I ever realized. One of the trails I like goes through some thick foliage along the river. I cannot wait to see what that will look like when everything fills in. As a child I was always more interested in reading, mainly an inside activity. As a high school and college student, I kept my interest in reading, but also was busy with homework and for money work. As an adult, I still love to read and am glad to see my boys doing it. But I'm learning to balance my reading with other activities. Like bicycling.
First in the "His Dark Materials" series, followed by The Amber Spyglass and The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman. I've read the series before, but during college. I think that my brain was distracted as I am reading more things into the book than before. Or it could be the experience in knowing how it ends and the symbolism of Dust. The Amber Spyglass is sitting on my shelf to be read. I never purchased The Subtle Knife and it is books-to-purchase list. The first installment follows Lyra, a girl left in the care of the Scholar from Oxford College. Except Oxford isn't the Oxford you and I could visit. Instead it is Oxford in a parallel universe where people have daemons, an animal companion that is with them constantly. The deeper, under-lying connection between a daemon and its human is difficult to explain. The best word I have for it is an embodied soul, but even that doesn't really convey it. Lyra's world is carefree until one summer when the Gobblers come to Oxford. Their arrival coincides with Lyra's discovery of her parentage and a gift more precious than any other she has known. Armed only with the friendship of the Gypies, the alethiometer and her daemon, Lyra begins the journey that will change the world as everyone knows it. Interesting note: This volume was released with a different title in the UK -- The Golden Compass and Northern Lights are the same book.
Ever since I decided to summarize the books I've read, two things have come to my attention
If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamous sketch, "Who's on first?" might have turned out something like this: COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you? COSTELLO: Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer. ABBOTT: Mac? COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou. ABBOTT: Your computer? COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one. ABBOTT: Mac? COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou. ABBOTT: What about Windows? COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here? ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows? COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows? ABBOTT: Wallpaper. COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software. ABBOTT: Software for Windows? COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have? ABBOTT: Office. COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything? ABBOTT: I just did. COSTELLO: You just did what? ABBOTT: Recommend something. COSTELLO: You recommended something? ABBOTT: Yes. COSTELLO: For my office? ABBOTT: Yes. COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office? ABBOTT: Office. COSTELLO: Yes, for my office! ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows. COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need? ABBOTT: Word. COSTELLO: What word? ABBOTT: Word in Office. COSTELLO: The only word in office is office. ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows. COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows? ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue "W." COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue "w" if you don't start with some straight answers. OK, forget that. Can I watch movies on the Internet? ABBOTT: Yes, you want Real One. COSTELLO: Maybe a real one, maybe a cartoon. What I watch is none of your business. Just tell me what I need! ABBOTT: Real One. COSTELLO: If it's a long movie, I also want to watch reels 2, 3 and 4. Can I watch them? ABBOTT: Of course. COSTELLO: Great! With what? ABBOTT: Real One. COSTELLO: OK, I'm at my computer and I want to watch a movie. What do I do? ABBOTT: You click the blue "1". COSTELLO: I click the blue one what? ABBOTT: The blue "1". COSTELLO: Is that different from the blue w? ABBOTT: The blue "1" is Real One and the blue "W" is Word. COSTELLO: What word? ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows. COSTELLO: But there are three words in "office for windows"! ABBOTT: No, just one. But it's the most popular Word in the world. COSTELLO: It is? ABBOTT: Yes, but to be fair, there aren't many other Words left. It pretty much wiped out all the other Words out there. COSTELLO: And that word is real one? ABBOTT: Real One has nothing to do with Word. Real One isn't even part of Office. COSTELLO: STOP! Don't start that again. What about financial book-keeping? You have anything I can track my money with? ABBOTT: Money. COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have? ABBOTT: Money. COSTELLO: I need money to track my money? ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer. COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer? ABBOTT: Money. COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer? ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge. COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much? ABBOTT: One copy. COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money? ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money. COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money? ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT! (A few days later) ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you? COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off? ABBOTT: Click on "START"... Thanks, Mike
I'm looking for one of those email quizzes -- the one that ask you to survey yourself, surroundings and life. The ones that always ask at the end, who is least likely to reply. The ones that I never complete.
I need one. I'm developing new characters for a book and I think that they are the type of people who would answer this if someone sent it to them.
If you have one, please email it to me.
Thanks for your assistance in my artist endevours.
UPDATE: Thanks for everyone who helped. I have posted two of that I found; one here and the other here.
