I won a Nook - now in COLOR!

I am way behind in my blog reading. I blame work. And kids. And cleaning. And ALL those books I'm trying to read. 

Which I am now going to try reading on the NookColor I won! 

(Courtesy of Rita at Surrender, Dorothy Reviews and Barnes & Noble. You rock!)

I'll be using it for the first time tomorrow - finally heading to Michigan for work. In winter. Surrounded by record-breaking snow falls. Lovely. 
Good thing I'll have the Nook to keep me warm.

Open letter to Stephen King

It's not you; it's me.

Really...I hate to let you go, after all, you were my first author-love. At age 13 I picked up Nightmares and Dreamscapes and I was hooked. You drew me into a completely new world. A dangerous one that I hid from my parents. My first "secrets."

As soon as I had the money, I began collecting your books (and I'm embarrassed to say, stealing the older ones in paperback from the library). Over the years I was obsessed with reading everything your pen put to paper. My friends gave me crap about my single-mindedness, but I knew you and I were connected. We had something special they just didn't understand.

As in all relationships, we had our ups and downs -- you had some greats (The Stand, The Dead Zone, Hearts in Atlantis) and some serious stinkers (Insomnia, Regulators/Desperation). I didn't let it bother me - I knew that everyone has their faults, and I forgave you.

I saw you once in person when I was in college - you drove your Harley onto the stage and I knew what it was to get hot for someone I admired and respected. You did not disappoint. Totally the highlight of my Freshman year. I'll never forget that moment.

This is so hard for me to say, but we've grown apart. I'm sure you've noticed it too - how could you not? I've gotten older, found more interests. I've come to realize that death is no laughing matter and we're all too close to it as it is; I just don't want to read about gratuitous violence, no matter how creative and slightly amusing. I no longer carry a vision of my own immortality. I know death can be ugly. I don't need the adjectives from you to draw the pictures for me.

We just don't have anything in common! I thought I'd give it one last try and I picked up "Under the Dome." I tried to read it, I swear. I really, really did! But I have to confess, I only made it to into the 70s...I even scanned ahead, hoping to get drawn back in...and I was so disappointed when all I saw was more of the same. (Misunderstood, outsider hero. Large, mean, stupid bad guy, who I assume later is discovered to be just the little bad guy and there is a much worse one in the plot. Oodles of blood...you know. The usual.)

I'm sorry, but I just can't do it anymore. I need authors with more meat in their stories than just appendages being cleaved off. I need more emotion than fear, hate and loathing. When you write well, it's a dream come true. I miss the feelings you gave me when I first picked up "Nightmares." Maybe it's not fair of me to put that on you, but it's for the best that I move on.

I packed up your things. What I didn't sell or donate, I left in a box in my basement. Feel free to come pick them up.

Just call first.

"Gone off blogging"

So I logged in to my blogger account today, and saw a comment from a few weeks back...someone sent me well wishes in my real life since "you've gone off blogging" and I thought, Damn, I HAVE gone off blogging. I'm a tweeter now, and I put up a daily Facebook comment. I try to not be particularly trite, which is why this blog is so hellishly outdated. I've been feeling trite lately.

I'm enjoying reading my friends' blogs, which are much more interesting than I thought possible (sorry). But really, the biggest thing lately is that life is busy, I'm traveling or have dinner mtngs for work several times a month, when I'm hom ein the evenings I want to be HOME and not in computer-land. Plus, Chee is on the home computer a LOT in the evenings, which means my time here is limited. (I'm hoping to add a laptop to our little family soon.) Basically, I have all the excuses in the world to not write in this little diary to the Internets.

I feel I'm at a fork in the road...this blog lacks focus. If I could reign it in and concentrate on one thing (work? family? books? news I find interesting? link sharing?) maybe I could keep it better updated.

But really, let me just think on that one.

a new year lurks...

Life has been getting the best of me.

I should be cleaning. Doing laundry. Picking up the new toys/clothes/books. But where am I? Lost in the Internets. My dear Chee is down with a temporary injury, my girls are sleeping soundly, and I've had more than enough time to play with my big gift of the holidays, a Motorola Droid (which is totally a kick-ass cousin to the iPhone). And I'm in the office, accomplishing nothing. SO, on that note, a quick, guilt-free post...

