Goodbye sun, hello Manchester

Baby E's Peaceful (and Very Medical) Birth

2011-07-08T12:24:00.000-06:00

Who knew being a new mom would be so busy? I should have known the first two weeks of E sleeping all day would be gone. But it's soooooo much more fun now.

Anyway, let's go back into the past of 14 weeks ago (yikes! my little E is getting so big!) on the fateful day I had an ultrasound appointment. As it turned out, not only was E completely breech, but I had low amniotic fluid as well. We went into the hospital at one point to have her turned, but it didn't happen. The doctor at that time said he was concerned about the low amount of fluid I had, and of course, he didn't explain why he was concerned. I had to look that up for myself. I was borderline oligohydramniotic (is that even a word or did I totally make that up?), which basically means I didn't quite have low enough amniotic fluid to warrant an emergency C-Section, but I would have to go in for weekly ultrasounds until my due date. Essentially, if the amniotic fluid drops below a certain threshold, the chance that umbilical cord could get pinched off goes way up. That's because there's less fluid to hold the baby suspended, so the cord could get stuck between the wall of the uterus and the baby's appendages. Not cool, obviously, so I was a bit worried.

Also since E didn't turn over, I decided to schedule a C-Section. We were given the option to let everything happen naturally, but after we weighed the pros and cons, we went for the scheduling option. Nevertheless, I still wanted to use Hypnobabies and have a family-centered C-Section. So, I went about creating my birth preferences, which included having E with me in the OR while I was being sewn up, having her breastfeed right away, and us being allowed to video the birth, among a lot of other things. My doctor and midwife both agreed to my preferences, and they said they would do everything they could to make sure the pediatrics people would let E stay with me.

So, a couple more weeks of ultrasounds showed my fluid decreasing even further (they don't know why, but there are several theories about it) until finally, at the end of March, I went in only to be told I was now officially below the threshold, and I needed to go right away to see my midwife. The midwife was pretty concerned as well, so they did a stress test, and E was fine. When she sat me down, I was terribly nervous, but, as always, my awesome midwife calmed me down. She said she didn't want to wait until the planned C-Section three days later. She wanted to get me in as soon as possible. That could have been that night or the next morning. But since E was doing fine, she didn't see the need for an emergency C-Section. Whew!

That turned out to be a blessing. The midwife had me scheduled for the next morning with a wonderful OB at a great time, considering I couldn't eat or drink for 12 hours before the surgery. Our friend, who was going to be at the birth, couldn't actually make the original date, but she could make the new one.

Basically here is how the birth went down:

We went to the hospital at 4:30 AM, walked to the maternity floor (after I convinced the security guard in the ER that I wasn't going to give birth before we got up there), went to the room where our friend was already waiting, put the horrible hospital gown on, and got hooked up to all sorts of monitors. The nurses were amazing. Everyone was laughing and having a good time, and then the big moment came. The worst part was sitting on the table having the spinal put in. It didn't hurt at all, other than where I was prodded against my spine, but for some reason I got a huge case of the shakes (non-medically induced). That sucked, but it went away when they laid me down on the table. The brought G and our friend in, talked me through the procedure, and E was born. I might add that there was a little more to it than that, but the whole thing was amazing. The doctors explained what they were doing and when. They let G announce E's sex. I was able to have E with me the entire time (all 45 minutes of it!), and it was so nice.

I was expecting the worst after everything I'd read about C-Sections, but really, I'm so glad I didn't wait and take the chance of having an emergency C-Section. Plus, I got my sweet baby E!

Hypnobabies makes for a very peaceful pregnancy...

2011-06-05T16:33:00.001-06:00

So, as I mentioned in my last post, Miss E was born by a scheduled C-Section. This was probably the farthest from what I was expecting, since I had planned for a completely natural birth using Hypnobabies. Here's the first part of the story:

When I first found out I was pregnant, I got on the internet to my BFF about her birth. She'd had this awesome birth story, and I hoped to have something even kind of that awesome. Turns out she had used this program called Hypnobabies. They have in-person classes along with home-study ones. Since I was in the UK, and they don't have Hypnobabies classes there as far as I could see, she said she would send me her home-study materials, and then I could do the classes on my own time.

Hypnobabies isn't just a self-hypnosis study, it's a full childbirth education course. You don't just learn how to cope with pain; you learn all about what happens during the birthing time (Hypnobabies speak for 'labor') and methods to help your body do what it's supposed to do without pain (but not necessarily without discomfort). Essentially, you put yourself into a very relaxed state, getting around the Fear-Tension-Pain cycle that is commonly discussed in childbirth classes. I absolutely loved doing the classes! I was so incredibly relaxed from the first class I did, and I stayed that way throughout the pregnancy.

In fact, people kept mentioning how calm I was, and really, I felt calm! Even when things started not going to plan, I was calm about it. I had prepared myself for such a calm natural birth, but I hadn't realized how awesome I would feel during the pregnancy too. In fact, I had lots of people ask toward the end of my pregnancy if I was just ready for the baby to come already. I never ever felt that way. True to Hypnobabies, I wanted her to come when she was ready.

Doing Hypnobabies also helped me come to peace with having a scheduled C-Section, something which I don't think I would have been okay with otherwise. But more on that next time...

Suffice it to say, I'd recommend Hypnobabies to anyone who was interested in a non-medicated birth. If for nothing else to help with relaxation during pregnancy and birth!

My Pregnancy in a Nutshell

2011-05-29T05:00:00.001-06:00

We found out last July that I was pregnant. I waited as long as possible to take the pregnancy test, and then I just couldn't wait any longer. One morning I woke up, completely unable to go back to sleep. So, at 4:00 am I took a test, and I thought I saw a line. I showed it to a very sleepy Mr G, and he said he didn't see anything. It didn't deter me, because I KNEW it was a line. I was right!

Fast forward to around 6 weeks later, and I started feeling ill all day, with it getting worse as the day wore on. The only things I could stomach were fruit, sugary things, and fried things. Even smells of other things just made me want to throw up. Meat was totally out, and vegetables were from Satan. It was not a pleasant experience. This lasted for around 6 weeks, and we traveled to California from Manchester while I had "morning" sickness. We wanted to wait to announce the pregnancy until 12 weeks, so it was hard trying to keep the pregnancy quiet when I basically couldn't eat anything. We did manage to keep it quiet though.

The healthcare I received in the UK during this time was excellent! We had some scares very early on, and I was able to get in immediately for ultrasounds to check on the baby. The only thing I didn't really care for was the inability to get to know the midwives who would be present during the birth. It was a disappointment, but then, I wasn't paying for the services either!

Fast forward to later in the year, and I was approached by my former employer about a possibility back in the US that I should apply for. It sounded great, so after a lot of consideration, I decided to apply for it. Well, I got it. So, we moved from the UK back to the US during my last couple of months of pregnancy. As crazy as it sounds, everything went great! My job is awesome, some of our friends are still here, and I was able to find an EXCELLENT midwifery practice in town. Everything was going so smoothly...and then I found out Miss E was breech...and she wouldn't turn for anything! We did an external cephalic version, I laid upside down on an ironing board, and I had chiropractic treatments. She just didn't want to turn.

So, I was scheduled in for a C-Section. As I'll write about in another post, I was very unhappy about having to schedule a C-Section, because I wanted to go all natural, but it turned out great and we got an awesome baby girl out of it! I'll talk about that later too. But in the meantime, here is a series of pictures we took during the pregnancy.

Here We Go Again

2011-05-22T12:01:00.000-06:00

Well, we've moved back from Manchester to Colorado (yeah, I need to change the blog title), Miss E has arrived (I'll talk more about that in another post or five), and my life is chaotic yet again. Maybe it's the lack of sleep from getting up every 2-3 hours to feed Miss E or maybe it's the lack of computing time I've been getting lately, but I had a desire to blog again. So, here I am!

Since I haven't been writing for pretty much the entire year, I probably won't have a lot of writing related posts, at least not pertaining to me. But, I may talk about other writer friends who have books coming out or who are posting awesome things. I also hope to have some reviews of books I've managed to read in between working, breastfeeding, cooking, cleaning, etc. But for the time being, I would like to post some things about my pregnancy and birth experiences along with the experiences of being a new mom and product reviews. I was told all sorts of things about having a baby when I was pregnant, and some things worked out while others didn't. I felt like some pieces of advice or other people's experiences weren't realistic and sugarcoated the whole thing, so I plan to not do that here. I'll just tell it like it is, because I think that's more useful. Maybe writing about my experiences will be a little cathartic for me as well.

28 Week Update

2011-01-19T14:16:00.000-07:00

So, I didn't start out doing updates, mainly because I had so much to do to get ready for the move. Now I've moved, and I'm looking at pretty snow falling from the sky. I may not think it's so pretty if/when it starts to stick. But that's okay, because I've got a picture!! Please excuse the awful hair and lack of makeup.

So that's me at 28 weeks pregnant with baby Ninja. My mom took the picture with her new camera in a poorly lit hotel room.

I have my first midwife appointment in the US tomorrow, and I'm really excited about it!! I hope it goes well. So there's my update. I'll try to post more pictures when I get them later on, but I'm still really busy with moving, etc. It's tough to move, especially when you're pregnant!

Moving!

2011-01-06T15:34:00.000-07:00

Well, it's only been 7 months since I last posted anything on the blog. Bad Laura!! Well, now I'm back, hopefully regularly. And...it only took the fact that I'm moving back to the US to convince me to post.

If you've not heard yet, I got a job offer back where I did my PhD. It looks like it will offer some really good opportunities to work from the ground up on some interesting projects and gain some experience in the process. So, after much deliberation with the hubby, we decided to make the move back. It just happens that he found a position as well! Honestly, I think this was all building, because also if you've not heard, I'm pregnant! After I found out, I started getting more and more homesick. Plus my visa ends in June anyway, so the timing was great.

We're both excited to be going back to someplace we love. At the same time, we're sad. It is already hard on me knowing I have to leave my friends behind, and they'll be so far away too! Apart from the people I've met here, there're a lot of great things about the UK that I'll miss as well:

Blackcurrant jam
Stately homes that are more than 3 centuries old
Castles
Intelligent politics (to a certain extent!)
Pubs (they're not just for good beer!)
Yummy Indian food
Cheap(ish) flights to Europe
Misfits, Sherlock, Have I Got News for You, period dramas, etc.

I'm sure I'm forgetting things off this list, but those were just things on my mind.

Next up for me is flying back to meet my parents, driving to Colorado, and starting my new job while trying to find a midwife while the hubby is tying up loose ends in the UK. He'll come out a month later. I'm excited and a little scared about what's to come.

Next post: 26 week pregnancy update

Abstracts, Papers, and Other Exciting Tales

2010-07-09T01:58:00.000-06:00

Hello from the great beyond! I feel like I'm crawling out of a very dark hole into a clearing directly in the sun, the kind of bright light that brings tears to your eyes and forces them closed. I've been buried under a mound of work - not that I mind that - and am finally, after almost 3 months blogging. So why haven't I been blogging? Well, it's simple. I've either been working or sleeping, but never at the same time.

What have I been doing with work? Well, you see, I started a new job in April. It's taken some time to get used to and get with the flow of things. Said job requires me to drive an hour each way, which I don't like doing, and it makes me incredibly sleepy. Then I get home and basically crash. Oh, I also fix dinner, because something else I hate doing? Cleaning dishes. G and I have a deal where if I cook, he cleans and vice versa. It just happened to work out that I cook a lot. Shhh...we don't need G wise to ~~my evil plot~~ the strange coincidence. Mind you, his cooking blows my mind, in a good way, so I'm certainly not opposed to his food! That is beside the point.

Anyway, I'm easily distracted, so back on track. By the end of this month I will have written a short abstract and a long narrative proposal, both for conferences, along with revisions on a paper I've had accepted from a journal. *Laura does a happy dance for her first accepted paper* I will have gone into British schools and talked with students and teachers about their experiences with various things and done loads of statistical analysis on questionnaires. There's more fun going on, but I don't want to over-excite you.

So that all said. I've missed blogging, and I really should have been keeping up with it. But when the nice comfy couch lulls me to sleep at 7pm, it's just sooooo hard. I'll try to blog at least once a week, and hopefully it won't be nearly as boring as this post!!

Becca's Doing a Great Contest!

2010-04-11T13:40:00.000-06:00

I've been neglecting my blogging duties lately. I know. Sorry, but I've been trying to make sure everything is as it should be before I start my new job. That means I've been practicing driving for my test, making sure data is what my colleagues need, trying to finish updating a manuscript, and the list goes on. So, I'll be back soon. I promise.

In the meantime, check out Becca's blog for a really cool contest! Most of the contests I tend to enter center on books, but this one has to do with art! I'm not artistic in the drawing or painting sense of the meaning, but I do enjoy looking at those things. So, go there, enter, and if you win, show me what you did with you prize! Also, if you're not following Becca, you should. She's a great writer, and she's funny. So, what are you waiting for? Go to her blog!!!

Two For Tuesday: Soup Recipes!

2010-03-30T10:09:00.002-06:00

So a fellow AWer, Kate Hart, started this Two For Tuesday thing wherein you post two of something related to each other. Since I don't have a teaser today, and I'm generally always thinking about food, I thought I'd post some more recipes for ya'll.

