BTW ... other's kids ARE NOT cute when they are banging on my ceiling or screaming loud enough for me to hear despite ear plugs... Generally... a city apartment.

It's beyond annoying when even National Geographic perpetuates the freakin' myth that Pit Bulls are bred for fighting/cruelty to other dogs. It only makes life harder when "educated" people spread inaccurate information... what is this? The National Freakin' Enquirer??

Remember no man is a failure who has friends.... kills me every time... Thank you to all my friends, far and wide. I am always humbled...

egg nog with coffee and banana bread... rudolph on the tv... waking up late and presents to open!! Yeah!!

green and red toes, yeah! Unable to turn my head in any direction... not so yeah.

Dear Mr. President, Question: Why are we freezing the salaries of National Park Workers, but leaving Congresses salaries alone? SERIOUSLY? How much money would we have if Congress made minimum wage? Isn't civic service an obligation and not a privilege?

oh wait. the new tv for the bedroom doesn't talk nicely with the dish, so you either see nothing OR you have a cut off picture AND the new sound system doesn't have Blue Ray. AND we're calibrating for the 4th time people. Its loud.

To all vets, either volunteers or draftees, to my grandfather, Thank you. May your day find you a moment of peace; a moment of reassurance you are not forgotten.

let's not speak of the email I received regarding my 20th high school reunion. Isn't it early for someone who's 29?

christmas commercials already??? really??? this is why I don't watch TV... CEEERRRAAAPPP.

And now: WE ROCK!! ORANGE AND BLACK, BABY!!

Feliz - Dios de los Muertos!
http://ping.fm/hlGuf

Submitted two manuscripts for The Golden Heart writing contest. Nothing like trying to swim with the big boys my first time out. Just thinking of it gives me the willies.

trying not to hyperventilate from actually taking steps towards getting my stories beyond the damn computer screen. I don't think they make antiperspirant strong enough.

This is my town:
http://ping.fm/yBAPb

This is me having a deadline and trying to pretend that I don't. Why is my house dirty only when I have a deadline? Why is TV only interesting when I have a deadline? Why is picking lint off my sweaters a priority only when I have a deadline?

Rain. Really? Really? 'Cause I'm just wondering where that little thing called Indian Summer we're supposed to get went. Note to God: Um, what?

Dear B of A, I am not Lauren Charles. Thirty-five times of telling you I am not Lauren Charles doesn't seem to quit you of calling me. Is your computer system retarded? Seriously.

Grammar monday.... Interjections... seeing as I use them a lot and still have comma issues.
http://ping.fm/he8SK

At 37, got my first pedicure. Okay. I get it now.

Today's Monday grammar on Tuesday... yeah so I'm a slacker...sue me. Since I tend to overuse these things, I thought I'd investigate what an ADVERB is....
http://ping.fm/RLlV3

Just plain rad!
http://ping.fm/vZix7

Oh for the love of all things... #2 down... Finished. Finito. Set it aside and let it brew...

Grammar Monday. Sad truth: it's only been in the last few months that I figured out how to spell "grammar"...
http://ping.fm/dSolx

I believe I am testing out the theory that it is possible to go in too many places at once... even in your head... watch out for the doorframe

This is NOT funny. I don't get it at all and I NEVER pose in front of the mirror... this guy is a... GAH.
http://ping.fm/3Rhqj

every morning...
http://ping.fm/ltOJH

http://ping.fm/APNp9

Grammar Monday... even on a holiday...
http://ping.fm/nBAo6

why I want to be an indian and not a chief.
http://ping.fm/hcsqY

Been there, done that.
http://ping.fm/77rqK

Why I am glad I am not single and why I don't go to people's houses that I don't know really well.
http://ping.fm/dimDN

I have never felt this way about my mom... ever... not once... not even when I was fourteen and knew everything... or yesterday when I knew even more...
http://ping.fm/cukat

Dear rain,
It's May for crying out loud. Just thought you should know.

