Finding the Silver Lining

I was in front of the mirror, plucking away with the tweezers, when I realized that one benefit of aging and going gray is that the hairs above my upper lip aren't as dark anymore. Gotta find something positive, right?

I want a laptop so bad!!

I can't afford to buy a laptop, so I keep trying to win one. It's not impossible. Someone has to win, and maybe someday it will be me.

The latest win-a-laptop contest I've found is on The Tech Don, a really cool site with all kinds of reviews and articles about tech stuff. They are giving away three (3) laptops, each valued at $3,000. That is awesome!

Here are the prizes:
Toshiba Portege R500-S5004 - a lightweight computer great for traveling
Dell XPS M1730 - designed with power for gamers
HP HDX - a portable entertainment system that plays Blu-Ray discs

Great options, huh? I would be thrilled to own any of these machines.

So, I signed up at The Tech Don and you can, too, up until Sunday April 27. Maybe we'll both win.

What are you waiting for??

Ever read a book so good, you wish it had more chapters?

This morning, I finished reading the book Hidden, by Eve Kenin. This evening, I was thinking how I wanted to lie down and keep reading, and I was sad when I remembered that I'd finished the book. The author did a great job creating a believable futureworld with compelling characters. Hidden is mostly told from the point of view of Tatiana, a human with genetic enhancements that make her a superwarrior. She's already killed one evil genius. Now she's after two more, before they can implement a plan to kill thousands, if not millions of people. A loner by choice, she unwillingly teams up with Tristan, a seemingly capable warrior with secrets of his own. Dorchester Publishing describes the book as "action romance." I say it's one of the best science fiction or "futuristic" romances that I've ever read. It's the sequel to Driven, which I haven't read, but I'm definitely going to be picking up a copy and delving back into Kenin's dark futureworld known as the Waste.

So today, I finally watched Cloverfield.

Tim said it wasn't as bad as he was expecting. I found it irritating. And a little nauseating. I can't be sure that it was Cloverfield's jerk-and-swish shooting that made me ill. It might've been the packet of Little Caesar's garlic butter sauce that really probably ought to have an expiration date printed on it. It's two hours later, and I still feel a little ill.

The reason I found the movie irritating is, it took too long to get started. Maybe the long introduction at the party was intended to make me care about these people, but it really didn't. It was too all over the place. Once the action got started, I found myself comparing the film to live news coverage on 9/11. Some people might say, well that was real, so of course it was more compelling, but the thing is, I can suspend my disbelief quite easily.

Here's an example. The theatre where I work had a haunted house last year. One of the actors was setting up a scene and passing out some trinkets to our group and explaining that we'd have to use the trinkets at specific times in order to save ourselves. I found it all kind of spooky and scary, and I know my jaw was dropping, and my husband asked later if I was putting on for our little group, and I said no, I was just getting into it. Sure, I knew that our guides were Barbara and Rodney, people I've worked with in the theatre before (I've known Rodney for 20 years), but there's no point in going into a haunted house attraction and then standing back and saying, "Oh that's Rodney. He was really good in Brighton Beach Memoirs back in the '80s." You have to suspend your disbelief and get into it to have fun.

So, I was ready and able to believe that some sort of giant creature was attacking New York, and I didn't even have to see good shots of the creature to enjoy the film.

Back to 9/11 -- we didn't know exactly what was going on or what was going to happen next. The TV crews would stop someone and get a brief description of what that person had experienced, and then they'd move on. It wasn't just screaming turmoil like in Cloverfield. The extended shots of them just running along and nothing happening wasn't suspenseful, it was just dull. When something did start to happen, it was more irritating, because the camera's going all over the place. The one time when we might have found out a little bit about what was going on, in the electronics store (when Hud points the camera at the TV), he can't stay focused on that for a minute and a half. He's got to switch between two TVs and the crowd and outside and inside.

The basic story was fine. The acting was good. I just wish they'd found a better way to present it.

And now, for a list of movies featuring my favorite giant creature.

1. Jurassic Park - Still sets the standard for CGI
2. King Kong, 1933 - A classic
3. Gojira, 1954 - The original Japanese version is longer and slower-paced but an excellent cautionary tale
4. Them - Fairly well done story of giant ants terrorizing southern California
5. King Kong, 2005 - Peter Jackson's nicely done remake. It's a little longer than it needed to be, but for the most part, beautifully executed.
6. Ghostbusters - "It's the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man."
   

Air Unfair

Boy, it's tough finding a decent price for an international flight these days.