What has 2009 brought us? Chee's near completion of the next great American novel; the decision that our fine city isn't the pit I used to think it was and we'll stay for awhile, thanks; the belief that I am getting old (and wrinkly) and if I don't take better care of me, I'm seriously screwed; our house is much too small, and purging is no longer the answer; jobs is jobs is jobs - I'm glad to have mine, but dream of better; we're so thankful for our families, friends and those who are both, that I could just cry; and two smart, sassy little girls is exactly what we needed to complete our family .



'Nuff said.

Facebook deep thoughts...

what an oxymoron...I have become a lurker. I watch. And I read. I rarely post. Why, you may ask? I've come to the conclusion that there are few things I would say that would not annoy me, if I were on the receiving end. No one cares about my overnight business trips, or what I'm having for dinner. Close friends/family would like to hear about my girls' escapades, and when I'm planning on going back the boonies to visit the fam. But really, my life is pretty much the same, all the time.

Maybe I'm just sick of Facebook. I count on the same few people for entertaining statuses, or links. I love to hear news like engagements, visits abroad and new family members. But truth be told, I'm "hiding" more people's comments than viewing them. "For shame!" you may say, "why did you bother to 'friend' them in the first place?"

Answer - i thought i might be surprised and find out i know lots of really interesting people with much cooler lives than mine. And if i'm really truthful with myself, i do know some great, nice people. some have very happy lives and they want to share the minutae with the masses. I used to be in that group. Lately, i've decided to move on. i only read the interesting ones. no more reading about other people's trips to the park with their kids....again.

But if you're K.C. (who takes fabulous trips to CO and writes religiously on her blog), or J&K, (who have a new baby I'm dying to meet), or Kathleen (who has hella interesting opinions on everything from the environment to Gallic badasses like her hubbie), or Steve (who I used to work with and is HI-larious), or Adam (my dear ex-roomie who has gone from drama 24x7 to settled and happy as heck), I'm ALL ears.

Basically, if you know you've got something interesting going on, I'm still tuning in. Not that you really care either, but it was on my mind.

Big Kindergartener

I've been seeing many posts on kids starting school. I can't really dread Monkee going to school - she's been in daycare since she was an itty bitty. I am nervous for her, though. New school. New faces. She may or may not have anyone in her class she knows. And she'll be dealing with all that, plus a new language. Immersion schools are like that; they immerse in the language of choice.

Once she learns an additional language, it should be easier for her to learn others, should she feel the need to do so. And in this ever-shrinking world, can we afford to have kids who speak one language? Sure, English-speakers are almost everywhere, but how can anyone really get a feel for a culture not your own unless you attempt to learn the language?

I'm monolingual. And hate it. I want to give my daughter the world. What better way than to open up other cultures to her? Plus, the teachers at this school are international. What a great way to teach her about all the places she hasn't been - yet.

This first step to the big K is just the first new place to go. I'm so excited for her.

toddlers or trainwrecks?

I started typing up a story about winning a massage. But that's about it - I won a massage.

So while I sit here, mentally preparing to get some real work done, I watched Toddlers&Tiaras.I think I'm past offended. I am, however, concerned that we (especially in the South, where these things always seem to go down) are raising a generation of bimbos.

For every girl on these shows who looks to be sincerely enjoying the flaunting and primping, there are 5 who are crying because they hate makeup, would rather be playing, have a wig that hurts, or glitter in their eyes. The moms say "they love it." In most cases, the kids do not look like they love it, at all. And that's what keeps us watching those damn shows...the clash between what we see and what we hear.

Ridiculous. The moms they highlight are almost always severely overweight, and I know I'm stereotyping, but I can't help but think they are the epitome of living through your children, forcing them to do something they never could.

I just hope those little kids are given time away from the fakery to get muddy, go to museums, read books and ride bikes. I hope their lives have many more dimensions to them than what we're shown.

I find it sad that so many moms think validation by crowning is necessary, in any form. How many of those girls might have grown up to be scientists? Or something that has nothing to do with how they look? I can only hope they see the light as they get older and realize fluff and glitter can only get you so far...then you're paying for plastic boobs and botox.

My girls are smart. And beautiful. They'll figure it out without pagentry.