Scribble Pad

WEBook.com

2012-01-16T22:21:00.001-06:00

The hunt for an agent has begun! Again. But this time it's for a different project. My 2008 Nanowrimo novel is edited and ready to go places. Let's see how this goes. So far, I've joined WEbook.com and started the submission process for six agents. Now the hard part: waiting. In the mean time, I'm sure more editing can only help. Or it'll at least keep me from losing my mind during the wait.

Android

2012-01-09T00:18:00.001-06:00

So I finally have a smart phone. It's useful and also a fun little toy. I'm still trying to get used to it and admittedly, it sucks me in a lot.

And it's more than just instant email and face book. My sister introduced me to this crazy little vice called Angry Birds. I'm not really much of a video game person, but there's something oddly addictive about catapulting birds on a mission to destroy egg-poaching pigs.

My Unique Urban Moment

2011-11-21T18:59:00.000-06:00

Public transportation is one of the more common experiences in cities the world over. Who thinks twice about jumping on the train to go to a meeting? Dallas residents, that's who. I used the train for maybe the third or fourth time ever today and it still feels like Disneyland. Theme songs from New York sitcoms started playing in my head. At one point I had a Friends-Sex in the City-Mary Tyler Moore medley going.

On the way to my lunch meeting I discovered that reading in trains is something only experienced public transportation commuters can do well. After five minutes, I was turning green. Oddly enough, though, reading all the signs didn't give me motion sickness at all. My favorites are definitely the Poetry in Motion posters. Well done, DART.

After a very pleasant lunch, it was time for another ride... and for a very unique urban moment.

So there I am texting when an older woman sits next to me (potentially homeless, or maybe just cold). A couple nearby asks her a question regarding the best stop to get them to a particular intersection. They were probably tourists, since they had a map and the unmistakable look of "I'm not from here" confusion. The barely audible conversation continues (trains are loud) and all is well. I'm kind of uncomfortable with a stranger pressed up against me, but hey, it's part of the train ride and she's just a harmless old lady with a walker. So I center my attention on my phone, periodically exchanging smiles with a couple of little girls playing with their happy meal toys.

Then, out of the clear blue, the old lady is on her feet screaming at the poor visiting couple! And I mean seriously screaming! She was cussing and spitting and running over my toes with her walker. I'm telling you, now I know what "fit to be tied" looks like!

A younger man that clearly rides the train all the time explained to the (mortified) rest of us that she was fine and would be off the train soon. He tried to talked to her—while keeping his distance—, but pissy granny was having none of it! The guy just kept telling her to calm herself and not say such things.

And what things! I've never heard a senior citizen use the f-word in so many ways and direct it at so many people! Remember the little girls I mentioned? Yup. She f-ed her way through several directives at them. When the mother encouraged her to leave the kids alone (quite patiently, actually), the angry old lady made sure the mom knew she was in fact going to hell, f-ing hell no less. It was impressive.

By the time our angry train companion started in on the teenage boys, I had managed to squirm past her. I stood at a safe distance while intervention guy kept saying, "Those aren't words God would say" and her name (which I never clearly heard).

My adrenaline was going bananas. It was hard not to be nervous, but honestly equally hard not to laugh, especially since most of the teens and kids were laughing hysterically. I was glad they weren't scared, especially the little ones, but of course I wasn't going to laugh at what was clearly an unwell elderly woman coming unglued in public.

When I saw my stop, I maneuvered to the doors, relieved to escape the f-ing yelling from agrograndma only to discover she was getting off at my stop. Oy!

Upside: I power walked today.

Yana Yoga Journal

2011-11-03T15:10:00.000-05:00

Facebook Stalkin'

2011-10-31T14:23:00.001-05:00

I love new media songs. They'll be oldies in just a couple of years, but they make for a good laugh today. And now, for your amusement, we have Facebook Stalkin' by Straight no Chaser.

The Thank You Wave Lives!

2011-10-26T15:21:00.000-05:00

After months of looking for any sign of polite response in traffic, I can happily report that the thank you wave from traffic weaving cars still exists!