At the moment, I'm freezing. It's been so nice here for the last two weeks, and all of a sudden it's gotten cold again. I shouldn't be surprised. It is Manchester. Luckily, I find comfort from the cold on days such as these by making a big pot of soup. Therefore, I am going to pass along two soup recipes (that I did not make up myself) to you! Enjoy!

1. Onion Soup - It's not bad for you, tastes sooooooooooo good, and warms you up from the inside! I substituted one cup of white wine for one cup of the water, and it the added so much to the flavor! Also, you might try adding a teaspoon or two of dried thyme if you like it. Technically, it's good if you can sauté the onions a bit before adding the liquid, but this isn't as "light", so you might try using a little butter to soften the onions a little bit and let them soften the rest of the way with the liquids. Can you tell I like experimenting?? You can add a slice of a crusty white bread and top with cheese, broiling (this would be placing it under the grill in the UK, or so I've been told) it until the cheese is bubbly, if you want to. We prefer the bread on the side, which is convenient, because it's healthier.

2. Broccoli Cheese Soup - My best friend posted this recipe on her blog. She got it from another site, and I made it for dinner last night. It may just be my favorite broccoli cheese soup ever, and if not, it's definitely in the top three! It's more soupy than the thick kind I'm used to, and that's because it doesn't have loads of cheese. It has just enough to give it a strong cheese flavor and the creme fraiche (if you use it) adds a nice creamy tang. Again, this recipe leaves a lot of room for experimentation. For example, I blended the whole thing and had some frozen broccoli that I boiled and cut into smaller pieces that I added back for the chunky texture that I like. Also, I kept the skins on the potatoes (after washing them of course), because they just blended up with the rest and kept all the nice vitamins. I used two teaspoons of whole grain mustard and quite a bit of the creme fraiche container. It was so yummy!

If you try these recipes, let me know! Also, if you want some tips on ways to experiment with them, post a comment or send me an email. I hope you try them and love them as much as I do!

A Week of Firsts

2010-03-28T05:00:00.000-06:00

Since moving to England last year, I've been faced with having to get used to many things like driving on the left (not as hard is it sounds), understanding this weird form of English (all English was not created equally...and there are many people even my Brit friends have a hard time understanding), and living without pickles (the absolute worst part about living in the UK...sorry, Mom, but the pickles come first...just kidding). I had managed to go along fine and dandy without having a haircut or having to see the doctor. I did manage to see the orthodontist a while back, and that was a surprisingly wonderful experience. Don't get me wrong; I wasn't expecting that orthodontist visit to be horrible, but I had been told nightmare stories. But, I also wasn't expecting the experience to be better than any of those I'd had in the US. Go figure!

Back to this week. On Tuesday, I finally forced myself to make an appointment to see my GP, an NHS doctor. I'd heard loads of horrible stories about NHS doctors--trying to get an appointment without having to wait until you're 90, going in only to be seen for 2 minutes and sent home, being told the same thing over and over again about you not actually having anything wrong when something still hurts, and so on. So, it was with a little trepidation that I went on Tuesday. I had no problem getting an appointment, although had I not been working from home, I could see how it would be difficult. I got there, waited no more than 10 minutes, and the doctor called me through. He did a series of tests to check where my shoulder hurt and when. Then told me what he thought it was. Then he gave me several choices for treatment explaining the benefits and drawbacks of each. He even asked if I had any questions and was able to answer them for me. Needless to say, it was a good experience, and I hope they continue to be that good.

So today, I decided to have another first--a UK haircut. This shouldn't be that scary, but have you seen some of the people walking around here looking like they have a bird's nest on their heads for the sake of fashion?? Really, it's enough to make me never want to set foot in a hairdresser's. But, I did. And the results are shocking...in a good way!

Before

After

I sure hope the rest of my UK firsts are pleasant like the last several things. I especially hope I only have to experience the UK driving test once...being the first time.

What other firsts can you think of that I may or may not have experienced in the UK? Post in the comments, because I like to read them, and they usually make me happy! Let's keep it clean...relatively.

How Writers Do It: Where Stories Come From

2010-03-25T11:10:00.000-06:00

This is the last blog in the How Writers Do It series. I know what you're thinking, "NOOOOO, it can't possibly be the last one!" Well, I'm afraid to tell you that I do not lie (well, maybe sometimes I do, but that's only when it's required in a board game...or is it?). I've enjoyed taking Cory Jackson's enlightening questions, reading the awesome Writing Down to the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, and discussing those questions in the context of the book here on my blog. I hope to do another of these sometime in the future, because I've learned a ton of stuff about myself as a writer and a person in general. I hope you've gotten something out of it to.

So, for the last question of the series, we're talking about where stories come from. Fun times.

From the time you get an idea for a novel to the day you first put your fingers to the keyboard, how does the story come to you?

Goldberg has an enormous amount in her book about where to find ideas in your daily life, like in the cafe or on the bus or at a wedding. It's refreshing to see that ideas might pop up from anything really. So, how does this tie in with the question? What happens after you get that tiny niggling of an idea? What do you do? How do you proceed?

For me, it always seems like a huge undertaking going from a tiny little spark to the full-blown story. It's scary enough that it's easy to decide not to keep going. "Someone else will have some similar idea sometimes, and they can just write about it," you might say. In fact, I often talk myself out of writing because of this very problem (and the AW people ~~kick my butt~~ ~~threaten to shank me~~ calmly talk me down from the ledge and into continuing) Well, that's where Goldberg has something fabulous to say.

Only, if you remove your clothes immediately and plunge into the water, it may be too cold. You'll jump out again, saying, "It's too big a task." Approach eroticism from across the shore, fully clothed, and take your time swimming across the river. If you start taking off your shirt and pants slowly as you swim, by the time you get to the other side you'll be naked--brazenly erotic, the way always wanted to be, but you won't be so frightened or embarrassed by it.

So why did I just quote something on eroticism? Because I think it fits nicely in with this idea of taking something so small that anything's a possibility really. Your idea is a tiny speck in the ocean of the whole big bad story. "Where do I go with it? What's the story? What happens? Oh this is all too much for me, I quit." But Goldberg says instead of jumping in completely naked, do things in steps, slowly, over a bit of time. Let yourself acclimate to the story.

Is this what I do? Sometimes, but I should practice this a lot more. It's easy to get scared into thinking you can't do it or your story is stupid. Interestingly, with my first novel, which I'm still working on, I didn't have this problem at first. I had an idea of a boy and a girl who'd known each other a really long time. I talked about it with my best friend who helped me come up with some little details and I wrote the first third not even thinking about where I was going with it. So, okay, that's not great either, because I eventually got stuck. BUT, the point is, I took it in small steps. I didn't have an idea at one second and just start writing it. I talked about it and thought about it. The characters became real to me in my head. THEN, while I wrote little bits, I got more comfortable and things started flowing.

I think it's like what Goldberg said. I could have jumped in naked at that moment I had the idea and realized that the task was just too big. But I didn't, I wrote a little and thought a little and talked a little and wrote a little more. Did I plot? Well, I tried. It would have helped with the whole breaking down of the story (which I also tie to the whole taking off your clothes a little at a time while crossing the river thing, if that works for you). There's all sorts of things a writer can do to help themselves get acclimated to the "big picture", and I probably don't do any of them, but I try. It's what works for you. Everyone's different.

When I get an idea, I have to think about it a lot before I can just start writing it. Other writers don't need to do this. Things just flow. So how do my fellow series bloggers deal with their stories? This is a good segue into what my fellow bloggers have to say on the topic, so go check out their blogs! I will be.

Cory Jackson: Robert Olen Butler’s From Where You Dream
Kate Hart: Stephen King’s On Writing
Jamie Blair: Janet Evanovich’s How I Write
Laura McMeeking: Natalie Naimark-Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within
Debra Driza: James Scott Bell’s Plot and Structure
Leila Austin: Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird
Sarah Harian: Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey
Jennifer Wood: Sol Stein’s Stein on Writing

Teaser Tuesday #4: A Bit About Fred

2010-03-23T07:13:00.000-06:00

Okay, so last week I noticed that Olivia came to the forefront of the teaser. I admit it: I love Olivia. She's always so peppy and funny and just seems to shine. But that worried me a little about Fred (my MC). So, here's a little snippet where Fred does some talkin'. Again, it's first draft and very rough. Also, I've still not figured out how to get rid of the lines in between quotation paragraphs, so it's a boring ol' quoting scheme this time. If anyone has suggestions, email me!

As always, let me know what you think (I usually ~~dance~~ ~~jump up and down~~ read and thoroughly appreciate comments. Suggestions are always welcome!!

---------------------------------

“Well, I’m just glad you didn’t get eaten by a bear or something. Although fighting off wild animals would have been way more exciting than what I did while you were off communing with nature and you were trying your hardest to get yourself knocked up.” I pointed at Aeron and then at Liv, who both rolled their eyes at my rant. “I had the joy of filing books and updating library database records. Talk about fun.”

Actually, I had enjoyed working at the library this summer. It was relaxing, and once I got started on a job, no one bothered me. I could be in my own little world of making sure everything was ordered and in the right place, which left me with a huge sense of satisfaction.

“Anyway. I’m glad to be back in civilization where someone can cook food for me. I think I’ve eaten enough fish and cous cous to last me a lifetime. Speaking of food, I’m going to die if I don’t get an omelette,” Aeron said as he picked up the menu again.

Aeron looked over at the waitress who was gabbing to the cook about their weekend. She showed up about two seconds later ready to take our order. I didn’t need to look at the menu before I ordered a double order of hashbrowns and one waffle. Olivia made a scene of reading the menu, not finding anything low-cal, low-fat, or low-carb, and settling on a glass of 2% milk and a bowl of fresh fruit. Aeron ordered half the menu before the waitress yelled out to the cook what we wanted.

“Don’t you ever feel like trying something different, Fred? I expect Olivia to get the healthiest thing on the menu, so that’s not a surprise. But, why do you always get the same breakfast?”

“Why mess with a good thing? And, you know I don’t do eggs. They’re just...eww.” I scrunched my mouth and pinched my nose, which garnered me a chuckle from Aeron. Liv just rolled her eyes again as she sipped her coffee.

I didn’t even need to look at mine to know that it had already been filled with two creams and two sugars. Aeron had been taking care of my coffee since we’d started this breakfast tradition. I raised my eyebrows in thanks and he winked. “Like I said, you always get the same thing.”

Driving in the UK

2010-03-21T06:30:00.001-06:00

So, if you follow my tweets, you'll know that I recently took my driving theory test and have now started driving lessons. Why am I doing all this when I've been driving for almost 15 years now? Well, in the UK, you are only allowed to drive on an American license for a year before having to get your UK license. Actually, you should start going through the hoops about 3-4 months before your American license is no longer valid, because it takes quite a bit of time to get all the tests scheduled and taken. I didn't do that, so now I'm scrambling!

Anyway, unlike my husband, I am scared out of my mind about this driving test. I wasn't as scared about the theory test, because, really, it's just memorizing a bunch of answers. But the driving test? It's like one of the hardest in the world! Since I'm so prone to freak outs about not being remotely prepared for things, I've started my driving lessons about a month before my test. Now, if you've never driven a day in your life, you'd probably need more than a month. But, I already know how to drive a manual, so it is all about getting rid of "bad" habits.

I thought this would be relatively easy in the whole scheme of things. I mean, I'm not trying to learn how to use a clutch and stuff, right? WRONG! Apparently I do several things wrong according to how the driving testers test you in the UK:

Handbrake Use. I only use it when I park. Apparently here, you should use it when you're stopped for any amount of time longer than you having to inch out to go forward, like at stop lights and stop signs and when giving way (yielding) to other cars. This is a difficult "bad" habit to break, because it's hard for me to switch my brain to the handbrake.
Clutch Use at Stops. I was taught to not use the engine to brake at a stop (unlike on a hill, when you should downshift instead of overheating your brakes), because it wears on the engine which is much more expensive to fix than the brakes. Here, you should use the engine to brake so you retain control over the vehicle. This annoys me beyond belief, and my dad actually did some internet searches about this. There seem to be arguments on both sides of this. However, I find it very intriguing that there also seem to be a lot of Brits having to replace the clutch before 100k miles on their car. Now, I'm not sure how normal this is in general, but I KNOW that if we ever had to change the clutch out on my first car (which happened to be our family car for 14 years), it was not before 100k miles.
Clutch use around corners. I tend to downshift before a turn, then come off the clutch and give it gas as I go around a corner. This is a no no, and one I plan to try and remedy. You should already be in the lower gear before you go around the corner.
Hand placement on steering wheel. It's just like the US-10 and 2. However, who on earth doesn't cross their hands while driving around corners? Really??? So, yeah, obviously I need to work on this.

I learned all this in my first driving lesson. And, seriously, even though I have no problem driving here and have driven a decent amount since moving here, I felt like a total new driver as soon as someone was marking how well I did! It all seemed overwhelming, like I couldn't possibly remember everything I was supposed to be doing.

If I ever say I want to be a teenager again (highly unlikely), I'll remember this. It's exactly how I imagine I felt when I was 15 and learning how to drive for the first time. Whew!!