Working for the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
There are three reasons that I am giving the Working for the Devil only four stars.One: Saintcrow's Bladerunneresque world, though unbelievably wonderful, dark and gritty, is a little hard to follow. I'm halfway through the second book in this series and there are still parts of her carefully crafted world that I just don't get. This is MINOR though. For the most part, she is expertly skilled at explaining her world without me wanting to yawn (which is hard... I have a hard time with overly-descriptive books).Two - SPOILER ALERT!!! She kills the love interest at the end. The ONLY reason I picked up the second book is that I read on her website that the character was "dormant" instead of dead.Three - Maybe I've been spoiled by J.R. Ward, Stacia Kane and Adrian Phoenix, but I would have liked to see a little more sex in the book... No, I don't expect erotica in my UF, but I was a little surprised at how skillfully Saintcrow created tension between her two love interests and the pay-off was a little disappointing.That said... she is kick-ass with her fight scenes. Dante Valentine is hands down the most balls out female character I've read, easily rivaling Anita Blake. I REALLY love the futuristic world Dante Valentine lives in and her unbending, pissiness. Honestly, I can say that I haven't run across many UF like this so far... Though there are no Vampires (at least not until the second book).Good, fun romp!

View all my reviews >>

Monday Grammar: Transitional phrase, commas and a hint on when to use a semicolon... I know you know this...
http://ping.fm/ug55i

two posts with the word fart... I have to come up with something a little more original...

A good, thoughtful perspective on age... or something about being an old fart.
http://ping.fm/mcz9z

Other than completely brain farting every time I do it, it feels GOOD to copyright something... like a little ritual pat on the back...

Since it's Saturday... Now, what was I doing?
http://ping.fm/zPBzU

Been there... Don't read this if you want to write.
http://ping.fm/f6e5i

doing one of my favorite things: dipping good chocolate into my warm coffee until it melts in my mouth... Yes, I ate breakfast before doing this.

Good to know boys do it too...
http://ping.fm/Yw03x

today in my life:
http://ping.fm/1X2SN

Procrastination defined.
http://ping.fm/IRkyV

Dear Govenator - If you gave up your yearly salary, how many single, struggling mothers would be able to afford child care? How many poor elderly would eat? How many disabled would have assistance?
http://ping.fm/5M0ID

just a reminder...
http://ping.fm/Zo3jN

Parting shot from the Doc at d/c: It's gonna hurt... Um. Yeah. Well. WOW! No joke. It hurts to breath on my knee...

LENA HORNE - CLASS ACT...

http://ping.fm/J9XWZ

Bad news: surgery next week.
Good news: I'm cured...!!!

http://ping.fm/9JmoV

Missed Monday Grammar lesson. So, here's an article to get us back on track (thanks Brian).
http://ping.fm/eyhys

Verdict: No crutches, flexible brace and PT. However, I get to visit the Surgeon Wednesday.

try two.

testing a theory here... to make my life more simple... how is it that in order to simplify, I spend two hours reading the directions... which, by the way, are not simple.

Mr. What the?

Full Stops (Periods) in Contractions

Only use a full stop (period) at the end of a contraction if its last letter is different to the last letter of the whole word.

Examples:

Mr (contraction of Mister)
�
Revd (contraction of Reverend)�

Rev. (also a contraction of Reverend)�

para. (contraction of paragraph)

paras (contraction of paragraphs)

Dr. (contraction of Doctor; r is the last letter of Dr and Doctor)

para (contraction of paragraph; last letters are different -
full stop required)

The theory is supported by Prof. Munro.

Grammar monday

*Bow* to the Grammar-Monster.

There is often confusion between its and it's. If you delve deeper into this issue, you will see that there is good reason for the confusion. However, if you just want to know what is right, the matter is very simple:

It's

It's is short for it is or it has. This is a 100% rule. It cannot be used for anything else. If you cannot expand it's to it is or it has, then it is wrong.

Its

Its is like his and her.