We recently invested in an aquariam set-up. Not, one, but two. And by invested, I mean spent obscene amounts of money on. But we saved because we bought it from someone else, rather than new. One of the tanks was for my oldest last birthday. We thought it would be fun to have a tank in his room so he could watch fish while he goes to sleep. He likes it, as do we. His is a small tank, 20 gallons. It's just big enough to be annoying when changing water, but not so big that it bites to haul buckets up and down the steps. The other tank is the focal piece when you walk in our front door. Registering in a 75 gallons, it has taken us some time to get set-up and find the various types of fish we want. The smaller tank had been set-up first, mainly with community fish. The larger tank has semi-aggressive fish and the Mob. We have two catfish, both of which have names that make their species readily identifiable, but neither of which I can remember. Let's just call them The Boss and His Minion. The Boss is a large-ish cat who prefers to come out only during the night and when no one is watching. He has taken residence in the local castle. I fear that one day he will be too big to leave and starvation will occur. His Minion, a small cat with long whiskers, pops out of the castle frequently and checks on the status of the tank and make sure that everyone is paying their respects to The Boss. I can always tell when The Boss has been out. Plants are moved, Spongebob has been roughed up, and my blue rock river has flooded his banks. He also has the plecostomus under his wing, er, fin. Most days the plecostomus is inside the castle too, rather than doing his job of sucking the sides of the tank. The whole situation thoroughly pisses my husband off. See, he used to have another Boss fish, entrusted to another care-taker. The whereabouts of this fish are unknown, hence the replacement. Instead of being the friendly, greet you at the door type, ours is a Mob Boss. On the whole, I like the fish. Often, visitors will find me parked on one of the kids' chairs, watching the large tank in the front room. Sometimes, I'll have a kid or dog on my lap. Mostly, I'm left to watch the fish alone. Better than swimming with them.
Shopaholic & Sister and Can you Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella are great reading. Fun characters, great stories, good entertainment. Shopaholic & Sister is actually the fourth in a series about Becky Bloomwood, ex-financial expert and shopper extraordinaire. Becky has a bit of a shopping problem that any woman can relate to. But Becky's is worse, so yours doesn't feel so bad. Can you Keep a Secret? is about Emma, a girl trying to make it in the corporate world, both professionally and romantically. Ms. Kinsella looks at another aspect of women -- white lies and secrets. Everyone has them and most know the code -- if she say size six, it's an eight. Both novels are set in London, but the universal truths that both Becky and Emma face could be happening in the cube next to me. Ms Kinsella also has a website filled with fun quizzes and information about the two series she pens.
By Random Acts of Reality Blogging at work is something that fascinates me. I love this London's ambulance driver's response to people who blog at work and think nothing of it. By the way, this is an excellent blog. I really enjoy his writing style and thoughts.
The Broker begins with the normal hooks that John Grisham fans know and love. The story setting description makes me want to jump on the nearest plane and head off to Italy, to experience the culture and live a little. The ending, however, is typical of his work since Painted House. It leaves me hanging for more thinking that the resolution isn't really there. My husband has the same dissatified feeling after he finished the book too. I miss the early days of his work with the die hard ending, whether it was the one you wanted (The Rainmaker) or the one you didn't (The Chamber).
Last month I read Pledge by Alexandra Robbins. As guessed by the title, the book is a study and discussion of the effect of sororities on women, their fraternity brothers and the campuses that host them. Ms Robbins takes her readers through one year in four young women's lives. Each at a different stage in their college careers, each from different ethic and social backgrounds. While the stories are individual voices, their experiences line-up with one another, easily illustrating the similarities of the experience. While I was in college the first time around, I toyed with the idea of pledging to a sorority. At that particular campus they were a minor part of the college experience and I decided against it for a few reasons -- fees, requirement to live in the house, the attitude of the person who gave us a tour, and no one else I knew was interested. I have to wonder if that small college in the backwaters would have prompted the same experience. The study Ms Robbins performed took place in Texas, where being Greek is expected of most college students. Definitely worthwhile to read. I was excited to see that I could find out what else happened to the four main characters by visiting the website but disappointed to see that I needed a password, which was easily accessed in the book, provided that I had not returned it to the library. I'll have to reserve it, look-up the last word on page 183 and come back to the site. Unless, of course, one of my readers decides to do the same.