How Writers Do It: Deepening Your Characters

2010-03-18T10:36:00.001-06:00

This is the third week of the awesome Corrine Jackson's series on "How Writers Do It." Honestly, I'm kind of at a loss on this week's discussion. I haven't been writing that long, and consequently don't have a lot of experience with plot development, character development, emotional development, and well, pretty much anything that ends with "development." So, it was a great time to turn to the great book Writing Down to the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. This will probably be more my response to her readings than my actual ideas on how I do things, since really, as you will see, I probably don't do them in this case. But, it's a learning process! So, here is this week's topic:

Deeping your characters: What is at the heart of a complex character?

Ha! That's a great question, Cory! It's an important question, and probably one any writer should know. Let's see what Goldberg has to say on this subject. Actually, there weren't any actual chapters devoted to character development. However, there were several bits and pieces of different chapters that I felt offered good advice on details. Details about places, things, people, psychology, etc. All of these go into a complex character, in my opinion. Here are several quotes from Goldberg and my thoughts on each.

...use original detail in your writing. Life is so rich, if you can write down the real details of the way things were and are, you hardly need anything else.

The chapter this came from was one on details in general. She mostly talked about taking in details of things and places around you and transplanting those real details into your writing. By doing so, it causes your imagination to build on the original details, allowing itself to come up with imagined details as well. I think this is important in developing a complex character as well. We all feel and experience life in different ways, and those feelings and experiences are real. I would venture to guess that even a person with the simplest life is complex in some way. Maybe they have a turmoil of emotions that they can't deal with. Or maybe they have a secret in their past that is the basis for how they think and act now. Whatever it is, it's real. So why not use that, your own experiences and emotions, to feed your imagination for your characters to development deeper layers?

Our lives are at once ordinary and mythical. We live and die, age beautifully or full of wrinkles. We wake in the morning, buy yellow cheese, and hope we have enough money to pay for it. At the same instant we have these magnificent hearts that pump through all sorrow and al winters we are alive on the earth. We are important and our lives are important, magnificent really, and their details are worthy to be recorded. This is how writers must think, this is how we must sit down with pen in hand. We were here; we are human beings; this is how we lived.

This quote was especially powerful for me, but also raised a couple of questions. First, I think Goldberg eloquently states kind of what I just discussed above, or at least I took it to mean that. We should use what we know, what we feel, who we are, and everything that makes us to pour into our characters. Goldberg goes on to talk about how it's not just us we should pay attention to, but everyone. People matter. People exist and they love and hate and feel sadness and joy in different ways. They have different backgrounds and families, schooling and friendships. We're all different. Observation and understanding are a writer's best friends. Not only should we draw on ourselves, but we should draw on others. By using the idea in the first quote (transplanting original detail) we create characters based on bits of people, allowing our creativity to open up and creates layers of our characters that we might not have known existed before we started thinking of real people.

This isn't to say that any of my characters are based on real people. They aren't. I don't know anyone exactly like Fred, Aeron, or Olivia. But I do know people who have certain qualities that each of them hold, myself included. I also know that bits and pieces of who I wish I could be are in each one of them. Some of their experiences are based on my own and those of others I've talked to. Others are based on observations with my own imagination there to fill in the motivations for their actions.

I'm not saying any of my characters are complex. In fact, sometimes I worry that they are pretty superficial. But, then I think about some conversations I've had with friends and all the introspection I've done to try and figure out why I am the way that I am, and it brings in new ideas. My characters jump out and say, "Hey! That happened to me!" And it goes into their complexity I guess. To me, characters should feel real, even if they are fantastical. There should be something real about them. When I go up and talk to someone at a party, it's never as simple as my saying "hi". There are always things going on in my head, reasons I wanted to talk to them, insecurities about having to mingle in the first place, memories about the last time I did something similar and it turned out badly. Just like people, characters should have motivations for what they do, how they feel, how they act, and those are based on everything that's happened to them before they came to the page.

Maybe none of this made since. Really, I'm not sure it even makes sense to me. So, you tell me (and the rest of us since this IS a series), what do you think is at the heart of a complex character? How do you create complex characters yourself? If you're not a writer, what makes a character "complex" when you're reading?

And don't forget to check out the other writers participating in this blog series!!

Cory Jackson: Robert Olen Butler’s From Where You Dream
Kate Hart: Stephen King’s On Writing
Jamie Blair: Janet Evanovich’s How I Write
Laura McMeeking: Natalie Naimark-Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within
Debra Driza: James Scott Bell’s Plot and Structure
Leila Austin: Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird
Sarah Harian: Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey
Jennifer Wood: Sol Stein’s Stein on Writing

Teaser Tuesday #4: The New Ch. 1

2010-03-16T07:59:00.003-06:00

Yay! I'm posting a teaser again. I go in spells. But, after a massive brainstorming session with my friend, Hazel, I realized that the 37k I had already written on TD were going to have to change quite a bit. I already knew this, because I committed the newbie mistake of mistakes. It was horrid in fact. I started TD with my MC waking up from a dream! *Runs and hides from the shame of it.* *Comes back with a crimson face.* Oh, but it was worse than that, my friends. That was the second version of Ch. 1. The first version was my MC IN a dream. Yes, I'm already so embarrassed, I couldn't possibly turn more red. So there it is. Version one of Ch. 1 of TD was horrid.

That brings me to this week's teaser. This little snippet is from the new (and, good grief, I hope improved) version of TD's Ch. 1. It's the cliched first day of school and Fred is meeting her best friends, Aeron and Olivia for breakfast before school starts. It's in it's craptastic first draft form. Here ya go...

Snipped...Thanks for the comments!!

I love to read your comments, so let me know what you think! They don't have to be all praising either. If you think it sucks, you can tell me. I won't bust out the tissues and sob. Okay, maybe a little, but then I'll suck it up and work on things. :-D

Note: I have no clue why this stupid quotations thing isn't working right. I'm trying to fix it. In the meantime, sorry for the massive amounts of lines!!

How Writers Do It: Getting Into the Zone

2010-03-11T09:06:00.003-07:00

For the second part of the the lovely Cory Jackson's How Writers Do It series, I'll be discussing "Getting into the Zone". This week, I actually have the awesome Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, because it finally came in the mail. I haven't been disappointed in any way!

On to this week's question:

What goes into the creative process of writing a novel?

That's a totally general question, right? Luckily, Cory gave us some guidance. Her examples included the author's mindset and the writer's environment. So here I go.

Goldberg talks a lot--and I mean A LOT--about this very topic. In fact, I find that almost every one of her chapters has something covering our mindset as a writer and the environments where we choose to write. So what does she say? I'll take a few of excerpts from the many I've highlighted and discuss a bit after each.

In order to improve your writing, you have to practice just like any other sport. But don't be dutiful and make it into a blind routine...Don't just put in your time. That is not enough...Otherwise you are just mechanically pushing the pen across the page and intermittently looking at the clock to see if your time is up.

I've had a lot of advice from different people about how I should write a certain amount every day just to make sure I'm writing. In the same vein, I heard that you should set aside a block of time and just write. Well, I think this is good advice, but personally, it hasn't been working for the exact reasons Goldberg gives here. She goes on to say that if this is you, if you're just writing along because you told yourself you'd write for an hour, but you'd rather be doing something else, STOP WRITING. For a week or a month, whatever. It seems to be the equivalent of burnout. I found this hit especially close to home. I think I may be like this, a writer who writes in massive spurts then takes a break for a while to get the energy and excitement back up. Not everyone needs this, but I found it incredibly satisfying to know that when I feel this way, I'm not some total writing loser. Goldberg is giving me permission to keep thinking about writing, take a break for a bit, and come up refreshed!

Okay. Your kids are climbing into the cereal box. You have $1.25 left in your checking account. Your husband can't find his shoes, your car won't start, you know you have lived a life of unfulfilled dreams...you lost your favorite pen, and the cat peed on your current notebook.

Pick up another notebook, take out another pen, and just write, just write, just write...

Finally, there is no perfection. If you want to write, you have to cut through and write. There is no perfect atmosphere, notebook, pen, or desk, so train yourself to be flexible.

I laughed quite a bit when I read this. Then I stepped back and was sobered by how true this rings for me, especially recently. For a while, I had the symptoms of the burnout discussed above. But now, I have this story simmering in my head, permeating my body until I have to talk about it all the time. Am I writing? No, not really. Why? Because I have a 1,001 things to do and life sucks and I'm hungry and there's this great TV show on and I don't have anywhere to write and and and... None of those excuses matter. What matters is that there's this creative energy bursting to get out of me, and it's not going to rest until I cut the crap and make myself sit down somewhere--anywhere--and get it down.

I don't need the perfect room or a kitchen table that doesn't wobble when you walk near it or chairs that aren't close to busting every time I sit down. I just need a plug, some headphones to block out the husband's video games, and maybe a cup of tea. Tea helps me think. And, you know what? I love that Goldberg has given me all this freedom! Or maybe it's that she's given me the permission I thought I needed to not confine myself to what I was told I should be doing. Maybe I can find what works for me. Maybe if I feel like writing in bed one day and on the couch the other (which is exactly what I end up doing, by the way), it's okay, as long as I can write.

And, I totally forgot that you can visit Cory's blog and comment to win a book!!! Plus, don't forget this:

Check out the other writers participating in this blog series!!

Cory Jackson: Robert Olen Butler’s From Where You Dream
Kate Hart: Stephen King’s On Writing
Jamie Blair: Janet Evanovich’s How I Write
Laura McMeeking: Natalie Naimark-Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within
Debra Driza: James Scott Bell’s Plot and Structure
Stephanie Jenkins: Donald Maass’ Writing the Breakout Novel
Leila Austin: Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird
Sarah Harian: Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey
Jennifer Wood: Sol Stein’s Stein on Writing

Fantastic Book Giveaway Contest

2010-03-09T04:38:00.000-07:00

As you know well, I like books. So, lucky me, there are so many generous bloggers out there willing to do book giveaway contests. And, since there's an amazing one going on right now, I thought I'd bring your attention to Elana Johnson's contest! She's celebrating having a how hoard of followers by giving away books!! Oh, and that's not all! She's giving away SIGNED (and personalized!) by their authors. Sweet!!! So, get on over to her blog to enter!!

New Blog Layout

2010-03-05T02:37:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I have a shiny new blog layout!! After seeing Vero's amazing layout on her blog, I decided to ~~waste~~ fill the day searching for blog layouts and trying to apply just the right one! I found a couple others, but they didn't fit the bill. Then I stumbled upon this one. At first, the title was boring, but then Vero snazzed it up for me and created the one that's there now! She also helped me figure out how to do cool things with blocked quotes and the page links. Basically, what I'm saying is Vero is awesome! You should check out her blog to see just how talented she is.

What do you think of the new layout? Am I missing something you think I should have? Is it easier or harder to navigate than the last one? Any other thoughts?

How Writers Do It: Writing as Art?

2010-03-04T03:46:00.012-07:00

Howdy! You might be asking yourself why on a Thursday I am not being thankful. Well, I am, BUT even better than that, I'm taking part in a month-long blog series on "How Writers Do It: A Writing Process Series". Each Thursday in March nine writers will each read a separate book on the writing process and discuss a prompt within the context of the book they've chosen and their own writing practice. For more information about the series, check out Cory's blog post introducing it.

The books I'll be reading for this series is Writing Down to the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Naimark-Goldberg*

So, without further ado, here is the prompt for today:

Writers as artists: How do you define yourself as a writer? Are genre writers artists?

I'll admit that I was quite intimidated by this question. For one, even though I've done artsy things in the past (i.e., singing and acting), I've never really considered myself an artist. I tend to reserve the word "artist" for those few brilliantly creative people who paint or sculpt. But really, what is an artist? Merriam-Webster defines an artist (in the context of this post) as "one who professes and practices an imaginative art" or "a person skilled in one of the fine arts." I also looked up what forms of art are considered to be a fine art, and creative writing was included in the list.

So, is writing an art? According to the definition above, yes! Still, do I define myself that way? I guess I should. When I think more about, I continue to compare writing with something I've been more familiar with in the past: painting and sculpture**. What these artists do is take some plain--a canvas or piece of clay--and turn it into a glimpse into a world or a single point in time or person with a mysterious glint in his or her eye, anything their imagination takes them, really. As the viewer, we look at these paintings and sculpture and wonder. These works of art allow our imagination to go beyond that of the original artist to make the scene or the expression on a scultpure's face our own. We wonder what was going on in Saint Teresa's mind--what is it that she sees?--when she's in extreme ecstasy? What is the man whispering to the girl with the wineglass that makes her smile like she does? What I just did there was attempt to create a story surrounding these glimpses in time. Not only has the artist succeeded in sent his imagination into the physical realm, but he pulled me, as the viewer, into the world and encouraged me to make it my own in my mind.

So, isn't that what writers do? I think so. We, as writers, take the ideas in our heads and physically manifest into a worlds and characters and time periods through our words. Our paper (or computer monitors as is usually the case now) are our media, but the effects are the same. Maybe even more powerful in some cases, especially when we are able to create characters that readers can identify with and feel connected to in some way. I know as a reader I often feel incredible grief after having spent a long time with a particular character and then have to leave. It's like losing a good friend. How is a person's ability to bring out such emotion in another person purely through their use of words and imagination not art?