For weeks, I made frequent trips to atiflights, cheapoair, cheaptickets, orbitz, farecompare, travelocity, and various other websites (including air carrier sites but excluding Expedia, which I think kind of screwed me on a trip to L.A. last year). I noted the prices. The next day, some of the prices went down a few bucks. Then they all started going up and up. Were the rising prices ever going to fall?

I wanted the long leg to be a European airline, but when Delta offered a fare less than $700 per person (inc. taxes and fees -- yeah, I know!) I couldn't resist. Well, I resisted for a few days.

Were any of the other carriers going to discount their fees? Where was the site that showed the available vs. reserved seats on the British Airways flight I wanted? Should I wait until a couple of months out and watch for bargains or jump on this low fare now, 7 1/2 months out? Oh, the agony of indecision. I asked my husband, who was more indecisive than I was. I looked at all of our options on BA and Virgin Atlantic (inc. buying the international leg directly from the foreign airline and booking the connecting flights separately). I compared premium economy both ways to economy to premium out and coach coming back.

Finally, I noticed that the sale was ending at midnight. I had about four hours to make a decision. Tim and I talked. I checked all the flight sites again. Then I started filling out the online forms to order the tickets. Then I had to create a frequent flyer account for Tim. Then I had to start over. While I was considering seat options at seatguru, my booking session expired, and I had to start yet again. The clock was ticking. When I completed the order, I think I had just a few minutes to spare. I checked the site again after midnight and found that the price had jumped almost $160!

I still check all the sites occasionally, and I'm sure I will continue to do so for the next 7 1/2 months, just to torture myself.

And now, this week's episode of You Too Can Be a Winner.

This site is giving away a flash drive that's pre-loaded with child safety software. Now, instead of pinning a note to the inside of your kid's coat, just hook this flash drive to his/her backpack. If the child gets lost or has a medical emergency, it's got all the pertinent contact info stored right there. Of course, if your kid has a tendency to lose things, maybe it's not such a good idea. Who knows who might find the drive and how they could use that information.

Either way, an extra flash drive (or thumb drive or whatever you like to call yours; I prefer "spy device") always comes in handy.

Yikes!

I just figured out that I'm not getting paid at the salary I was quoted when I accepted the job. I'm sure I signed something with the figure on it -- but I have no idea where my copy is. I started worrying when I did my taxes last weekend, and I did the math when I received my paycheck on Friday. The boss was already gone for the day, so I sent her a detailed e-mail, and I hope it will be as simple as her cutting me a check for the right amount. My husband told me from the beginning that he didn't want me to take this job, so I can't even bring it up, because I'll just hear non-stop rants until this is resolved.

In the meantime, I'm entering to win. Check out this latest blog giveaway:

http://www.fromdatestodiapers.com/2008/03/beach-fever-giveaway.html

Just leave a comment about your favorite item at the Pigtails and Polkadots online store for your chance to win.

Weird Weather

The weather's been really strange this winter. A few bitterly cold or freezing days. Lots of warm days. Lots of wet days. Windy days. Two tornados, including one that passed between my husband's workplace and mine, just a few blocks apart. It makes me really nervous about hurricane season.

Here's the latest contest plug -- You can win a free vacuum cleaner by posting a comment. With seven cats, I could use a really good vac.

"Oh, but 'baby fish mouth' is sweeping the nation."

That's one of the funniest lines in "When Harry Met Sally" and now Baby Fish Mouth is the name of a new line of infant shirts emblazoned with new takes on old movie lines. Cute stuff! Check it out at Seven Dogs and a Baby -- you can post your ideas for new movie lines to put on the shirts and you might even win a shirt for the little one in your life.

I want a portable video player.

I don't need a portable video player. It would serve no useful purpose in my life. I would, however, love to have one. I could load it full of Star Wars trailers and Harrison Ford clips that I now store on CD-ROM. I don't know when I would watch them. Maybe if I have a doctor's appointment, I could watch in the waiting room. That would be cool.

Anyway, I'm trying to win a portable video player. If you'd like to try to win one, too, here's the link to the site. Best Buy provided the prize.

http://www.5minutesformom.com/2848/win-an-insignia-bluetooth-mp3-player/
http://www.bestbuy.com

Weird Dreams

Any other night, my cat Wicket would have woken me up at 3:45am. Today, of course, I wanted to be up at 4am, so I roll over and look at the clock at 5:11am. I rushed to the computer to book my tickets for Ivanov, Ken Branagh's new play at the Donmar West End. Sometime between 4am (10am London time, when the tickets went on sale), and the time I logged on, the booking site crashed. So, I called. Got my tickets, great seats. Then I went back to bed.

