I’ve been so busy writing a book this year I haven’t been able to read as much as I usually do. I’ve missed it. In fact, I have a whole stack of books next to my chair that are just waiting for Christmas break. TypePad for Dummies goes to the printer in a few weeks (it’s being proofed right now) and when it does, I am going to hole up and read like there’s no tomorrow. I’m not allowing myself to start the books until TPfD is at the printer because I’m certain something HUGE will come up and then I’ll be forced to stop my reading. I don’t want to jinx it. You understand, I’m sure.

All of that to say: I didn’t read much this year. I did, however, get sucked in to one series: The Southern Vampire Mysteries aka The Sookie Stackhouse books aka True Blood. Y’all? I cannot tell you how much I’m in love with this series. Also? I’m Team Bill all the way. I know many Sookie readers are Team Eric. If you’ve read the books, let’s discuss that and how we came to our team decisions.

I wrote about my addiction to Sookie earlier this year, but in case you missed it I’m re-printing that article today. I really talk about both the books and the HBO series–I don’t think you can be hooked on one without being hooked on the other.

Favorite Book (series) of 2009: The Sookie Stackhouse Novels

I’ve known for the better part of my life that I have some issues. Plural.

One of those issues is OCD. I have me a serious case of the obsessive compulsive disorder.

When I start something and enjoy it, I have to immerse myself in it completely and find every part of it and make it part of me. Case in point: Trueblood.

In June I was looking for something to watch on Netflix. I’d heard a bit of buzz about the HBO series Trueblood and figured what the heck? I received the first three DVDs the next day. I watched the first episode, laughed hysterically, then thought, “No. I cannot allow myself to be sucked into this madness! It is embarrassing to even admit that I like this.”

It’s campy. There’s a lot of gratuitous sex. (Hey, I’m not prudish in any way, but really, Season 1 of Trueblood has more sex than I’ve seen in TV or my own life in two years. Just sayin’.) But even the sex is funny (one character is known for his sexual prowess and routinely checks himself out in the mirror during the deed). And, honestly, I could not look away. I became absorbed with these characters and watched the full season in short order.

When I told people I what I was doing and how absorbed I was, I laughed uncomfortably and uncontrollably. I turned bright red from my ears to my toes. My embarrassment at not being able to stop was utter and complete.

Trueblood is based on the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris. Once I’d finished watching the series, the next logical step was to buy the first book, Dead Until Dark, just to see how it compared to the DVDs. I read it in seven hours. I returned to Borders every day (sometimes twice a day) for a week buying one book at a time, lying to myself that if I only bought one at a time, I was pacing myself and it wasn’t the OCD talking.

Then Amazon.com sent me an e-mail that Trueblood, Season 1 was on sale for $30. I bought it. I’ve watched it more than five times, thankyouverymuch.

I have every Sookie Stackhouse novel. I’m in the process of re-reading them all (I’m on book four again), thankyouverymuch.

Trueblood, Season 2 is in full swing, but I hadn’t watched it. I had reigned in my obsession. My issue. My addiction. Mostly because I didn’t have HBO and I couldn’t find any downloadable episodes online (and don’t think I didn’t spend several hours trying to find them, illegal though it may be). (What I did find, though, is that Vampire Bill & Sookie are dating in real life. Which makes me happy. Which also goes to show just how far I’ve gone into the deep. Comic-Con, here I come!)

I bought HBO Friday. I watched seven episodes (one hour each) in one day (mostly after 9:00p; yes it was a long night).

My name is Melanie. I’m a Trueblood and Sookie Stackhouse addict. It’s my dirtiest, guiltiest pleasure.

The articles I tend to love are those with political tones or those that are technical in nature. Many of the articles I find are not from mainstream media, but from think tanks and less biased sources than NBC or Fox (although, certainly, there is always a bias in news stories).

This article, A Turkey of an Economic System by Don Boudreaux, is a recent article, but it points to a story I love to share with others (particularly my left-leaning cohorts). From the article:

In 1620 Plymouth Plantation was founded with a system of communal property rights. Food and supplies were held in common and then distributed based on equality and need as determined by Plantation officials. People received the same rations whether or not they contributed to producing the food, and residents were forbidden from producing their own food. Governor William Bradford, in his 1647 history, Of Plymouth Plantation, wrote that this system was found to breed much confusion and discontent and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort. The problem was that young men, that were most able and fit for labour, did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men’s wives and children without any recompense. Because of the poor incentives, little food was produced.