That leads me to the next question posed above. What about genre writers? Are they artists too? Well, yes. Why wouldn't they be? Landscape artists tend to paint landscapes, but the effects are generally the same. They bring out emotion and imagination in others. In the same way, a romance writer creates worlds and characters that bring out emotions in us as the reader. A mystery writers pulls us into the solving of the mystery. And, YA writers, like me, pull teens into a world with characters they can hopefully relate to or remind those of us past the teen years what it was like to be so embroiled in the overwhelming wave of emotions of teenagedom.

Although writing might not be visual, in that it doesn't show you what a world looks like or depict the character for you, it describes it. Sometimes I think this might be better than a painting for me, because it forces me to really build the look of the world or the character in my head. In fact, I often feel disappointed when I have this idea formed and I see another person's physical representation of what a character looks like. I know that happens all the time (The initial controversy over RPattz portraying Edward in Twilight, anyone? Yes, I went there. So sue me.).

As writers--and artists--we take something incredibly personal to ourselves. As Naimark-Goldberg says, "Writing is a path to meet ourselves and become intimate." In doing so, we allow ourselves to be vulnerable to complete strangers, offering up that part of ourselves that we dared to put on paper. I think in every case, a person's writing is reflective of that person in some way. It may be small. Obviously, I don't think a writers who writes about a psycho killer is one themselves, but something in that story will reflect something about the author. And in the end, our readers either connect or they don't. It either effects them or it doesn't. They like it or they don't. But what we've done is set the stage, so to speak, for our readers to take what we've put to paper and make it personal for themselves.

That is what I consider to be art.

I guess by my own discussion, I should consider myself an artist. Right? I don't know why it's so hard for me to so. Maybe it's the scientist in me hammering away that I'm a scientist not an artist! But whatever it is, it's a growing process. I didn't choose to write to make money or get popular or have tons of praise. I started writing because I had something to say, something that wouldn't leave me alone until I got it down on paper. If no one but me ever sees it, it's art to me. It affects me. I hope some day it will have some meaning for others as well, even if it's just to pull them away from reality for a little while. For the time being, I'm content to put my ideas to paper and build a world where I get lost with characters I love or hate or love to hate. After all, in doing all this, I'm growing and learning about myself. And if nothing else, that is a good thing.

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What is your take on today's topic? Do you think writing is art? I'm always curious to hear from others!

Also, if you read Cory's post for today and comment, she's running a contest this whole month (one per week). You could win a book on writing! And, don't forget to check out the other seven writers (see bottom of the post for links) participating in this series and comment on their posts. I'm sure they love hearing from you as much as I do!! I definitely plan to get over there and read what they (and the authors of their selected books) think about writing as art.

Check out the other writers participating in this blog series!!

Cory Jackson: Robert Olen Butler’s From Where You Dream
Kate Hart: Stephen King’s On Writing
Jamie Blair: Janet Evanovich’s How I Write
Laura McMeeking: Natalie Naimark-Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within
Debra Driza: James Scott Bell’s Plot and Structure
Stephanie Jenkins: Donald Maass’ Writing the Breakout Novel
Leila Austin: Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird
Sarah Harian: Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey
Jennifer Wood: Sol Stein’s Stein on Writing

* I ordered the book last week, and it still hasn't come. So, I've managed to read a small amount which was available on a preview. I will update this post when I read the chapter on art and writing after the book gets here.

** I do not profess to be able to paint or sculpt. I can't nor do I want to. It just fascinates me and gives me an extreme pleasure when I contemplate it and spend time just immersed in the world of it.

Thankful Thursday #4

2010-02-25T05:00:00.001-07:00

Back in November, our dishwasher stopped washing on one setting--the half load setting that we usually use. It wasn't such a big deal when we could just load the full dishwasher and run the full load. However, just before Christmas, the whole thing stopped working. Talk about perfect timing. It definitely made cleaning up after Christmas dinner loads of fun for everyone.

This actually shouldn't have been that painful for me. After all, I didn't have a dishwasher the entire time I was in Colorado (5 years). But I'd managed to get used to the convenience in the 9 months we've lived in our apartment. It also was cause for several mini-arguments on who had to do the dishes. Being the ~~manipulative~~ ~~incredibly intelligent~~ lazy person that I am, I came up with the idea of "I cook, you clean." It worked beautifully, until he cooked. Then I had to clean. Bleh.

I finally got around to contacting the landlady who immediately contacted a repair-person. This process took a while, but I'm pleased to say we've washed several loads of dishes thus far. All it took was a new circuit board.

So, today, I'm thankful for my dishwasher, which keeps me from scalding myself on the ridiculous water system here. Also, it keeps me from having to touch the icky old food. I like to leave that job to the hubby. :-D

Teaser Tuesday #3: Grasping at Straws

2010-02-23T06:34:00.002-07:00

I've been bogged down with basically nothing for a month now. That is to say, I've not really been able to write. I add a couple of words here and there, but nothing seems to flow. Then, about a week ago, the characters from my old WIP started coming back in my mind. I started seeing scenes in my head with them, and got a little excited. Since then, I've tried to rewrite some things in that novel. Here is one scene. It's not all that great, and it doesn't really say too much, but it's something I added. I decided to change some relationships around, etc. This is me trying to do that. :)

In this scene, we meet Cassandra Barret (well, she showed up in the previous scene, but we didn't actually meet her). And, we also find out why Fred is called Fred...and possibly how she got her full name. ;)
As usual, it's rough.

Snipped. Thanks for the comments, guys!!!

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

2010-02-22T13:37:00.005-07:00

It's a beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine? Could you be mine?

Why did I just sing Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood on this blog? Well, because it makes me happy just like the show did all those years back. You know what else makes me happy?? My friends!!!

One awesome friend, Stephanie, just gave me a blog award for my sunshininess (did I just make that word up???). Apparently, she was smoking something really good, because she does actually talk to me and still thinks I should get the Sunshine Award. Go figure. Maybe it was because I told her the sun was shining here today. Or, more probably, I have the word "Sun" in title of my blog. Yeah, that's it.

But seriously, I get to pass this award on to other deserving bloggers. Who you might ask? Well, I'll tell you:

Courtney - My best friend! Need I say more? No, but I will. We've been friends since college, and she's pretty much the only one I talk to regularly. She knows me better than anyone else (other than maybe my hubby), and she makes me laugh. A lot! Also, when I'm not laughing, she listens to me gripe and almost always agrees with me even when I know she totally doesn't (I'm on to you, C!)

Krista - Her stories make me smile and laugh (especially Rafe, who just cracks me up), and she's just awesome. She also has a gorgeous smile that seems to be contagious! Plus, I think we were separated at birth or something, because we're so much alike it's scary. So, if I'm sunny, so is she!

Amy - Every time I used to call Amy, I'd smile. I mean, her voicemail is just so cute--"Hello everyone..."-- and so welcoming. How could you not smile? Her blog also features hairless cats, which would make anyone laugh, but I've met at least one of them in person, and they are awesome! Also, her husband is probably the funniest person I know, and his pictures are on the blog, which makes me think of jokes he's told, and that makes me laugh. Obviously, Amy's blog is full of sunshine.

So, ladies...go forth and spread the love, erm...I mean, Light!

Wine and Cheese with a Side of Estrogen

2010-02-21T03:29:00.005-07:00

Friday was good. Actually, it was fantastic. For the first time in quite a while, I actually left my apartment for a girls-only wine and cheese party hosted by my good friend, Hazel, and her roommates. Having grown up with mostly male friends, I've never really been one for the chick parties. In fact, I joked around with Hazel that I expected all the estrogen* in the room to cause sobbing in the first 15 minutes followed by fits of laughter followed by a cat fight over clothes, guys, or guys in clothes. I was only half-way serious.

For the record, there was no crying as far as I know, but there were fits of wine-induced laughter. Also, I think I only witnessed one fight, but that was literally with the cat, Tuesday, guarding her stairs. She doesn't like it when you invade her territory, especially when you've got on a kick-ass outfit that makes her feel inferior. No, really, no fights at all. Tuesday was secure in her cathood, so there was no need.

When I got to Hazel's house, I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I definitely wasn't expecting so much cheese! I know I should have, considering it was a wine and cheese party and all, but really, there were crazy amounts of cheese that just beckoned to my waist line like Snow White's witch and her apple. I succumbed. Fortunately, the only sleep-inducing effects of the evening came from all the wine--wine that I hadn't touched in the last three weeks.

At some point, my feet hurt from standing, so I led the charge into the living room where we were greeted with Kevin Bacon doing weird dancing combined with gymnastics moves in a random factory that strangely had a high bar in the epic 80s film, Footloose! Oh, it was excellent, and started us down the path of other 80s music. And, guess what! I wasn't the only American, the conversation consisted of more than just me saying, "Oh my god, have you seen Sixteen Candles" followed by "...um...no...what is that?" Instead, both of us asked those questions and were met with the same responses. It was great fun.

Oh, and since I'm a writer, this post would not be complete without me talking about writing--or, rather, the fact that I didn't talk about writing the entire night! Really. I do not jest. As much as I wanted to, I knew that I would get met with the same glossy-eyed stares that usually come from my talking about random stuff no one cares about. So I kept my mouth shut this time. But next time, people, no guarantees. I will most probably kill the party with my writing talk. You are forewarned... :-D

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* Google informs me that I have misspelled Estrogen. It says I should spell it Oestrogen, because I have my British dictionary on. So, just in case you don't know what estrogen is, just think "oestrogen", and you'll be fine. Also, Google thinks I've misspelled Google, but when I try to look up the appropriate spelling, it's not in the dictionary. Go figure.

Photo Friday: Massive LINGER Giveaway!

2010-02-19T02:00:00.001-07:00

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

Comes out in stores everywhere July 20th. Pre-order here.

Enter to win an advanced review copies of LINGER, Sisters Red, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Replacement on Maggie's blog.

WW: What in the World Am I Doing?

2010-02-17T05:00:00.002-07:00

I ask myself this question just about every day, sometimes more than once. I don't always ask this about my writing. It could be anything, really. But, I do question my writing more than anything else.

Usually this question takes on a bitter, self-degrading tone: what in the world do I think I'm doing?? It usually follows a period of sitting at the computer writing utter crap. Or reading other people's writing and wondering how on earth I can think I'm a writer when I feel so subpar to everyone else. Mostly, I just think I'm posing at this little thing called writing, and after a while, someone will figure out that I'm really NOT a writer and call me on it.

Is this normal? I don't know. But, thinking more on this, I realized that I feel this way about a lot of things I do, especially things that are particularly important to me. I have a PhD and I like to think I'm good at what I do in my day job. Even still, I just KNOW someone will find out one day that I'm just posing at what I do and am not actually any good at it.

It's that niggling doubt in the back of my head, that devil on my shoulder, that says, "You're just not good enough." Sometimes, I just need to angel to pop up, slug the devil off my shoulder for a while, and whisper sweet confidence for long enough to get me back on track. That angel often presents itself in the form of my writer and non-writer friends, my husband, and my family. Even still, I only really overcome that festering thought when I push it away, ignoring it for a time.

I don't think I'll ever feel completely confident in anything I do. I've always been this way. Even when I was young and competed in choir or worked my butt off to do well in school. I always felt like I was pretending at being a musician or a good student. But just like I succeeded in those choir competitions and I got good grades in school, I know, deep down, that I AM a writer. I may not be a great one or an extremely successful one, but I AM a writer.

Do you ever feel this way about yourself? Even if you don't write fiction, do you ever get like this in other things you do? Or is it just me? :-D

Music Monday: Am I Just a Depressed Person??

2010-02-15T02:00:00.001-07:00

Having joined a community of writers, there's always lots of talk about "playlists". Some of my writer friends take a lot of time putting together groups of songs for writing certain scenes, inspiring voice in characters, and representing the novel in it's entirety. I even posted about a song inspiring a whole scene/idea and I have a playlist of sorts.

But, I found that I didn't really plan the songs that went into the list. It turned out that I tended to listen to specific songs while writing and skipped over the others. After a little while, I moved those songs to a list and have added others over time after hearing them.

So what does my playlist sound like? In a word: Depressing. I could make an excuse and say it's that way because my book is so full of sad emotion, confusion, and anger. But, no. Really, I just flat out like the music. When I look at my big playlist (not just for writing), I notice how incredibly depressing most of the songs are! Sure, there's the occasional happy, upbeat song.

Thinking on it now, I think this is genetic. No, really. My dad loves a particular song about some guy drowning (either physically or metaphorically, I don't know). I like the same song! We both know how utterly depressing the words are, but it doesn't make us dislike the song. In fact, I think it makes me like it more. My mom thinks we're both a little nuts. I'll agree.

So, what about you? What do your playlists look like? Do they tend to have a lot of the same songs from novel to novel or are they completely dependent on what you're writing? What about your overall listening preferences? Is there a wide mix of music, or do you find a lot of the songs following a similar theme?

Fun Nights that End in Bad Next Days

2010-02-13T05:00:00.002-07:00

AKA Burn's Night

Burn's night was actually 2 weeks or so ago, and I had planned to post about it earlier, but it took me this long to confront the aftermath of such a fun night.