I couldn't sleep. I was so excited about having my tickets. Then I got too warm. Then I got too cold. Finally, I was in my living room, only I suddenly realized it's not my house and I'm freaking out when I realize, It's a dream. At that point, I looked out the window and saw an obviously cardboard cutout moon hanging from fishing line, and a small pig ran in the front door to greet me. "I shall call you Presto," I told the pig, then felt bad because Presto is my very overweight cat, then I woke up.

Megapixel Madness

Our first digital camera was a Sony Mavica. We liked it because it uses floppy disks instead of memory cards. Why buy an expensive memory card when you can buy a cheap box of floppys? I used it on trips to Washington D.C., L.A., New York, and London. But, 10 years later, it's now obsolete. The photos are less than one megapixel each. So, on a trip to New York last October, I bought a Kodak Easy Share 6.2 megapixel camera for $99. I didn't research it: Staples was handy to the hotel, the memory card for that one was cheaper than for the other $99 camera they had in stock, and I didn't have much time to make a decision. I've been happy enough with the picture quality, the images blow up nicely, and if I actually sat down with the book and learned all the features, I'd probably be even happier.

The thing is, though, I still drool over double digit megapixel cameras. It would be great for vacation photos and pictures of the cats -- stuff I want to print out or iron onto t-shirts. More megapixels would be good for work, too, where some of the snapshots I've taken have been published in newspapers or the theatre newsletter. It's a luxury I cannot afford, however.

But check this out: the folks over at Momsational are giving away a 12 megapixel Nikon camera.
Give me those nice bright colors, gimme the greens of summer, makes you feel all the world's a sunny day. I want this so bad that I'm telling you about it so that I can earn some extra entries in the giveaway.

http://emomsathome.com/momsational/win-a-nikon-coolpix-p5100-121-mp-camera-courtesy-of-mypictalescom/

So that's the link. If you win, can I borrow it?

Help for Romantic Writers

What the Oscar is the movie industry, the Golden Heart is to romance writers. Now Golden Heart winners and other popular romance authors are sharing tips for creating a successful manuscript. A lot of the elements, such as plotting and character development, can apply to other book genres and screenwriting. Check it out.

The Wet Noodle Posse had such a great time with our month of Golden Heart prep that we're giving away writing tips...one month at a time. In addition to book and critique giveaways, join Q&A sessions and read guest blogs from bestselling writers like Sherrilyn Kenyon and Gena Showalter.

Check out our line-up of topics!

January-Getting Started (goals, choosing story idea, focus, etc.)
February-Character Development (names, physical descriptions, backstory, etc.)
March-Plotting
April - Conflict
May-Research
June-Business side of Writing (market, marketing, promotion, etiquette)
July-Prepping for Conference (both for national and smaller conferences)
August-Inspiration (for stories and for keeping yourself going)
September-Writer Health (physical and mental)
October-GH Preparation
November-Writing Challenges (NaNo, BIAW, turning off the internal editor, etc.)
December-Editing/Revisions

Get great information in a fun community! Visit http://wetnoodleposse.blogspot.com

The Year in Review

Here it is, December 30, 2007. It's been a year of incredible highs and lows for me. It's been really, really busy, too. Hard to believe that it's almost done with.

In January, I won a contest to make a short film. You can read all about the process at my Unofficial Payoff Website. I did a crappy short film back in college, and it was a thrill to make a "real"movie.

At the same time, I was fighting to get a new job as P.R. director for a local theatre. I got the job in February, just after I shot my movie. I gave two months notice at my other job, so I put in about 60 hours a week in March and April. I also went to L.A. to edit the movie and to New York to tape a promotional piece for in-house use at MTV.

On April 24, my movie went live online and my dad passed away from cancer. Don't ever smoke. Cancer is a horrible way to die. Both my dad's parents died of cancer, too, and I really hope I don't get it. I don't smoke, but I figure I'm genetically predisposed to the disease. At least having the movie out there gave me something else to talk about besides how sad and miserable I was.

May 1, I went to work full-time at my new job. I was still depressed over my dad's death, and I found out that I really suck at sales, which is part of my job. Maybe I wouldn't be so bad at it if the economy were better. Just when my old employer advertised two producer positions, things got better at work. When the jobs were filled, I began to question my career change again.

In September, my mom and I took a firearms class at the Sheriff's Office and got our concealed weapons permits. I'm a really good shot! I haven't actually received my permit yet; I was born overseas, and I had to send them evidence that I'm really a U.S. citizen, so that's held things up.