That said, the almost year long wait to spot this rare polite behavior speaks to its endangered status. So let's up the numbers, people. Make space to let people in disappearing lanes merge. When someone lets you in, give a thank you wave. Especially if you live near areas with heavy construction.

Angry drivers are scary drivers.

Lunch Confusion

2011-09-28T16:52:00.000-05:00

Working from home makes meal times just flexible enough to cause all kinds of confusion. At what point have I missed lunch? I mean, if it's after three and before six... is it still lunch? Or do we need a new word, like lunner? Dunch is more fun, but since dinner comes after lunch, I don't think it works.

And if you work in an office, just how late is too late to go to lunch? I mean, at what point does your boss just say "To bad. So sad. No soup for you!"?

My 100 Day Challenge

2011-09-25T23:27:00.001-05:00

So I'm doing this 100 day challenge with some friends on twitter (I believe WritingSpirit started this) where we each create a writing goal for the next 100 days. It started September 23, so I'm just finishing up day three. My challenge is either 1000 words in English, 1000 words in Spanish or 500 words in French. Sounds reasonable, right? I thought so, too.

I gotta say, the French is kicking my butt! I've only gotten 308 usable words down for the day, and it took forever. It seems I've taken to using the first spelling that comes to mind based on the how the word is said (je, j'ai... whatever). And the result is some funky crack-fed jambalaya that needs massive proofreading since no one outside my brain can decipher what on earth I mean.

For the challenge, though, the idea is just to push the writing habit, so I definitely can't allow myself to edit my 500-word bits in French or it's au revoir to that part of the challenge, 'cuz the French posts will just never happen.

People, if you've ever doubted that lack of use will atrophy your language skills, IT'S TRUE! C'est vrai ! I'm a poster child for this. Don't let frightening French (or Spanish or German or whatever) happen to you.

My First Promo Video

2011-09-14T23:37:00.007-05:00

Just finished my first promo video for my book. How did I do?

Kindle Readers for Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, Windows Phone 7, Blackberry, and Android here.

Book here.

Drive Friendly

2011-09-07T09:51:00.003-05:00

Scene: You're in crazy traffic. A car one lane over and just ahead clicks on its turn signal. You make space. They hesitate. You wave them into the space you've created in front of you. The car slides in ahead of you and its driver waves a thank you (usually with their right hand, just under their rearview mirror).

What happened to this tiny exchange? I've been actively seeking it out for months and am sad to say the thank you wave looks to be extinct or at least seriously endangered. This isn't a matter of national security or cause to alarm environmentalists or anything, but I miss it. That small detail made the roads nicer or at least friendlier.

Fair Warning

2011-09-05T19:50:00.000-05:00

I've done it: a blog full of posts en français. That's right, people: this is me foisting my foreign French on an unsuspecting public. Vive l'audace !

And 'tis only the beginning. Blogging in my third language is freaky cool and makes me feel a bit like a superhero, an Adèle Blanc Sec of the blogosphere! I'd get a cape, but it doesn't seem like a very French ensemble.

Science: Lady Birds Know That It's All About Working With What You Got

2011-09-01T11:44:00.001-05:00

Ever since the Guyana bird racing discovery, I see birds all over the place. This time, it's zebra finches. Cute, aren't they?

"Apparently, zebra finches (above) understand that it's not about the coloring or the shape of a potential mate's tail feather, but how one shakes it..."

Read the full article here, in Bust Magazine.

Word of the Day

2011-08-26T16:18:00.001-05:00

Drum roll, please.

Today's word of the day is "fauxhemian," brought to you by Matador and the letter f.

I love this word, and I love even more the fact that I discovered it reading "How to identify a narcotrafficker."

Bird Racing

2011-08-24T01:36:00.002-05:00

About a week ago or so, I re-tweeted something for Bradt Travel Guides and got a guidebook for Guyana. To be honest, I thought it would be a digital gift, but no; I got a real book delivered from the UK to my door. This for a book junkie like me is serious happy-in-a-box!