My husband is of Scottish decent; his father is from Scotland (really cool accent and everything!). We weren't actually planning to do all that much for Burn's Night, but my father-in-law happened to be in the UK (he actually resides in the US, so this was a really cool thing) and came to visit us for the evening! Add to that a friend from the hubby's work and his girlfriend and it equalled a grand mini dinner party!!

Niall even cooked for us: Haggis, Nips (pronounced: neeps!), and tatties. YUM! Actually, I was less than enthusiastic about the haggis, having only really had it in the US where it just tastes like liver. Apparently, that's because in the US, they can't add all the wonderful yummy goodness (i.e., all the really disgusting parts of the animal no one would ever actually contemplate eating), so they substitute all that for liver. Ew! I hate liver, so I thought I hated haggis. NOT TRUE!! This haggis was really tasty. I even had seconds.

(From left to right: Nips, Tatties, Haggis)

The food was set off by dudes in kilts!

And father-in-laws reading poetry!

And Scotch! (Oooohhhh...darn you Scotch!)

And, word to the wise, if you're ever thinking of drinking wine, Scotch, and ale all in one night, DON'T DO IT! Trust me on this. It's why it took me so long to post this. In fact, looking at this bottle of Scotch is making a break out in a cold sweat...

We interrupt this Thursday...

2010-02-11T01:42:00.001-07:00

...for a FOOD UPDATE!!

Yeah, so I'm totally not keeping to my blogging schedule. What's new? It was good while it lasted. I've had other things to do like working, beta reading, writing, and reading other books. I realize those all make for poor excuses, but since the schedule is totally off, why not have a random post about good scrumdiddlyumminess (Hmmm...that just came out, and I think it like it!)??

I felt particularly culinary last week--moreso than I normally do. In fact, I even used recipes to cook! Now, maybe this isn't so much of a shocker, but since moving to the UK, I've had a tendency to make ready meals, the kind that aren't yet cooked, but have everything thrown together already. While they are quite tasty, they tend to get a bit monotonous. I was just about to get completely bored in my food, when fate stepped in. The store where we shop had some specials on meat, forcing me to find recipes using those meats, because really, how could I pass up a deal?!

What did I make with said on-sale meat?

Beef Stew (a Food Network Recipe)

Yummalicious Sour Cream Enchiladas (Amanda's Modified Recipe)

I've made beef stew before, although it was several years ago. I would probably make it more, but I'm pretty picky about my stew, and none of the recipes I found over the years really screamed to me, until this one. Seriously, it's some of the best stew I've ever had, and the the husband asked me to make it again this week (not even a week after I made it the first time!). I had no problem eating it for lunch for three days in a row either. THAT'S how good it is. Try it!! (Several Notes: You might have to use corn starch at the very end if it doesn't thicken. I think it'll depend on the type of potato you use. Also, definitely make sure to scrape off the fat...there's a lot! It can get really salty, too, so don't use too much salt up front. Oh! And, I substituted 2 cups of broth for red wine. It was perfect.)

Speaking of fat. Did you see those enchiladas?!?! Amanda's a genius! She links to the original recipe, but I definitely think her additions make the overall flavor so much better than it would have been. Don't eat this to be on a diet, but the nice thing is, half and enchilada will fill you up. Well, at least that's what happened to me! Now, we're eating it for lunch. It makes excellent leftovers! I'll be making this again after a while. It's definitely worthy of my precious cans of Ro*Tel (I only have TWO LEFT!!!).

So yeah. Those are examples of what I've been doing, among many many other things. If you try the recipes, let me know how you liked them. If you change them up (like I have a tendency to do) what did you do?

Thankful Thursday #3 - Tomatoes & Green Chiles

2010-02-04T07:00:00.002-07:00

Oh, yes, my friends. I am dedicating this Thursday's thankfulness to the four wonderfully spicy cans of tomatoes and green chiles that sit in my cupboard. "Why?" you might ask. Well, I'll tell you.

They rock my world!!

The yummy tomato-y goodness mixed with the peppery spice of the chile is making my mouth water as I type. In fact, I really want to get up, open every can and make myself some Mexican rice and salsa. But I won't. No, I will restrain myself, because I live in England, a place where the only way for me to get tomatoes with green chiles* (or green chiles at all, for that matter) is an importer or friends and family.

So, I will not give into the temptation to eat them right away. I will ration them, keeping them safe in the cupboard until I absolutely cannot stand it any more. Only then will I give into temptation.

Maybe I should also be thankful for my restraint. :-)

*No, I'm not talking about what people here call "green chiles", which apparently are any number of chiles that happen to be green. I am talking about these (in no specific brand)...and if you know where to get them that won't cost me a fortune or a plane ride, please comment or email me!

Photo Friday: I Wish I Was Here

2010-01-29T05:50:00.004-07:00

St. Peter's Basilica - Rome, Italy (Click the picture for the full size)

Cough, cough--Groan--Oh my back!

2010-01-23T04:33:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks have shown me something: I'm not getting any younger.

It's not that I'm all that old, but time seems to have gone somewhere. I'm writing a YA novel with the main character being a 16 year old girl. I find myself looking back on when I was 16, trying to pull from my experiences. It'd hard, because, you know, that was AGES ago it seems!

Actually, I can't believe how long it's been. But, over the last couple of weeks, I got sick, got a little better, got much worse, and thought I was about to die. Yeah. A stupid cold that might have made me feel a little bad in the past, but never would have gotten me out of school (my mom was one of those moms that made me go to school unless I was bleeding to death or had a 115 degree fever), had me laid up in bed for almost 2 weeks.

It reminded me of the week my parents went to Israel, and I got stuck with the colon infection. Yes, that IS as bad as it sounds, but it got me out of school for a week.

That memory led to others, and pretty soon, I was lost in Memoryland, replaying all the heartache and angst, boycraziness and dork moment that I had when I was growing up. Actually, it was pretty useful to my book.

At the same time, it just made me feel old. Then I sat on the couch, watched my husband playing video games, and reminded myself that if he could act like a zit-riddled teenage dork then so can I!! Is that a good thing? ;-)

Thankful Thursday #2 - Absolute Write

2010-01-21T05:00:00.002-07:00

I've mentioned Absolute Write several times on this blog now. This one is adding to the others. I actually had another post set up for today, but I'm postponing that one. I've been having a lot of trouble writing lately. I could blame it on the holidays, but really, that wasn't it at all. I think I have this thing called fear. I'm not afraid to write, and I'm not even afraid to share my stuff. I think I'm afraid that when it comes down to it, I'm going to completely suck at it.

It's not a new thing with me. I have what I like to call "poser syndrome". I don't know that I'll ever feel I'm good at something, whether it's academics, singing, writing, or whatever. I'll always feel like a poser. And, I definitely feel like that with writing.

All this is to say what I'm thankful for today: my AW friends!!!

It doesn't matter how down I feel, I know they will smack me for being stupid--in the nicest virtual way possible of course, right Steph?? ;) --and pick me back up to keep writing. I know they'll give me honest feedback on my stuff, so I don't have to worry that I really do suck and people are just being nice. (And yes, I would definitely think that.) They'll tell me things like, "I look at it this way: writing styles are like fingerprints--no two are exactly the same," when I read things and feel like I'll never be as good as the other writers (THANKS BECCA!!!)

Anyway, I'm incredibly lucky to have found such a wonderful group over at AW (most of them in OPWFT - Old People Writing For Teens), and I can't really be thankful enough. :)

Note: Check out the blogroll on my sidebar to see lots of awesome blogs from my AW pals. k?

Speaking of AW pals, go check out Race's blog and win a copy of The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard! No, really...go there NOW!

Teaser Tuesday #2

2010-01-19T05:23:00.002-07:00

This every other week schedule seems to be working out quite well. The past couple of weeks have been pretty productive in terms of writing--maybe not as productive as for some others, but for me, it's a good start. I found myself having to go back in and add my new favorite character, Hailey, into the beginning of the story. It's amazing to me how much this random character has influenced so much of the story so far.

So, today, I'm teasing a snip from a scene with Hailey. The girls are helping to build a house for a family in need. It's lunchtime, so they've headed out back to eat with the other volunteers.

As usual, this is the first draft and completely unedited. I'll take the snip down sometime this week.

Thanks for the comment, guys!!

My Year in Review

2010-01-17T05:48:00.000-07:00

I saw a lot of posts around the New Year recapping people's past year's experiences. I didn't jump on the bandwagon then, but today I'm feeling nostalgic. Maybe it's because the hubs and I are celebrating our first year wedding anniversary today or maybe it's just because I've been thinking a lot about where the time goes. It does seem to fly by.

This time last year, I was still sleeping (it's 5:30 am in Colorado while I write this), but I was about to wake up to a full day of pampering and pictures followed by the best commitment I've ever made in my life. It seems surreal that it was a year ago. It seems like yesterday, and at the same time, it feels like it was so long ago.

Lot's of things feel that way. Shortly thereafter, I had to begin filling out visa application forms and packing to move my stuff to Texas. The hubs had to return to England right after the wedding, so I had a lot time by myself.

Then I moved to Texas for around a month. It was nice being with my parents again, and it was hard to leave. But then I flew to England and have been here almost a year now. Even time here seems to fly. I work out of my apartment, and sometimes I wonder how it became Friday when it seems like the day before should have been a Monday.

Before moving here I was so concerned that things would be hard. Maybe I wouldn't make friends easily or I'd be depressed because I was so far from my family. But my awesome hubs and the great people we've met here had all that taken care of. I have fantastic friends and never feel bored.

After I defended my dissertation last May, a book idea popped into my head, so I sat down to try and write. It quickly became apparent that I didn't know what I was doing, so I sought out an internet community that might offer some clues on how to write. That's when I found Absolute Write. I can't say enough how amazing the community is there and how helpful the people are, especially my new friends on the OPWFT (Old People Writing for Teens) board. Through the lovely ladies (and some dudes, too), I feel connected to the outside world even when I pull back and stay in my apartment.

When the hubs goes on field studies, I know I can't hang out with my British friends everyday, but I can always count on my OPWFT friends to be online, keeping me from being lonely.

Since getting married and moving to England, I've seen some wonderful sites (e.g. Scotland, Yorkshire, the Lake District, and Rome), but I always find myself wanting to come back home. I always feel the need for that connection to those people I feel such a kinship with. In all honesty, I'm not sure what state I'd be in right now if it weren't for my friends and family supporting me.

Photo Friday: My Mood Today

2010-01-15T04:48:00.001-07:00

Note: Yes, I'm dressed as an evil faery, which just adds to the whole tone of my mood right now. Also, the horns are real. Yes, they come out when I get like this. You have been forewarned.

Writing Wednesday: When Characters Invade

2010-01-13T04:57:00.002-07:00

About a month ago, I sat down to write a certain scene in my WIP. I had it all planned out it my head, where it would go, what would happen. And then Hailey showed up. She wasn't even a blip on my radar until she started flowing from my fingers. Now, she's become such a favorite character of mine--and a huge part of the story as well--that I've had to go back and fill in other scenes where she shows up.

This was the first time I've had the experience of a character invasion. I was a little annoyed at first. I mean, why couldn't my characters behave like I wanted them to? Slowly, I came to realize that this was for the best. The story was missing something, someone to help the MC grow. It just happens that maybe Hailey pushed her way into the story for that reason.

Now, I'm excited to write more with her in it. I'm also a little scared that I've been neglecting my other characters, or maybe they are all in hiding at the moment. None of them seem to be pecking at my head much.

Seeing as this is the second fiction piece I've started in my adult life (the other being on hold because of some major plot issues), most all experiences I have are new. I expect many writers have this happen. If you're a writer, have you had this happen to you? If so, how did you handle it? Did you ignore the character or let him/her flow to life on the page? How did it change your story?

Note: If you're a non-writer friend reading this, I may sound a little insane. I mean, characters talking to my in my head? Well, if you know me, you already know I'm insane and this shouldn't bother you, right?!?! No, really. Apparently, this all perfectly normal, or so all my writer friends who also have characters talking to them tell me. ;-)

Music Monday: Inspiring Scenes

2010-01-11T08:00:00.002-07:00

So, I listen to music using this really cool program (that was free when I joined, but isn't free anymore) called Spotify. It's pretty sweet, because it's streaming, free for me (and I hope it stays that way), and allows you to make playlists like on iTunes but with streaming music.

Anyway, through Spotify, I found this list of sad songs. You might be asking me now why I wanted sad songs. And the answer is simple: my story is kind of depressing at the moment. To the get into the mood of things, I needed to have sad music. And, there's definitely some sad music.

But one of the songs stands out above the rest. I'd heard it before, but it wasn't until last night that I really listened to the words. Said song is "Drawn from Memory" by Embrace.

I've posted previously about my attraction to both music and lyrics. This is a case of both. But, it was the lyrics that ended up inspiring an idea for my WIP (for you non-writers, that means Work In Progress). I won't tell you what the idea is, but when I told my crit partner about it, she thought it was good. So, here are some of the lyrics that inspired the idea. I hope you go find this song and listen to it, too.

Drawn From Memory by Embrace (selected lyrics)

So innocent that sweet look in your eyes
No hate nor fear could open
You blessed a part of me
Without knowing

And it strikes me that I could cry
And the thought of me crying
Will start me laughing
You blessed a part of me
Without lying

P.S. Spotify is also great, because it gets me so freakin' addicted to particular songs that I have to go buy them so I can listen to them away from my computer. :-) Crappy on the wallet, but great for the ears.