End of October, I won a major prize in an online contest -- $10,000 and a trip to New York City. That was a great way to end the year. I took my college roomie to the Big Apple with me, and we saw three shows. I couldn't spend a whole lot, because we need a new roof, and I also want to go to England in Fall, 2008, to see Kenneth Branagh on stage in London and David Tennant on stage in Stratford. It's taken a full two-months for my husband to finally accept that we are going to England. Now, instead of rolling his eyes when I bring up the trip, he actually discusses it with me. That's gotta be worth something.

On Christmas Day, we continued our tradition of watching one of my favorite holiday movies, "Die Hard." Yes, it is a Christmas movie. It's set on Christmas Eve at a Christmas party. If I ever receive an automatic weapon for Christmas, I will happily use the line, "Now I have a machine gun. Ho, ho, ho."

On December 31, we will follow our other holiday tradition of ending the year by watching "When Harry Met Sally" on DVD. If you haven't seen the movie, it culminates at a New Year's Eve party. I'm sure I have a copy of "Peter's Friends" around here, as well. Another great movie about a holiday gathering. I'm sure it'll be especially poignant this year, since it also deals with loss of friends and family.

We don't have cable, haven't since Hurricane Ivan in 2004. We only watch DVDs. That's why I'd love to win a contest over at 5minutesformom.com -- it's a year's subscription to Netflix, which I have heard great things about, but never tried. One of the distribution centers is supposedly very nearby, so getting and returning movies is very quick by post. If you'd like to check out the contest, here are the related links:

http://www.5minutesformom.com/2755/netflix-orville-contest/
http://www.orville.com


Wishing you all a safe and happy 2008!!

Always Looking for a Handout

If you know me, you know I like entering contests and sweepstakes. I'm even entering one right now.

See, Wyclef Jean has a new CD coming out: Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs Of An Immigrant, in stores DEC 4.

I signed up at Sony and by blogging and telling my friends about the CD, I get a chance to win a trip to meet Wyclef plus a camcorder. I really want a camcorder.

Now I'm off to enter more sweepstakes. I'd really like to take that camcorder on a trip to England.

Ah, the Holidays....

It's been tough already this year and it's going to get worse, I'm afraid. First Thanksgiving without my Dad was okay, just a few weepy moments here and there. My aunt and uncle held their annual feast, but most of my Dad's other relatives weren't there this year, so I guess that made it a little easier. All his clan is getting together for Christmas on December 1, and Daddy's birthday is December 2. Then comes Christmas.

My new job shuts down for the week of Christmas, so I'm going to keep my mind off things by trying to write a screenplay. I had some experience this year, writing a short play in about four hours for "24 Hour Theatre." I also wrote a short screenplay, about five minutes in length, in a couple of hours, inspired by a contest on the website for "The Lot" TV series, but you had to actually make the film to enter the contest, and I didn't have time to shoot it. I tried to get a friend of mine to handle that part, but she was too busy, too. She still wants to make the film sometime. Anyway, I've been thinking about the characters and plot for a science fiction film for a long time, so I'm going to try to hammer out a first draft.

Of late, I've been reading the Mediterranean Nights series from Harlequin. I like a happy ending, but the books seem almost too short; I'm used to reading stand-alone titles I guess. The interesting thing about this series is that each author is adding an intriguing new bit to a mystery that, I'm assuming, will wrap up in the final book.

Here's another book that sounds intriguing. I've only read the excerpts on the author's website, but I love fantasy and romance, and this has the best of both:

ENCHANTING THE LADY
“The imagination of J.K. Rowling and the romance of Julie Garwood
all rolled up into one fabulous novel.”~Erin Grady, author of Whispers
Please visit: http://www.KathryneKennedy.com

Happy holidays! Hope Santa puts just what you want under the tree!

Happy Christmas!

It doesn't feel like Christmas this year. My husband says, for him, it's the weather. It's been up in the 70s lately, though it's a little cooler this Christmas Eve Morning, and overcast. "Looks like snow," Tim would say.

I think I've just been too busy to think about it. Spending time with my dad, who has cancer. Taking the cats to the vet. Working. Applying for jobs. Entering sweepstakes. There's not enough time in the day to do everything I need to do, or feel I have to do, or want to do, and then feel excited on top of it. I have some presents for my parents and for Tim, but I don't feel like any of them are really great gifts.

The whole feeling of Christmas is different everywhere. I was in a store the other day and heard "Silver Bells" on the Muzak. "In the air there's a feeling of Christmas. Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile...." That's how the song goes, but the people I pass generally aren't smiling. They're talking on their cell phones and rushing around, not paying attention to anything else around them.