More truth: Guyana's never really been on my radar. I mean, I know it's there, of course, but that's about it. Now I'm interested. Still not sure that it's on my must go list, but it's made it to my willing to go list. So yeah, given the opportunity, I'm there.

Right now, I'm fascinated with the bit on bird racing. It's a bird-singing man rave of sorts. Men gather on Sundays wherever it is they've chosen to meet that week, and they bring along a caged bird or two. Then they pick a number and face off the birds. The first bird to chirp to the predetermined number of chirps wins. And this gets you major man-points in Guyana. That's right, if your pretty bird sings the fastest, you are a stud. Is that not completely amusing? I love it!

And now, for your viewing pleasure: twitter... old school.

Should I subject the World to My French?

2011-06-23T03:15:00.001-05:00

I'm tinkering with the idea of starting a blog in French. The idea is scary, but that's exactly why I think it may be a good one. Just writing bits here in there in my journal is getting old.

It'd be nice to actually have virtual conversations. Of course, that's assuming I get traffic and the French don't as a society decide to berate me for abusing their lovely language.

We'll see. For now I'll start a stealth blog and leave the posts as drafts. What should I call it?

Lunch with Brie

2011-06-21T02:03:00.004-05:00

Today's lunch experiment involved eggplant, rice, butter, mozzarella, and brie.

It was awesome.

I'm definitely increasing the brie in me life.

eWriting

2011-05-19T11:22:00.004-05:00

So I've written two ebooks, both because of presentations I had to give. Is life giving me a hint? I think so. And to remove all doubt, I was asked at a presentation I attended yesterday when I would be speaking next. So there you go. As with all aspects of my professional life, the next step just shows up. Consistent it is not, but I like just doing what I love and having opportunities just crop up. The best surprises in life come that way. And when I remember my j-o-b days (fondly, mind you), I honestly don't miss them.

Experimenting with the Arepera

2011-04-04T00:05:00.002-05:00

Our new arepera has tuned our kitchen into a playground. It's intended to make arepas (corn cakes popular all over central and south America), but today it's popping out little pasta flowers -- or at least that's what they look like to me. Our pasta art kind of reminds me of daisies.

They turned out OK, but pasta dough comes out a bit crunchier than I would like in the arepera. Of course the salsa went a long way toward softening our little pockets of yum. And any time cheese is involved, the results are entirely worth it.

I love our new toy!

Garbage Cyborg

2011-03-11T15:05:00.000-06:00

The dumpster truck comes by around the same time a few times a week, and each time I feel like I'm watching something out of a sci-fi movie.

This huge truck barrels with a loud rumble, picks up the dumpster, raises it high over the cabin and empties the trash in the back. As it tosses the garbage out, the huge curved arms that hold the dumpster actually shake the container to get all the trash out, a shaking that looks almost human, as if the truck itself was a sentient robot, shaking the dumpster annoyed at the trash that's stuck to the bottom.

It's freaky cool, actually.

Our guy is so good, he barely slows down, nabs the dumpster without ever leaving the cabin of the truck, sets the empty metal box down, and backs out like it's nothing. Not ever seeing a human being, just a dark gray purposeful moving mass, adds to that grumpy cyborg feel.

No Longer Immune

2011-03-06T02:32:00.005-06:00

Check out the time stamp below. It might as well be the middle of the afternoon for all the rest I'm getting. Oddly enough, when I drank a couple of pots of coffee a day, I could go to bed and fall asleep, no problem.

Now? No way. I drank 3 cups of super weak coffee and I'm wide awake. Maybe the stress of years past wore me out far beyond the effects of caffeine. Looking at it that way, I guess it's a good thing I'm no longer immune.

I could grab a book and read, I guess. Novels are out, though. If the book is any good, I won't sleep until tomorrow night. And I'm so awake that even the small print of my car insurance policy seems interesting. Oy! That's it, I'm switching to herbal teas at night. My my my, how life has changed.

Echoing out of the Graveyards

2011-03-04T15:48:00.000-06:00

Hurray for Face Book. A friend posted a 1979 Orson Welles interview that is, as she put it, genius.