His is used for masculine things. (These are his pies.)
Her is used for feminine things. (These are her flowers.)
Its is used for neuter things. (These are its footprints.)

Examples:

It's been raining for a week, and now it's starting to snow.
(It has been raining....it is starting to snow)

It's one of the hardest courses in it's history.
(The first it's is correct. The second should be its.)

I think the company wants to have its cake and eat it.
(its - possessive form. This is correct.)

The reef shark chases it's prey through the coral.
(should be its, i.e., the possessive form. You cannot expand this to it is or it has.)

Mistakes enough

baseball

What happens when a girl freaks out?
ugh.

what to write.

Not quite silence what i hear.
Darkened blanket kills the light,
but night, sometimes night I fear.
Because ghosts of past,
of regrets,
of achievements unmet,
grieve through my eye shade.
Pushing my legs.
Moving aching hips under covers.
Almost a million people crawl outside the door.
They don't even know,
most don't care.
One breath in,
one out.
Life keeps passing.
Laughter upstairs
that will be there when I'm long gone.
When my name is whispered on the wind,
then forgotten.
A footprint washed away by another coming tide.
Now, though,
the words won't write themselves.
The questions remain unanswered.
Blushing in infuriation,
I am limited by myself only,
so wisdom tells me.
But like the pressure under my vision,
I don't see clearly.
I will wait.
As everything does,
this too shall pass.

arguments

I sat here arguing with my characters for the last two days.

I was 11000 words into my story and had the scene completely plotted out, but couldn’t write it no matter how hard I tried.

I felt like there were a thousand people in my head screaming “NO!”.

What do you do in those instances?

What I did was to scrap it all. Copy and paste into another document and start over completely. The new beginning changes the whole shape of the beginning of the book, but what choice did I have? The characters were rebelling and not talking to me. When they did talk to me, they whined about what I was making them do. No music was helping and I was spending entirely too much time looking at my computer, pulling my hair out.

So, with a blank slate I wrote 2500 words in 45 minutes. Apparently, they are happier now.

Genre writing is like, so lame.

I was directed on twitter to a great blog about genre writing, bringing up a point that I noticed at the conference or even when I have conversations with people about what I write.

Sometimes, when I tell people that I write, I try to keep it humble by saying, “Its just fun urban fantasy.” I am beginning to realize that I am not only doing myself a disservice by saying that, but doing a grave disservice to the amazing authors that write in all genre fiction: fantasy, sci-fi, romance and all the other sub-genres I can’t think of right now.

Here’s the blog:

http://ididntchoosethis.blogspot.com/2010/02/where-have-all-genre-authors-gone.html

Here’s my response:

Well put, Adrienne.

There is no doubt in my mind that SF/Fantasy is considered muck in the literary community.

Having been raised on the stuff and loving it into adulthood, I am often a bit miffed that the snobbery abounds.

It takes no less imagination, command of verse or tenacity to write a genre book than it does a great piece of "literature". There are several books that I can think of off the top of my head that are brilliant pieces of literature, though they belong to a sub-genre. Does anybody remember a small, high fantasy title called The Lord of the Rings? Trite fluff, you say? Tolkein spent the better part of his life creating a LANGUAGE, for crying out loud. How many literary authors can say that?

Now, I'm not dogging literature. I read that too. I'm dogging the attitude that genre writing is somehow less than.

I am reminded of the art world, where quilting isn't considered art. It belongs in county fairs or in quaint B&Bs that great literary authors go to when getting away from New York. It takes every bit as much insight into perspective, color and light to build a quilt as it does to make a painting.

Its also like saying that if a band makes it big, they don't make good music. Huh? The Beatles? Stevie Wonder? Frank Sinatra? Prince?

I have a feeling I am preaching to the choir on this, but I loved your blog and I hope, at the very least, you had fun dressing up.

---

Just having my soap box moment for the day. Now, if I can just wash the stress out of my hair, I will be better.

Cheers.