Ay Caramba! Recipes!

2010-01-09T08:00:00.003-07:00

If you read my post on 31 December, you might notice that this is not, in fact, a book review or author interview. No. I changed my mind, because really? Did anyone expect me to actually keep to my original schedule? If you did, I'm sorry. But, well, I've decided that since I do book reviews on my GoodReads page, I could do something different on my blog. And, that's exactly what I'm going to do. I've updated that original post to reflect these changes.

I'm embracing my inner laid-back person (ha!) and assigning Saturday as another random post day, because, really, why do we have to plan so much?

On to the actual post!

I am a Mexican food addict. There. I said it. Unfortunately, I live in the UK*. You'd think that with the advent of, I dunno, trade, one would be able to find decent Mexican food here. But, after the first couple of tries, I had all but given up. We then found a restaurant in the mall that is passable (actually, it's quite good, and it's not even a Mexican restaurant!). But, we don't have a car, making travel to the mall pretty difficult.

During the summer, we got desperate and decided to make our own enchiladas. I was pleased with the results, but they still didn't taste like they do in a restaurant. We're still attempting different recipes for enchiladas.

Last night, I got a craving for something even remotely Mexican, so I made burritos using a recipe found in a British cookbook. I had tried this recipe out on my parents when they were here over Christmas, and it was really good! So, I made them again, tweaking the recipe slightly based on my mom's suggestions. (Yay, mom!)

But, one cannot live on burritos alone. No, we needed some rice, I decided. But, I didn't like the recipes I found online, mainly because I didn't have a lot the ingredients, and I was too lazy/cheap to go get them. So, instead, I made up a recipe! *Pats self on the back* It. Was. Good. The hubster even noted that he thought it was better that some he'd had at restaurants**.

As an afterthought, I felt we needed something green in our diet and happened to have a package of fresh spinach. I LOVE cooking fresh spinach, so I almost always have some on hand. Tweaking my usual cooking style just a bit, I made some pretty yummy spinach.

Without further ado, here are the recipes!

Bean and Cheese Burritos
1 can Refried Beans
1 large onion, diced
1 tsp oil
1 jar Chunky Salsa (mild or hot)
Shredded Cheese (I use a spicy Mexican cheese)
8 Flour Tortillas
Cilantro, chopped (Coriander, for you Brits)

Saute onion in the oil until soft. Mix half the sauteed onions with the beans in a small saucepan and cook over low heat.

When beans are hot, heat a large frying pan (sprayed or oiled to keep from sticking) over medium heat. Place one tortilla in the pan for several second, then turn to get the tortilla pliable. Transfer to a plate, and put a dollop of beans, followed by onions and cheese. Top with salsa and cilantro. Wrap tightly.

Repeat until all burritos are made. Place burritos in already-hot frying pan and cook until golden brown. Flip until the other side is golden brown. And, enjoy!

Mexican Rice (serves about 4)
1 small onion, diced
1 T oil
1 cup Long Grain White Rice
1 can Ro*tel (or Tomatoes and green chiles), drained, juices reserved
1 cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Mild Chile Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
Salt to taste

Sauté onion over medium heat until soft and golden. Add uncooked rice and continue cooking until rice turns slightly golden (only a couple of minutes), mixing constantly to keep rice from burning. Transfer to a medium saucepan. Add drained tomatoes and mix well. Add all liquids (reserved juices and stock) along with the spices. Note: I used my hand to measure the spices, so these are an estimate. Use as much or little as you'd like.

Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes until rice is done.

Yummy Wilted Spinach
1 Bag Fresh Spinach
Cumin
Garlic Powder
Salt

Add spinach one handful at a time to a non-stick frying pan. When about half the spinach is starting to wilt, season with the spices (to your taste). Take off heat just as all spinach has finish wilting. (If you overcook the spinach, it tastes fine, but the texture isn't the same.)

***

*I realize that sounds mean. I love the UK, actually. We may be planning to stay a bit longer, in fact. But, really? You have to admit. The selection of GOOD Mexican food (i.e., salsa not made with ketchup as the lead ingredient) is few and far between.

**Yeah, yeah. He married me, so he has an obligation to tell me my food is good. But, really. I'm honest with myself. I've had some real disasters (*remembers steamed fish* ewwwwwwww...), and I can admit when my stuff tastes like cow manure. :-D

This is Dedicated to the One I Love

2010-01-07T08:00:00.002-07:00

This post starts my bi-weekly thankfulness post. Like I said before, I tend to rant quite a bit, and never really stop to think about how good I really have it. So, that's what every other Thursday is for. I'll pick at least one thing (and there are tons of things to choose from!) and write a little about it and why I am so thankful.

To start of the first post, it's only fitting that I dedicate this post to my hubby. I can't even begin to convey how thankful and blessed I am to have him. I've posted about him before and will probably post about him again, because, well, he's just awesome!

Today, I had some bad news concerning a paper I wrote that got rejected. I was pretty down, but he picked me back up again by reminding me that it was my first try and telling me all about his rejected papers. I know how smart he is, and it reminded me that it happens to everyone.

Last night, he made me a very yummy dinner before I could get in the kitchen to make it. It was nice, and of course, I think the food always tastes better when he makes it. :-)

Oh, and he also retucked the sheets into the bottom of the bed, because I was whining that they were loose. I'm a total freak when it comes to sheets and have to have my feet touching tightly tucked sheets. He didn't even life at me when I whined like a baby!

So, yes, I'm thankful that I was blessed with such a great, loving, funny, smart, amazing husband.

Teaser Tuesday #1

2010-01-05T10:23:00.005-07:00

I'm going to start number my Teaser Tuesday posts so I know how many I make throughout the year. So, here is #1 of 2010. Unfortunately, I suck, and this little snippet was not written in 2010. But, I liked it and thought I'd share. It's from SoMH, which I plan to finish writing this year...

As always, it's rough and unedited.

***

Snippity snip snip -- Thanks for the comments you guys!

***

Note: I'll keep this post up until Thursday. It will come down when my post about being thankful goes up.

Another Note: Thanks go to Vero and Steph for looking at this little snippet for me and helping me get it to this point. I swear, sometimes it's like pulling teeth to get the words to flow!

I don't do resolutions...

2010-01-03T10:44:00.002-07:00

In keeping with my new blog schedule, this is a random post. I'm now typing whatever comes to me. No, not really that random! But, I am tired, need to cook dinner, and should go wash dishes, because our dishwasher is broken. So, this may be pretty short and completely nonsensical.

Okay. Something came to me in the two seconds it took me to hit "Enter" twice.

As the first post of the New Year, I think it's only fitting to talk about my resolutions.

**Cricket chirping ensues**

And there you have it. I'm not sure when the last time I made a New Year's resolution was, but much like the inevitable failings of this blog schedule, I'm fairly certain I never kept the resolutions. Sitting here, I wonder why I'm often able to achieve goals I set for myself, but not adhere to resolutions. Maybe it's because said resolutions are not tangible or are too restrictive. Instead of striving to DO something, I would be striving NOT TO DO something.

In fitting with this reasoning, I'm going to make a New Year's GOAL:
Finish writing this darn book before 2011.

"Why have you given yourself an entire year to finish a book you've already started?" you might ask. Well, it's simple. I'm a slow writer who just got a new job (that involves a long commute) and is trying to enjoy the little time she has in Britain.

But, just like any good anal-retentive goal setter, I need small goals to underscore the larger one. Rest assured, I'll most likely have a goal schedule worked out in calendar form within the week. Then I'll send that to my crit partner who will hound me (because she's awesome like that) until I send her chapters. Much like the blog, if I can keep this up will be no small miracle.

Here's to miracles in 2010!!!

Note: Yes, this is also technically a writing post, but since it literally popped into my head while I was typing that first paragraph, I'm going to count it as random. Maybe I'll use the writing post to expand. :-)

Kiss Goodbye to 2009

2009-12-31T05:00:00.010-07:00

It's that time of year to post New Year's resolutions that we all know I'll break during the first week. But, it's the thought that counts, right? I'm using this opportunity to reorganize my blog. Based on some recent posts by my AW friends Krista and Vero, I've decided to set some goals and a schedule that I'll be sure to not stand by for the New Year. Yay!

White Vero's schedule is set around writing, I didn't originally set out to make this blog all about writing. In fact, I started writing and blogging at around the same time, so this blog has mostly been about my random thoughts and rants. At the same time, I slowly added in teasers and posts about writing. So, I want to do a schedule around both random things and writing things. But, I can't just rant, right? I mean, I whine about lots of things, but I'm not a completely awful person. So, in keeping with Krista's 12 Blog Posts of Christmas idea, I want to be thankful for SOMETHING every other week, no matter how small it is. There's always something in the midst of all my complaining that I am grateful for. I'll post that to.

So, in keeping with the melding together of all these ideas, here's my bi-weekly schedule idea*:

Sunday: Random post (i.e. whatever I feel like posting that day)
Tuesday: Teaser Tuesday
Thursday: Thankful Thursday
Saturday: Random Post (because life shouldn't be too planned)
Monday: Music Monday
Wednesday: WIP or Writing Wednesday (e.g., talking about writing, interview author, or guest author writes)
Friday: Photo Friday

What do you think? Is this interesting? Do you have any other ideas or these days? Am I doomed from the start***?

----------------------------

*Note: Although I will do my best to keep to this schedule, I know myself quite well. You can always send me an email through the blog by checking out my Profile to gripe at me for not keeping to the schedule. :-D
**I actually have another blog where I have been posting reviews, but since I can't keep up with it, I'll move those over to this blog and start reviewing books every other week.
***I like starting things off at the week's beginning (either Sunday or Monday depending on where you live). Since I live in Britain, my week will start on Sunday, 3 January. That means this new blog schedule will also start on that day.

Where is Laura? Where is Laura?

2009-12-29T14:54:00.000-07:00

Here she is!

I've been away for a while, because my parents have been here over the holidays. We've been going places and generally having fun. But really, I've just been lazy about my blogging. I started out posting the third post in my Rome series, but realized that all the pictures are on the other computer. Being the lazy person that I am, I couldn't be bothered to get up, walk to the bedroom, and blog from that computer. Instead, I'll be incorporating the rest of the Rome posts and other travel posts in my new schedule I am introducing on 31 December. Stay tuned!

While the parents have been here, we've done such exciting things as walk around the German Christmas Market in the city centre, walk around the Arndale Center, sit around avoiding the snow and ice, and shopping at the Trafford Centre. Oh, yeah, there were a couple of days where the weather was decent enough to go places like Yorkshire! That was really fun, but also very cold. My feet never got warm, but that didn't matter, because the scenery was so pretty. Oh yeah, and there was the impromptu job interview with an offer in there, too! It's been pretty crazy!

I'll definitely miss the parents when they go home. But right after they leave, we'll drive down to Cambridge to see the hubster's family! Fun times!!

AND, in a little almost 3 weeks the hubs and I will be celebrating our 1 year anniversary!

My Time in Rome: Part 1 - Really Cool Free Stuff

2009-12-15T06:52:00.005-07:00

With the holidays coming up and everything, I've been really bad about blogging. So, I'm going to try to remedy that now. But, we all know, I'm not a reliable blogger, so if you notice that I'm not blogging, send me an email to give me a good kick in the pants...

And now, on to My Time in Rome: Part 1...

Note: I'm not sure why the pictures are coming up different sizes, but you can click on them to see the full image.

It's a commonly known fact that Rome is expensive. I'll not dispute that. You can definitely spend a ton of money there, especially if you like to shop. Lucky for me, we didn't have a lot of time, and shopping wasn't that high on my list of priorities for Rome. Also lucky for me? My wonderful hubby had basically pre-planned our whole first day, so I didn't have to think about anything! His plan had us walking from the train station to our hotel, which was across the river in Vatican City. Since we had to pack light, there was no need to drop our bags, affording us the opportunity to sight see all day!

Based on our first day, here's a tip. If you don't want to spend a lot of money in Rome, go to the churches! Seriously, almost every church we went into had at least one work by a master artist such as Caravaggio, Rubens, and Raphael. Do your homework ahead of time to figure out which churches have what art. If you like art, churches are the way to go and they're FREE! I mean, if you feel moved to, you can donate, but other than that, it's an incredibly cheap way to see some amazing art. Even the art by less well-known artists were incredible. The churches were ornate and had such a sense of space. Words fail when trying to describe how utterly beautiful they were. So, here is an example of the art you can find for free (most didn't turn out that well, because of the lack of light, so you'll just have to go see for yourself!):

Above: "Ecstasy of St. Theresa" by Bernini

Below: "The Crucifixion of St. Peter" by Carravaggio

I could get into a whole art discussion about this one artist, because Carravaggio's one of my favorites. I took a couple of semesters of art history in college, and I find all things art and architecture fascinating. Rome turned out to be an excellent place to indulge that side of me. And, like I said, a lot of it was free.