One of the biggest decision ever made in life comes at the tender age of 17 or 18 during college and major selection. The decision can be put off or changed, but if delayed the pressure only continues. Mike Davidson of Mike Industries.com has great advice for those who want to be web designers. Man, I wished I had this sort of thing about seven or eight years ago when I was trying to figure out what to do with my life. This is some great advice. Instead I decided to go a different route in a company that has no career development for my particular role. So as I forge my own way, I searched for and found this interesting handout from the Council of Logistics Management. It has helped me think about where I want to be in five, ten or fifteen years. Things have changed a bit since I was a kid and the choices were doctor, teacher or nurse. I cannot wait until my own children start to wrestle with this decision. Knowing what I do now about careers and option that truly are available is a much better start than what I had. Perhaps it is the difference between where I live and where I grew-up. Either way, I envy the youth today.
As most Americans, I'm some what out of shape, spend too much time in front of a screen (whether it be a tv or monitor) and not enough time being active. Tell you what, keeping up with two mobile kids is taking its toll. I decided that since my employer is nice enough to let me out of work by 4 pm most days and the time of darkness by 4:30 is past, I would take up a new activity -- bike riding. My biggest problem was the age of my bike combined with toting around one of the afore mentioned small children on daily basis. A trip to Wheel and Sprocket quickly put an end to whatever misgivings I may have harbored. The last time I bought a brand spankin' new bike I was living in a tiny town in the back woods of South Dakota and thought Roxette was the coolest band in the world. Things have changed. My new bike has shock absorbers on it, folks. Do you have any idea what shocks are like on a bike? It makes the river-side trails enjoyable. I didn't get a mountain bike, but a hybrid called a Navigator. It has some of the great things about a mountain bike (bumpy wheels that are great for gripping) combined with the smooth racing bike (quick shifting and light weight). The staff was fantastic. When I walked it, I'm sure I didn't look like the normal bike enthusiast. But the salesman (who's name escapes me. Sorry, but I do know that he is really the head mechanic) was patient with our questions, explained the differences, asked what I'd be using the bike for and recommended the appropriate safety equipment since I would also be hauling a child carrier. I've taken my bike out about four times in the last two weeks, each time riding for more than 3 miles, usually closer to 6 or 7. It has been a fantastic way to explore the city. I live on the west side of town, near West High. This prime location makes many of the trails along the creek and river readily available. While sidewalks and busy streets are a necessary evil that I am adjusting to, I love these trails. So does my riding buddy, comfortable and cozy from his perch in the carrier, while guzzling his cup of chocolate milk. If you see someone who might be me, say hi.
The Best Website contest has ended and I've won best blog in Oshkosh! I'm honored to have been nominated and hope that this contest helps people to see what else is going on in Oshkosh. Maybe some of the readers will even be inspired to start their own blog or website. As a means to that end, I will be teaching a workshop as part of the library's teen workshop series over the summer. The theme for the summer is "Express Yourself" and my portion will cover blogging -- the basic set-up and HTML that I use in my own blog. See the library for further details.
Sorry about the bit of time off from blogging, but I figured you had enough of book lists. For the month of March, I read 3,634 pages or 11 books. In 2001, I read 5,047 pages/20 books; 2002, 1,819 pages/5 books; 2003, 562 pages/2 books; 2004, 1,881 pages/5 books. March
Ultralingua.net has got to be the best place I know of online when searching for words in other languages. For instance, with the above search I needed to know the Italian for blue. I got it in noun and verb form (the color blue and to color blue. It was so great.) I use simple translations like this in my writing. I'll leave you to guess why I needed to translate blue to Italian.
Microsoft Access is an evil necessity. My record database at work is huge. Like Excel is rapidly running out of lines, huge. As a consequence of being the administrator, over-seer and all-around-babysitter of said database, I am required to learn Microsoft Access. Let me tell you, having a conversation about getting access to Access causes major confusing for the IT support that is to install it, as well as any other cube dwelling neighbors who are listening to your conversation. I like Excel. I'm comfortable with it. I know how to get what I want and check my data to make sure it makes sense. I don't like Access. It's uncomfortable. I can't get what I think I should be able to. I don't know if my data makes sense. It is a slow, plodding and some what painful road that I walk right now. I keep reminding myself that I'll be a better person for it when I'm done. Or when I'm done I'll be a better person to be around since I won't be cursing under my breath every few seconds.
I should probably apologize for the lengthy book lists I've posted, but I won't. One of the things I want to do on my blog is give book reviews and I've been rather lax about it. To make my lists complete, I decided that I also needed to post my past readings and link to the applicable month. Once in that month, starting with March 2005, I want to the the title linked to the review I have done as well. This public proclamation is to guilt me into doing it even when I don't feel like it. Thanks for being patient with my tediousness.