Faced with potential starvation in the spring of 1623, the colony decided to implement a new economic system. Every family was assigned a private parcel of land. They could then keep all they grew for themselves, but now they alone were responsible for feeding themselves. While not a complete private property system, the move away from communal ownership had dramatic results.

I know. You were hoping for Michael Jackson or something about the Iphone 3GS. Sorry, just a little story about welfare and communism.

The DL on the challenge: “Share your best moments of 2009 over the course of December. Don’t get hung up on details or length – if there’s an aspect of the question that doesn’t resonate, change it to meet your needs.”

My favorite restaurant moment of 2009

In May we went home to Walt Disney World. Although I research the bejeebus out of Disney before each trip, we tend to like what we like and, though we know our options, we stick to the tried and true. This time we wanted to try several things we hadn’t done yet. One of those things was the Hoop-de-Doo Revue and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s a singing, dancing, slapstick extravaganza. Luckily, we were seated at the very back of the room, but since it’s Disney we’re talking about, there is no bad seat. I thought the back of the room would at least allow us to escape the eyes of the performers so we wouldn’t call attention to ourselves (being a family of introverts, this is important I assure you). Besides, if you’ve met my husband, you know he’s not big on audience participation. Throughout the show I’d catch him and Max chuckling a little so I knew they were having a good time. And then, near the end of the dinner, I look over at my husband and our son and they are waving their napkins like mad men. They are giggling. Giggling! How could I not follow suit? Chilihead, Jr. is always up for a laugh and taking part in the shenanigans, but my boys? Never. That’s why the Hoop-de-Doo Revue was my favorite restaurant moment this year.

When I was a teenager, I *loved* the end-of-year wrap-ups on various news shows. I enjoyed seeing the year unwrap itself with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. It’s been a long time since I’ve sought out those kinds of year-end recaps. As an adult, I find I’m busy and preoccupied. No time to remember! That’s why I take pictures! I’m too busy living life to remember it! (Oh, wait. That may just be the early-onset dementia…) At any rate, just looking at Gwen’s first writing prompt (What was your best trip in 2009?) has me reminiscing and realizing that, wow! 2009 was a great year for travel in the Nelson home. So, even if I don’t go past today’s prompt, I’ve gotten more out of this challenge than I would have by adding it to my doomed to-do list.

What was your best trip of 2009?

My best trip of 2009? I don’t know. How can I choose? I mean, I loved every place I visited!

January: Disney Cruise. BSM Media and Disney invited me and several other bloggers (all of whom I’m proud to call real friends) on a cruise to the Bahamas.

February: Dallas. Every February my dear friend Emily and I hole ourselves up with a few hundred other die-hard movie fans and watch, back-to-back, all of the contenders for Best Picture of the Year. It’s a 12-hour ordeal that is not for the weak. It takes real stamina to sit on your booty for 12 hours and watch some of the finest acting and most interesting story lines of the year.

April: Dallas. We attended the Sally Ride Science Fair, an event geared to encourage girls to stick with math and science to be all they can be. Of course, we stayed with Emily’s family and they attended the fair with us. The next day Chili, Jr., Emily, and I stormed the American Girl store and had a lady-like lunch with very large, un-lady-like portions.

May: Walt Disney World. I wasn’t able to take my family on the Disney Cruise in January, so we had to make up for it with a family trip to The World in May. Come to think of it, I still owe y’all a recap of that one. While we were in Florida, we took a day and visited Husband’s old neighborhood, his dad’s grave, and the ocean. It was cathartic on many levels.

June: Dallas. My first WordCamp. My BFF Emily graciously watched my kids for me while I braved my introversion and aversion to crowds. Hmmm. I’m noticing that “introversion” and “aversion” are very similar words. I doubt that’s a coincidence. As an introvert I have an aversion to many things. Among those is the act of meeting new people in a crowd.

July: Colorado. My dad and Robin are the best hosts. This year Husband and I flew the kids out a week before we arrived. That maneuver was a huge hit, both for the kids and the grandparents. I look to try that again next year. When Husband and I did arrive, we had so much fun. I was already stressed about writing the TypePad for Dummies book (our first chapter was due asap and I had to write while I was on vacation!), but I found time for my first hot-stone massage and some reading. My dad treated us to fabulous seats for our first-ever MLB game. Since I detest sports, I was sure I wouldn’t enjoy myself and considered more than a few ways I could excuse myself. In the end, I went and–would you believe it?–enjoyed myself! I cheered and rooted and laughed and sang and danced and embarrassed my kids mightily. It was a sweet night.