Speaking of free, another great way to spend the day is simply walking around the city. It may sound boring, but not only is it a good way to walk off all the yummy food you'll be eating, there are some amazing buildings that literally took my breath away. Really. I gasped several times in amazement. Ancient buildings are tucked away between "new" buildings (like, you know, new ones from the 16th century). You'll most likely stumble upon some of these sites:

If you don't recognize that, it's the Pantheon...you know, an almost 2,000 year old temple-turned-church-turned-tourist-attraction. It's famous for it's dome (pictured on the right), which is still to this day the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. Can you imagine? This was one of the breath-taken-away moments. I was gobsmacked. I'd seen the dome in pictures, but you really just can't imagine the force of it when you see it in person. And, it's FREE!

After you pick your jaw up from the floor and continue walking, you'll likely come across many fountains and large obelisks just standing in the middle of many a piazza. Of course, you'll be looking at history. The fountains all have some sort of beautiful sculpture, most likely by a famous artist like Bernini. Many of the obelisks were either given to the Romans by the Egyptians or taken by the Romans from the Egyptians way back in the day. There's also quite a few columns dedicated to some awesome triumph over different groups of people by different Roman emperors. Those were equally cool. Some examples:

See? That fountain is Trevi Fountain, which had quite a few artists plan and work on it. The final product you see here was a combination of planning by Bernini (who moved the original fountain) and work done by Salvi. It's on most maps, but it's certainly not just out in the open of some huge piazza. The obelisks do tend to be out in the open, and they are plentiful.

You can also take a walk to the Vatican and see St. Peter's Basilica for free, but I'm covering the whole Vatican in another post, so you'll have to wait for pictures of that. If you're into ancient Rome, there are several sites you can see from free, like the Roman Forum (from the outside) and the Coliseum (from the outside). I'll cover these locations in a separate post as well, because we paid to go into the sites. There are loads of other ancient Roman ruins just lying about, though. So, just take a stroll to the part of town near the Colliseum (and brave the droves of people). You're bound to see some amazing things like this:

These were just some ruins lying out in the middle of some more modern buildings. It looked like an excavation that hadn't really been touched in a while. But, when we got up to the signs, we found out that the "curia" or Senate House (not pictured, because it wasn't there) at this site is believed to be the location of the assassination of Julius Caesar!! Seriously, and it's just waiting there for you to find!!!

Next up in the "My Time in Rome" series: The Vatican

I found Rome brick, I left it marble.

2009-12-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

Well, ok, I mean, I actually found it a mix of brick and marble, but I had to have a quote by Caesar Augustus, right? And with that, I start off a short series of blog posts about my surprise birthday trip to Rome! Note: My husband told me that I couldn't brag about his surprise-building, gifting, or all-around greatness skills, so I'll try to keep it at a minimum.

In this episode of "Laura Amzingly Fantastic Weekend Getaway to Rome" (hmmm...I'll have to work on that title), I'll be talking about getting to and from Rome.

When planning a trip to Rome, one must be mindful of budget. If not, one could end up spending a small fortune on airline tickets, hotel rooms, and food before ever getting to the good stuff (not that the food isn't good...)! So, when Gavin planned this trip, he opted for a budget airline, because it was the most feasible thing to do. He knows I'm a total miser, so it just warms my heart that he thought to save us some money! Seriously, though, I was really impressed with the amount of research he put into this trip!

Our budget airline (which I won't name on this blog, because I'm not an ad or a complete meanie) had us leaving Manchester at a little before 7 AM. This worked out quite well, since I couldn't sleep with all the excitement. Plus, it got us to Rome in time to spend the whole day walking around! How awesome is that?

I was pretty impressed with boarding procedures, considering the horror stories I had heard about budget airlines, but this one had seat assignments! Unfortunately, it didn't assign us to seats next to each other. But, you know, by some miracle, I slept almost the entire flight, only coming awake to catch myself with my mouth wide open. I didn't hear all the advertisements they apparently made over the loudspeaker. Gavin didn't fair so well. His legs actually hit the back of the seat in front of him, and he couldn't move. So, tip to you: if you're 6'7", you might considering paying the 6 pounds to move to the seats that have what regular airlines call "economy" seats, but what budget airlines call "luxury" seats.

Since we flew the budget option, we had only a backpack and soft briefcase between us to avoid the checked baggage fee. It made landing and getting to the train and walking around Rome, MUCH easier. Speaking of getting the train, there was an express train from the airport to the center of town. Gavin did his research on this, too. So, we managed to avoid the lines for tickets by using the machines in the middle of the terminal. And, we made the train that was just about to leave.

When we got closer to town I was in awe at all the artwork that was just sitting around on the buildings! I mean, I was expecting Michaelangelo, Bernini, Caravaggio, and Raphael, but so much art already. I was blown away! I just wondered who the names referred to, and why the art seemed to be spouting obscenities at me. So, really, there was a lot of graffiti. Everything was covered in it, the train, the buildings, the underpasses, everything! BUT, rest assured, if you ever go to Rome, the rest of the city is much better (well, for the most part), and the graffiti tends to lessen in the more touristy parts of town. I was, in all truthfulness, impressed by some of the graffiti coming into town. It was very colorful!

Once there, we did a whole lot of fun stuff. Don't worry, I'll get to that in another post. But, now, what you've all been waiting for, our departure! We took the same train back and got to the airport in plenty of time to get to the gate. Only thing is, we followed the sign that said "To Gates". Apparently, that means "To Gates as long as you're not flying international...if so, you'll have to walk to the very end of the incredibly long building, past all the signs that read 'To gates' pointing you in the opposite direction to another sign at the very end that says 'To gates'" Now, if that's not confusing... Needless to say, I was tired after walking 2 lengths of the building after having walked for the last 3 days. But we made it to the gate. And, 30 minutes before they were supposed to board, they were boarding!!!

It makes perfect sense though, because the budget airline doesn't have you board at the jetway...you take a bus and climb stairs. So, it takes longer, see. All perfectly reasonable.

Then, we waited and waited and waited while the flight attendants tried to figure out how to reseat a family that had been assigned seats in different parts of the plane when they had 2 small children. After figuring that out, they couldn't get all the bags to fit in the overhead bins. I think at some point the captains just said they were leaving, because we were 20 minutes late, and they have a tight turnaround schedule. So, as we pulled back from the gates, the flight attendants made the mad dash to stuff the overhead bins. One bin broke...and how do we fix that?! Masking tape, people...masking tape.

I thought I was done laughing for the day, until the flight attendant came over the speaker talking about all the sales and deals they had to offer. Yes, not only do they have to keep us safe, put up with our bad attitudes, and try to get us to purchase the meal deal, but now they also have to be walking ads about perfume sales! If I haven't seen everything...

Ok, so I'll admit, this wasn't really about Rome...but rest assured...I'll get there...

In the next several posts, I'll talk about the trip by category (e.g., food, churches, and Roman stuff).

Speaking of Debut Authors...

2009-12-08T05:23:00.000-07:00

You can win a copy of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick by going here. My friend, Steph, is doing a book giveaway this month--well, several, actually. This one ends tomorrow, 9 December at noon MDT. So, get over there and comment on her blog!

2010 Debut Author Challenge

2009-12-02T06:15:00.010-07:00

The StorySiren is hosting a book challenge for 2010. Basically, set a goal to read a certain number of Young Adult and/or Middle Grade books by debut authors in 2010. I decided, since I've been reading so darn much lately, I would take up the challenge! I'll probably concentrate on YA, since that's what I enjoy most. To find out more and sign up for the challenge, click the pretty picture below:

From the StorySiren:

What is the 2010 Debut Author Challenge?
The objective is to read a set number of YA (Young Adult) or MG (Middle Grade) novels from debut authors published this year.* I'm going to challenge everyone to read at least 12 debut novels! I’m hoping to read at least 30! You don’t have to list your choices right away, but if you do feel free to change them throughout the year. I will also be focusing on mostly Young Adult novels.
Anyone can join, you don’t need a blog to participate. If you don’t have a blog you can always share your views by posting a review on Amazon.com/BarnesandNoble.com/GoodReads/Shelfari, or any other bookish site.
The challenge will run from January 1, 2010- December 31, 2010. You can join at anytime!
* I would like to limit the novels to those released in 2010.

With that, here's a preliminary list of books I plan to read* in 2010 (ordered by UK release date):

(07 Jan 2010) The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard
(01 Feb 2010) Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
(04 Mar 2010) The Line by Teri Hall
(16 Mar 2010) The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
(01 Apr 2010) Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
(27 Apr 2010) Mistwood by Leah Cypess
(27 Apr 2010) Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis
(01 May 2010) Prophecy of Days - Book One: the Daykeeper's Grimoire by Christy Raedeke
(06 May 2010) Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey
(01 Jun 2010) Everlasting by Angie Frazier
(01 Jul 2010) Other by Karen Kincy
(13 Jul 2010) Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus
(21 Sep 2010) Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
(14 Oct 2010) Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
(2010) The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

*Bolded titles indicate that they've been read.

I hope you'll consider taking up the challenge and supporting the talented debut YA and MG authors of 2010!

Another Round of Teaser Tuesday

2009-12-01T08:08:00.001-07:00

After my writing freak-out of the last two weeks, I forced myself to sit down and write. In doing so, an entirely unplanned character popped in to say hello. Not only that, she's forcing me to rework some of the locations I had planned before she showed up. But, I rather like her, so I think she'll stick around for a while. In this teaser, Hailey Sinclair is introduced to the reader. Anna has just arrived at a job site for a Habitat for Humanity house. As always, this is rough and unedited. It's what flowed from my head to my fingers in the first round of writing.

FYI: I'll be snipping the teaser on Wednesday or Thursday.

SNIPPED

A Very Charlie Brown Christmas

2009-11-30T04:27:00.000-07:00

Last week I was so excited, as I waited the two days between ordering our Christmas tree and its expected delivery. We don't have a car here, so going into to town to find that beautiful real tree just wasn't an option. So, instead, we went to the internet in search for that perfect tree.

I found it. Unfortunately for me, the hubby didn't agree. It was too big. We'd have to store it later. There would be no room to display or store it. As much as I hate to admit it, he was probably right. So, instead of the beautiful 6 foot fake, prelit black fir tree that ready to decorate with the 100+ purple and gold baubles, we got the 3ft tree with kid ornaments. I wasn't so sure about the ornaments or the twenty lights that came with the tree, so I ordered a pack of red baubles and a strip of eighty more fairy lights.

I sat at the table Friday, expectantly waiting between noon and 6 pm for the delivery (which was late, by the way). I even rearranged the table in the dining/living room and set up a display table so the cute little 3 ft tree could be seen over the other furniture in the room.

I kind of wish I hadn't.

It turns out, twenty lights made the tree even more pathetic than it was by itself. Eighty lights is a bit too much. Adding baubles to fill in the gaps in the branches only worked so much until the branches started getting weighed down with the massively heavy red foil.

Luckily, when you come through the door to the living area, you can barely see the tree over the couch. Or, at least I'll tell myself that until after Christmas when I can take it down.

Poor little tree. As disappointed as I was at first, the little guy is kind of growing on me. Not literally, obviously, I mean, he's still only 3 ft tall and not filled out so much.

Note: The table doesn't normally look that cluttered. Actually, that's a lie. It always looks like cluttered unless we have company, and then I throw all that stuff in a corner somewhere hidden.

In Lieu of Teaser Tuesday

2009-11-24T05:29:00.009-07:00

So, it seems I have a problem. Whenever I get really excited to write more of SoMH, I sit down at the computer and find myself completely unable to think. Basically, everything comes out as gibberish. Because of this, I have nothing in the way of a teaser this week. I hope to remember that for next week. We shall see.

In lieu of a teaser, I am hoping you guys can help me out! I've done a little bit of Q&A with the main character, Anna whose POV I've been posting in the last several teasers. However, I think it would be interesting if you guys came up with some questions you'd like to ask Anna. I'll compile the questions and interview her, posting her answers to the questions on this blog at some later date! So, if you would be so kind, post a question (or a few) in the comments here or email me some questions. The more I get, the better acquainted we all get with Anna! Feel free to ask demographic, historical, deep philosphical, or any other kind of questions you want!

Here is a short character profile so you aren't completely flying blind:

Name: Anna Rose Lawton (Pictured here: Rachel Hurd Wood)

Age: 16

Height/Weight: 5'4" at 120 lbs

Hair: Long (past shoulders), straight, reddish/brown

Eyes: Smoky blue with a sapphire blue ring around the outside

Things I Do for Fun: Sing in church choir, Read, Watch movies, Play board games, Hang out with Megan
Favorite Winter Outfit: Knee-length blue jean skirt with a v-neck sweater and boots

Favorite Summer Outfit: Khaki shorts with a t-shirt and flip flops

Note: The image used to portray Anna is not owned by this author. If you own the picture, and would like me to take it down, please email me, and I would be happy to comply.

Christmas Shopping...Laura Style

2009-11-23T09:16:00.002-07:00

So last Friday, my friend Hazel asked if I wanted to go to the Trafford Centre (it's a mall) with her. She needed to do some Christmas shopping, and I needed to get out of the flat for a while. I figured the mall would be a good idea based on two things: (1) I could actually get gifts early on this year and not have to worry about it later and (2) I would have self-control in my spending and not purchase non-gift items.