January
January
January
(none)
October
January
For the Sake of my sanity... I'm one of those horribly consistent people and it bothers me that I refer to something but never posted it. Hence, post of the master list of books read, by year. January
I'm ripping some of the cds I had when I was in high school. It amazes me how when I play certain tracks, albums, lyrics, I have a flood of memories. Some good, some bad. It has been quite the trip. I'm currently listening to Violent Femmes "Blister in the Sun." If that doesn't date me, then I don't know what else would. I love these guys. Having an MP3 player is really motivating me to re-discover my music collection. And it makes those free tunes from Pepsi and iTunes much more useful than they used to be.
...as much as I love people who use the symbol for hearts instead of typing "love" (lazy bums.) My work flow was recently impacted by a seemingly arbitrary decision. In the long run it truly makes no difference to me, but it annoys me none the less. (And although I swore off blogging about work, I'm breaking the rules.) As I administer my databases, I have to write reports so that the database makes since to those less intimately acquainted with it than me. (What? Why don't you know that Column BD clearly is the product of Column D and AC.) As I design these reports using my own personal sense of style and propriety, I jot notes to myself on a legal pad. Nothing fancy as no one other than myself can read the incomprehensible scribbles. Quite frankly, often times I cannot read them, either. I rummaged through my supply room closet one day to appropriate a new legal pad only to find that the stack had been replaced with something called "Project Planner" notebooks. A quick inquiry of the administrative staff solved the problem: "The X-Team prefers these, so we aren't going to stock legal pads anymore. I can order them for you, if you want." An order that will take up to a week to get here, provided that it is remembered when placing the order. No, thanks. I took one of the "Project Planners" and set back to my cube. What an utterly useless piece of s***. The whole thing has a spiral wire binding it together. Perfect for catching on sweaters (which by the way are a staple in the summer because hypothermia is possible when sitting in front of a computer all day long.) As if the spiral weren't enough, the pages are perforated. Perfect for easy remove -- intentionally and unintentionally. The icing on the cake came when I tried to turn to the second page; spiral wire binding being insufficient by the publisher's standards, the left edge of the pages were pasted together like a good binding on a paperback book. While the decision may have started as arbitrary, it has become a full-fledged p.i.t.a.*. *Pain In The Ass
Deny it all he wants, it still comes off sounding like sour grapes.
"I want to tell the truth," said Ben Rowling. "She based a lot of the character on myself." He said it was "aggravating" knowing what he believed was true when the author has publicly denied his claims. "It's about respect." With Ben Rowling hooked up to a polygraph machine, he appeared on PAX-TV's Lie Detector and was asked: Are you claiming to be the real-life Harry Potter to benefit from your cousin's financial success? Are you claiming to be the real-life Harry Potter in order to have fame? He responded "no" to each question and was told later in the show that their test indicated he was telling the truth. "I came here to prove I'm the real-life Harry Potter, and I did it," he said.The thing about polygraph tests is that they are somewhat easy to beat. If you truly believe the answer as given, you can beat it. Doesn't really prove that the answer is right, just that the person truly believes in what they are saying.
If you have been a regular reader of my blog, you know that I like to save money. I pursue the MSN Money boards for realistic tips and tricks for someone of my financial standing. My favorite poster, Liz Pulliam Weston, came up with ten gimmicks that can make saving fun and less painful.
“It’s a hook, kind of like ‘no carbs’ is a hook,” says Chatzky, financial editor for NBC’s Today Show. “This is a problem we need to get our hands around. . . . (We need) some sort of mental game we can play with ourselves that will help us solve the problem.” If we were entirely logical, of course, we wouldn’t need hooks or gimmicks or any of the little self-delusions that in reality can be so helpful in giving ourselves a financial cushion.I've used one of the tricks listed -- padding my checkbook. It has covered my butt a couple of times. But I really like a couple of the others too. I'm going to have to decide which will be my next savings gimmick.
...which was a bit disappointing. But I did receive another "first" email from him. Gosh, I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to get those funds.
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. StacieLet the games begin!
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.
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.
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.
...read the next Harry Potter book in one sitting. "Boss, I'm sick. I have Potter-itis. The only cure is to read."
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!
...hand a "Shut-up" card to anyone having an extremely personal phone conversation in an extremely public area.
...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.
...work in a porn shop. Then I could tell people "Have a good time" and know that they most likely will.
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?
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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.
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.