August: Norman, Oklahoma. We traveled with friends to meet Emily and her crew at the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History. How is it that I’d not visited this museum before? It’s amazing. My kids love museums and this was one of their favorites. I wonder if it had anything to do with the fact that we had our best friends with us? Those kids have grown up together and, as we all grow older, it’s harder to find time for us all to connect. When we do, though, it’s like we never missed a beat.

October: Las Vegas. I attended Blog World Expo again this year and, though the conference itself was fine, I hated being away from my family for five days. I was the most miserable I’ve been all year. My depression can be seen in this photo:

November: Iowa. I attended the first annual I_Blog Conference and, I have to tell you, it was the best conference I’ve attended to date.  It was very small–about 30 women (and a few men) and those women reminded me why I started blogging in the first place. I enjoyed meeting them all and learning from them. It was fun to meet them (where was my introversion aversion?) and it was fun to see my extended family (who happened to live down the road).

Wow. I hadn’t realized that I’d done so much traveling this year–and I had been cutting back because Shannon and I were so busy writing the TypePad for Dummies book! How can I choose just one trip as my favorite? It’s impossible. I love my family and my friends. I love spending time with them and am just happy we have the means to do it as often as we can.

Thank you, Gwen, for being the brain behind this project. My writing is rusty; I hope this challenge will encourage me not only to remember the year behind me, but also to remember my narrative writing skills. For those of you who made it this far, I promise I’ll try to remember those skills sooner rather than later.

First, let me tell you about the pair of No Gap Lee Jeans I received last month (or was it October?). (Note to self: Check your editorial calendar more often and actually abide by it.)

These jeans have a band of elastic inside the top of the jeans so that when you bend over, you aren’t giving away the store. Or something like that. It’s not that crinkly elastic waist your mom used to make in those homemade pants (and, dude, I know about the crinkly waistbands). Nope. It’s completely hidden and it’s quite comfortable. In fact, not only does the elastic keep the back of your jeans from gapping when you sit or bend, it keeps your tummy in check too! Suh-weet. I love it when a plan comes together (and can keep my body contained).

So here’s my low-down of the No Gap Lee Jeans. I like them a lot. They have a dressy dark wash and are perfect for the days I want to take it up a notch and wear heels to lunch with my friends or have dinner with my husband. The elastic is comfortable and not binding and, as I said, has the added bonus of holding in the fluff of my stomach. One of the things I loved about the jeans is also something I wished were different: the length. Since I’m right on the cusp of petite (I’m 5′5″), I have a hard time finding a length that works for me. The petite or short lengths tend to be a tad too short and the regular lengths tend to be too long. So, this isn’t really a problem with Lee, it’s just in general. But if you have the short legs like I do, just be aware that the No Gap Lee Jeans are great with heels.

Would you like to win a pair of Lee jeans for yourself? Well, in honor of its 120th birthday, Lee is giving away 120 pairs of jeans each day in December on their Facebook Fan page. Did you read that right? 120 PAIRS OF JEANS PER DAY! That’s 3,720 pairs of jeans this month. Your odds are pretty good, wouldn’t you say? The contest starts December 1 and runs for the entire month of December.

And now some Lee trivia (because I am a complete sucker for interesting information I can whip out at the Christmas party). Lee’s innovations through the years include:

1911: Lee introduces the overall
1926: Lee produces the first zipper fly
1949: Lady Lee Riders was introduced to the women’s market
1964: Lee introduces the first no-iron pants
2007: Lee introduces the Natural Fit instantly slimming tummy panel
2009: Lee introduces Slender Secret, an ultra-stretch slimming jean for every woman

And your family.

And your friends.

And even cooking.

And free time.

You know what it makes you not miss? Take out.

But Shannon and I are closer than ever to finishing the TypePad for Dummies book. We turned in the final pages of our manuscript today! Next up is author review, but we’re thisclose to being finished. Oh my. FINISHED. What a word. Sometimes that word seemed so far away we thought we’d never experience it.

The book is already available for pre-order on Amazon, and if you don’t think it’s a rush to see your name in lights at Amazon, you need to check your pulse. That little page makes me giddy, and if you know me, giddy isn’t something I exhibit often.

The book itself will be out in February. And when it comes out, you can expect our book tour and signings to put poor Pioneer Woman to shame. Because, you know, everyone lines up for six hours to have their tech book signed.