I think it's more than just commercialism. The world is so fast-paced now. Communication is easier but personal connections really aren't. It's easy to say that we need to simplify Christmas (there's a whole book about it), but you'd have to be really committed -- and not at all competitive -- to do it. It's hard to buy great gifts that people aren't expecting because most of us just buy what we want when we want it.

Maybe it's just me.

Is it different for you? Do you feel Christmas in the air?

Retirement Plans

Today, I took an online poll that asked what I think is the best way to save for retirement. You know - company pension plan, savings, property, mutual funds, etc.

I vote for the Lotto. Old people always win that, right? That's what I'm counting on to get me through my old age. Either that or I'll become a greeter at Wal-mart.

Raising an even more inconsiderate generation

Tim and I went to the movies on Sunday. We saw "Superman Returns", in its third week of release, so maybe it won't be too crowded. Eh-n-n-n-n, try again.

The good thing was, we didn't notice anyone make or receive a cell phone call during the movie. That's a first for the Rave Theatre. Unfortunately, a couple of people brought small children, I'm talking like 3 years old, to see this PG-13 movie. This long PG-13 movie. The one directly in front of us talked almost continuously.

If I went to see a movie aimed at little kids, I would expect to see little kids in the theatre. But come on, people! The least you could do is get up and take the child outside. The family in front of us, the dad completely ignored the child. The mom shushed him a few times.

You have to understand, your life is different once you have children. Every generation, people develop a deeper belief that they can always do the things they want to do, and if they annoy you, well that's your problem. Sorry, that's not the way it works.

It is not my problem that I forked over $14 in the expectation of actually being able to hear the dialogue, music, and sound effects in the film. I expect to be able to watch the movie and think about the movie, not watch the movie while simultaneously wondering why idiot parents brought a 3-year-old to a movie designed for teens and adults.

You need to have consideration for other people around you. If your child is typically quiet and you decide to take him or her to a totally inappropriate movie, and the child starts making noise, take it outside. Ask for your money back if you're not that far into the movie. Heck, if the movie's just about over, it won't hurt to ask. The theatre folks may be impressed enough at your consideration of others, they'll still give you free passes.

If you lose yor money, maybe you'll think twice next time. Teach your kids to be quiet while watching a DVD at home. Train them to appreciate the movie and be considerate of others. Then maybe when they're parents, they'll teach their own children to have common sense.

Black Pepper

My mom and I had lunch Saturday, while shopping for anniversary party supplies. She had a hard time, as she does every time she dines out, finding something that didn't have black pepper in it. She's going to a meeting of her high school class reunion committee soon, and she called the restaurant, and they said they really don't have anything without black pepper in it, except for salads, but the dressing all has the black pepper.

Zantac and some of the other acid medications specifically say not to eat black pepper when you're taking it, and yet, it's next to impossible to find prepared foods that don't have black pepper in it or on it. My mom can't eat it because it makes her sick.

My point is, hasn't anyone made the connection between the increase in acid reflux and stomach problems and the proliferation of foods that are cooked with black pepper? Sure, we're all under increased stress these days, but that can't be the only cause.

And why is it that corn needs to be sprinkled with black pepper? The breading for fried chicken? Grilled steaks? Green beans?

My problem is onions. I don't like them, and they make Tim throw up. Everyone puts it in their potato salad. Some restaurants put it in the coleslaw. I've even found 'em in the green beans. If I can't order it without onions, we won't eat it.

Tim says the problem is that the stuff is all being manufactured -- most restaurants don't cook from scratch anymore. The manufacturers, in turn, are making the stuff faster and cheaper, and they're starting with low grade, tasteless main ingredients, so they add the black pepper or the onions to try to add flavor.

Now, I've read that the veggies we have nowdays are not as flavorful as the ones we used to have. The flavor was bred out as they genetically manipulated the stuff to last longer, so it could be shipped from Costa Rica or wherever.

I wish I could afford to eat organic.

Whatever happened to....

Cracker trays?

My mom and I are working on their 50th wedding anniversary party, and my mom wants to set out the crackers in one of those half-tube cracker servers that used to be very popular, but apparently not many people know what they are any more. I did find some at Orientral Trading Company, clear plastic in a set of three. I guess we'll order some of those since Party City didn't have any, and my mom says everyone in her garden club is looking for them for the table-decorating event they put on every year. They've been using the ones my mom inherited from her mother. Weird how things stop being made. No doubt next year someone will start manufacturing them for Target or Crate and Barrel and then they'll be all the rage, and everyone will act like it's something brand new.