I'm completely fascinated by those "merry peels of laughter echoing out of the graveyards." Suddenly those Friends reruns have an unexpected creepy factor.

Christmas in March

2011-02-25T20:38:00.004-06:00

It's moving time again and I'm thrilled!

Since we've been away, our stuff has been packed for months on end, making this move especially fun. I remember maybe half of what's in storage, so all those boxes might as well be under a Christmas tree. I'm seriously night-before-Christmas giddy.

Unpacking in the new place is also another chance to parse down. You'd be surprised how much perspective you get when you haven't seen your stuff for a long time. Suddenly that sweater that you were sure was passable is clearly not, you discover 10 ladles among your utensils, and you finally admit that you will never never never use the frightening fucshia fruit bowl some kind misguided soul gave you on your wedding day.

When it's been long enough, you finally stop worrying that the sweet color-blind gifter will come over and ask about her scary bowl. Happily, the donation bin grows and your clutter shrinks. It's absolutely liberating. I'm going to keep referencing Leo's Simplicity page and see how far I get. (If you don't read Zen Habits, I heartily suggest you wander over and check it out.) We'll see how it goes.

In the mean time, I'm insanely excited to see, feel, and smell my books again!

What's on Page 56?

2011-02-14T13:05:00.000-06:00

Time to play What's on Page 56 again! This from an old meme I was sent in 2008.

Instructions for this meme:

(1) Grab the nearest book
(2) Open the book to page 56
(3) Find the fifth sentence
(4) Post the text of the next two to five sentences
(5) Don’t dig for your favorite book. Pick the closest.

The closest book to me was Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. Twelve-year-old Augusten has just been left at his mother's psychiatrist's house for an undetermined amount of time. He's in the living room with Hope, the psychiatrist's oldest daughter, and Agnes, the doctor's wife.

"The television was blaring and rolling its screen like it was frustrated that nobody would watch it. And I was sitting on the sofa alone because Hope had gone into the kitchen. I was sitting there watching Agnes snore when all of a sudden I heard the sound coming from somewhere upstairs.

When I was ten, I had an after-school job helping two local dog trainers teach their black labs to retrieve. One of them also had a wolf hybrid. The whine I heard from upstairs sounded like that dog, only younger."

Cake in a Cup

2011-02-07T13:35:00.001-06:00

I have--courtesy of my friend Noreen--a great quick recipe for cake in a cup, otherwise known as cupcake. But this is so much cooler because it is in fact made in a cup and fully nukable. Here goes.

First
Get a mug and mix in

4 tablespoons of flour
4 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of baking cocoa

Then
Add and mix in

1 egg

Next
Add and mix in

3 tablespoons of milk
3 tablespoons of oil

Finally
Add and mix in

3 tablespoons of chocolate chips
Small splash of vanilla

OK, now stick it in a microwave at 1000 watts for 3 minutes. The cake will rise over the top a bit. Don't panic, it shouldn't overflow. When it's done, take it out and let it cool for a bit before tipping it out on a plate.

Happy Valentines Day, everyone!

Pic

SNOW!

2011-02-04T13:03:00.002-06:00

I've been hybernating since Tuesday and loving every minute. Jammies rock. And while I'm not a cold weather lover, winter and cold are entirely worth it when there's snow, and right now we have tons of it! Well, tons for North Texas, anyway. People in Boston would mock us, but around these parts, 4 inches might as well be a blizzard.

And it's so pretty! I'd play in it, if I had the proper winter cloths. As things stand, I can go for a walk without wanting to die and that's about it. I do love looking at it, though.

Last night city lights reflected from the snow gave everything a fabulous glow. We could see perfectly in the middle of the night. Considering we had pretty much a new moon, it was incredible.

Weather like this makes me feel like I live in a post card. Add a warm fire (or gas heater in our case) and my imagination takes me to Orchard House. (Yes, I did just make a Little Women reference.) Suddenly I want a warm drink, a blanket, a few books, and maybe even some yarn and knitting needles. That said, I'm happy to have TV and central heating to go with my fantasy.