(Update: Apparently I’m so out of practice with my blogging that a) I found a typo after I published and b) I didn’t include a title. Doh.)

In case you don’t know, I’m a Lee Fit Ambassador and I’ll be trying out a pair of Lee’s No Gap jeans this week. I’ll let you know how they pan out for me. The idea behind the No Gap jean is that the jeans have a hidden elastic waistband that prevents the back of the jean from gapping open. I don’t know about you, but that’s a feature I can’t wait to try out. Check out Oprah this week and then I hope to have a review for you next week.

I’ve had Your Songs for about three weeks now. I’ve listened to it while working, driving around town, and making dinner. Any time I listen to a new Harry CD and he’s changed his style or is trying something new, it takes me a while to get on board and this CD is no exception. As I’ve listened to the CD, it’s grown on me. I’ve also realized why it’s not my favorite of his albums: a) he’s re-creating songs that were good to begin with and b) there’s not enough of Harry playing the piano. My favorite Harry Connick, Jr. albums are those that feature him playing piano or singing stand-bys from the early to mid-20th century. This album features a few of those stand-bys (e.g., All The Way and Mona Lisa) but not enough to suit me.

I can’t embed it here, but you can head over to Amazon.com and check out a behind-the-scenes video of what went in to making Your Songs. In that video you’ll see how Harry’s career has evolved from playing the piano and re-creating stand-bys to arranging and conducting full orchestral music. While I can certainly admire that talent, it’s not the talent I like to hear. I’m a creature of habit and I like Julia Roberts with long, curly hair; Meg Ryan before botox; and Harry Connick, Jr. when he’s playing original piano scores or singing standards.

I encourage you to head over to Amazon.com and listen to Harry Connick, Jr.’s new album before you buy the CD. Here’s the track list:

• All The Way (Frank Sinatra)
• Just The Way You Are (Billy Joel)
• Can’t Help Falling In Love With You (Elvis Presley)
• And I Love Her (The Beatles)
• (They Long To Be) Close To You (The Carpenters)
• Besame Mucho
• The Way You Look Tonight
• First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Roberta Flack)
• Your Song (Elton John)
• Some Enchanted Evening
• And I Love You So
• Who Can I Turn To? (Tony Bennett)
• Smile (Charlie Chaplin)
• Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole)

If you’re interested in finding Harry online, check out his the Harry Connick, Jr. web and Facebook pages.

Thank you to One2One Network for including me in this promotion.

Note: All links to Amazon.com are affiliate links. If you choose to buy something via one of my links, I’ll get a small percentage of the sale.

Just a friendly heads-up. I know the women you’ll be working with and they are the bomb. I wish I could apply this year, but I have too many projects coming up and I just don’t have the time to commit. But if you do, you’ll get a training vacation in December and a whole lotta fun thereafter. Go for it!

Then, last month I received another pair of jeans. These are a dark denim wash and long. I have to say, they are comfortable as all get out. They’re just a touch stretchy, but not tight stretchy like some brands. It’s just enough to make the jeans fit. The waist on these jeans is higher than normal, it sits at your real waist. You know, like the jeans of the 1980s and early 90s? Yeah, like that. To me, that’s not a big deal because who would even know where the waist comes up to unless you either tuck your shirt in or have a short shirt on? I do neither of those things. And I like to have the muffin top contained.

The only issue I have is that the jeans L-O-N-G. I’m 5′5″ and even with heels on these jeans are skimming the floor. I may have them hemmed or I may just roll them under (because lazy is klassy no matter how you break it down). So, if you’re of the long-leg variety, you’re in luck! If you’re of the short-leg variety, like me, just check to see if they have a petite version (or, as so many companies call them these days: the ankle version instead of the regular).

Bottom Line: I like these jeans. They’re super comfy, have just enough stretch, and the wash is dark enough that they can be casual or dressy.

Lee National Denim Day

But that’s not all! I want to tell you about an important cause that Lee Jeans takes seriously: Breast Cancer Awareness. They’re working with Christina Applegate (remember, she had her own brush with breast cancer) as they host Lee National Denim Day on October 2. If you’d like to help, please consider donating just $5 to Lee’s National Denim Day campaign. From the site: “The Women’s Cancer Programs of EIF receive 100% of the net proceeds raised for Lee National Denim Day®. Funds are used to support groundbreaking early detection and treatment research and community educational services nationwide in the fight against breast cancer.”