So, the goals were basically to get Christmas gifts without spending a crapload of money. I feel like my shopping trip was a HUGE success. You might ask, "Laura, how many gifts did you buy?" to which I would respond, "Zero. Nada. Zilch." You might then say, "Oh, then you must not have spent any money!" That would be a wrong assumption. In fact, I spent quite a bit, just not on Christmas gifts. Or at least, not on Christmas gifts for other people.

Here are some of the items I purchased:

New items in this picture = long sweater, wool tights, and purple boots.

New in this Picture: Same boots as above (yes, they're really purple) and a new teal coat!

New in this picture: Same boots (Yeah, I wanted to show off another outfit.The shirt and tights were new 2 months ago.)

As you can see, I had a great time shopping. And, I found lots of things. Unfortunately for everyone else, the things I found were oh so perfect for me. You might think this sounds really self-absorbed. You'd be right. But, I just couldn't help myself. And, I did need a new coat. And, I really needed some boots, because everyone has them. And, the wool tights are a must in the cold weather. And, well, the sweater was just...cool looking.

Tip to self: Don't go "Christmas" shopping with Hazel if a) you plan to actually buy Christmas gifts or b) you don't want to spend money. She makes shopping FUN!

So, yeah. I think it would be safer for me to do all the Christmas shopping online this year. But, there is the Christmas market in town where I'm sure I could unload tons of cash...errrrmmm...I mean...responsibly buy Christmas gifts under the watchful eye of my husband. ;-)

Yellow Squash? Who needs it?

2009-11-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

That's right. I said it. I don't really care for yellow squash that much, but I blogged about how I can't get it here in the UK.

I was fairly upset about not being able to find something that I thought should be rather commonplace. We're trying to eat healthier (and cheaper) and also trying to keep half our weekly meals vegetarian. So, I've been looking for yummy vegetarian recipes that looked hardy enough to keep the hubby from wanting meat. I've found a couple of things, one of which was a wonderful stuffed pepper recipe that I just made.

Not coincidentally (it helped spawn the other yellow squash blog post), it called for, among lots of other things, yellow squash. I thought about what I could substitute instead and decided on eggplant (aubergine), because I thought it would have a similar texture. I also haven't cared too much for eggplant in the past, but I've tried it a couple of time recently, and it was quite good.

I have to brag on the recipe, because it was excellent. My substitution went over quite well! I'm now excited to make some meatless dishes. Do you have any to suggest?!?!

Yellow Squash & White Vinegar

2009-11-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

Or rather, extremely commonplace things I can't easily find in the UK.

Yes, that's correct. For the last four months I've been on the hunt for white vinegar. Thinking maybe it was called something different here, I actually went online, found a picture of white vinegar, and sent it to a friend asking where I could find it here. She asked if I meant white wine vinegar, which of course, I did not. I meant, you know, plain white vinegar of the caliber you use to clean your coffee maker. In fact, that's why I wanted it! Well, after much searching, I found some. At the vegan grocery store down the road. In the cleaning products section. For a ridiculous price. And, I bought it. Now, I have a sparkling white coffee maker, and I'm so happy.

On to yellow squash, another item I looked for today. I couldn't find it on my online shopping website, and, admittedly, I didn't look very hard elsewhere. I did ask a friend if it was called something different here. (Coincidentally, I asked the same friend I asked about the white vinegar. She's very patient with me sending her random pictures asking if what things are called here.) Apparently, yellow squash is a yellow courgette (zucchini), but it doesn't matter. She informed me that you really can't find them in stores. I'd have to know someone who grows them. I don't usually like yellow squash, so really it doesn't bother me that I've had a hard time finding it. But, it's the principle that matters! I needed it for a recipe. Instead, I'll be substituting eggplant (aubergine) for yellow squash. The horror!

My Obsession with Books

2009-11-08T07:10:00.003-07:00

If you know me at all, you'll know that, although I rather enjoyed books as a kid, I had long since given up on reading when I got into Junior High and my distaste for books continued from there. I don't know what it was, but I was just never motivated internally or externally to go find books I really enjoyed. There were the occasional few, but I certainly didn't devour them. That was, I didn't until I finished writing a dissertation, moved to a different country, and, I hate to say it*, read the Twilight series.

My husband will tell you that while we were dating (for five long years), he often lost me to the television. He would, in fact, be correct. I had a TV obsession for a very long time. If I'd had a DVR, I probably would have been watching TV at least 5 hours a day. But, thank goodness, I didn't. Still, I had DVDs of TV shows delivered and managed to hole up in my apartment for entire weekends at a time just watching those.

I'm somewhat of an introvert by nature, I'll admit that. In fact, after moving to the UK, I think I've started indulging that aspect of my personality even more. The weather is rather conducive to wanting to stay in, and, well, sitting at my computer in the nice, warm flat is a tempting prospect that I normally give in to.

On top of that, I am away from my beloved American TV shows. That's not to say the British TV shows aren't good; there's just not as many of the kind I like to watch and the season lengths are quite a bit shorter**. So, when I first got here, I had a lot of time on my hands (my boss gave me an entire month off after I defended) and not a lot to do. This is where Twilight comes in. I'd seen the movie on the plane on the way over here. Then I decided to test out my new gadget, my Kindle 2, by downloading the first book. Shortly thereafter, I had to fly back to the US for a conference and read the entire book on the plane. I just HAD to download the other three. I spent every spare moment at the conference (in sunny San Diego, no less) sat*** in my hotel room reading. I kid you not. You can ask several of my colleagues who I'm sure think me nuts.

Since this is quickly turning into a book, I'll try to end with this. After that, I had an obsession. I needed to read. The very thought of not having a book with me at all times squeezed like a vice on my chest. I felt incomplete. My husband was ecstatic, because I stopped bugging him about putting a TV in the bedroom and, instead, bugged him about letting me use the Kindle. When it was his turn to use the Kindle, I checked out books from the library. Then, when they library didn't have the books I wanted, I started buying them. Oooohhh...the horror! We hadn't planned on buying books here, because they will cost a fortune to ship back. But, they're my babies now, and they will be shipped back!

It's gotten so bad that I have about 10 purchased books staring at me as I type this, begging to be read. I have another twenty or so that I can't way to read again. Then, I have eight books sitting on top of the bookcase needing to be read because of looming library due dates. And, there's another four waiting to be picked up. On top of that, I have over 100 books on my To Read list.

This may sound commonplace for lots of people. But, not for me. Ask my parents or any of my English teachers growing up^. Sitting here, writing this, I have a huge craving for walking over to the couch and curling up with my current book. But, I'll refrain for at least another hour, because I have several more important things to do, like search for more books I want to read so I can add them to my Christmas wish list.

* * *

* I only say that, because of the "everybody's doing it" mentality that I strive not to have, but tend to fail miserably. Plus, the farther away from it I get, the more some of the things about the characters annoy me on a personal level. However, I read the whole series twice in about a week and a half, so I obviously didn't let my personal hangups stop me from enjoying the story.

** I also haven't quite figured out how seasons (or series as they're referred to here) work. If anyone in Britain reads this and would like to enlighten on the timing of new seasons/series of popular TV shows here, please email me.

*** Hazel, if you read this, that's for you per our conversation on how much that annoys me. :)

^Especially my Senior English teacher to whom I confessed my penchant for using CliffsNotes throughout the entire class and still getting good grades. It's horrible, and I regret how lazy I was. But, it was what it was... I did read at least three books in their entirety that year, though.

Effigies = Fun (?)

2009-11-06T05:19:00.006-07:00

So, last night I did actually end up going to Bonfire Night, also sometimes, but apparently not usually anymore, referred to as Guy Fawkes Night. It was cold and raining when I left the flat, but me, being the ever loyal friend, kept my commitment to go see the bonfire and fireworks. And, well, I was a just a little curious about this whole burning of Guy Fawkes in effigy thing. I mean, I've never seen something like that except on the news, and from my experiences, it looked pretty brutal. I was half not expecting anything but a big fire and some nice fireworks.

My expectations were half wrong, because when I got there, there was a huge tiered stack of packing crates. Sitting atop the crate: a chair with the life-like dummy of Guy Fawkes. I kid you not. Unfortunately, it was too dark to get pictures of him!! So, you'll just have to believe that in the following picture, poor Guy Fawkes is very much burnt to a crisp.

The other great thing about Bonfire Night?? Well, that would have to be the organization Make Jesus Known, who sponsored this particular effigy burning and fireworks display. In addition to that, they sponsored the entertainment: Jesus Rap. Oh yes, Jesus Rap. They certainly made Jesus known, but I'm not entirely sure if they added to His reputation or took away from it. It was all in good fun, and well, I'm probably going to Hell for some of the I thought as I stood there listening to and feeling the heavy base drown out words such as "Representin' Jesus" over and over and over again. I'm not a huge rap fan to begin with (although I do dance to some really good Southern rap), and I'm just not sure that the audience at the park cared for rap either. The did get the Message out, though.

Oh, I almost forgot! I saw/heard something I never expected to see/hear at a Bonfire Night...an American! I mean, I'm sure there were Americans in the crowd, but this one was on the stage, announcing everything. It was unnerving for a little bit, because I wasn't expecting it. And, when you've been here a while, your ears get tuned to certain accents. Mine and the hubby's withstanding, I wasn't used to the American accent, and it was just...weird.

But, Bonfire Night was excellent. The fireworks display, when it finally started, was beautiful. It lasted for 30 minutes!! I dare say it rivaled the Beaumont July 4th display! The last few fireworks were a little scary, but so incredibly awe-inspiring. It was like being encircled in shooting stars just wafting to the ground. Only, then you realized that it was burning bits paper heading straight for you! Ahhhh...Bonfire Night.

Remember, Remember

2009-11-05T06:28:00.000-07:00

Just a short little post here to show my excitement for Bonfire Night (also known as Guy Fawkes Night, but I have been assured that most people don't know who that is anymore) tonight. This will be my first, and maybe only, time to celebrate the squelching of a plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament a really, really long time ago. In celebrating, I will be watching fireworks, trying to keep warm by huddling near a bonfire that won't be nearly as big as Aggie Bonfire, burning a long-dead man in effigy, and eating wonderfully fatty British food served from a cart. I mean, how could this be any better?!

Sarcasm aside, I'm really excited to go have fun with my friends. I just hope the weather decides to cooperate, or I'll be completely soaked when I get home tonight. Given that I live in The North, I'm expecting to get wet even with the rain coat I'll be wearing. Fun times!

-----------------------------
In other news, I've decided to only keep one teaser up at a time. Each teaser will be up for one week only. If I post weekly--which is highly dependent on when I write--then I'll just replace the old teaser with a new one. Otherwise, the old one will just come down until I find time to tease.

Clowns and Faeries and Mummies, Oh My!

2009-11-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

For anyone that knows me, I am definitely not a lover of parties. I don't mind get-togethers where I know people, but when tons of people fill a house, I tend to get a little panicked. So, you might be surprised to know that I went to a house party this past weekend and had a BLAST! Who knew?!

As I blogged previously, I went dressed as an evil faery. It turned out that my friend didn't have a costume yet, and we decided to go as TWIN evil faeries reeking havoc everywhere! It turned out fabulously! Here is the evidence.

We'll be taxiing for the next few years...

2009-10-26T14:20:00.000-06:00

So, our friend is in town for the next week. We all went out for a beer yesterday, and it felt like old times, talking total nonsense for hours on end. Surprisingly, the nonsense actually DID make sense. Here's one example:

My life is like an airplane. I've spent a lot of time building the plane, tweaking it to just the right specs. And, now I'm taxiing for goodness knows how long. I could still turn around and park myself back at the jetway, but I haven't yet. At some point, I'm just gonna have to get to the end of the runway and take off, hoping that all the things I've done spec-wise help me fly and don't end up helping me to crash and burn.

So, yeah, I'm taxiing. I've no idea what I'm doing, and I really wish air traffic control would just give me some freakin' directions already!!!

Fan-Faery-Tastic Halloween Costumes

2009-10-22T14:23:00.000-06:00

So, I make a rule never to have anything to do with Halloween. Why? Well, it really boils down to my competitive nature. I like dressing up, but only if it's in a really freakin' awesome costume. Those usually cost money, something I'm not will to spend. I'm not into the whole scary thing, either. I get freaked out way too easily, so it's better to just leave me at home. Therefore, on Halloween, you can usually find me sitting in front of the TV watching some random show or movie.

This year, however, my friends are throwing a party. I missed their last fancy dress party and vowed I would be at this one. Given that promise, I went shopping for a costume today. Yes. Me. I came back with half a costume. Well, everything by the whole clothes part of the costume anyway. If all goes as planned, I will be going as an Evil Faery. I'm pretty much a bitch, so who knows? Maybe I can pull that costume off!

Banned Books Week - A Little Late

2009-10-02T08:35:00.006-06:00

I decided to post about this last Monday, but, as with most things lately, I forgot. It's still Banned Books Week (ends tomorrow), so late is better than never. For those of you who aren't familiar with this particular week, it's not about going out and choosing which books to burn. No, instead, it's all about raising awareness that some people actually do go out and challenge, ban, or even burn certain books that they don't agree with in some way.

I'm all about our First Amendment rights, so obviously this bothers me. I recall reading several books growing up that I've recently discovered ended up on the Banned Books List. While I have no problem with people disagreeing with book content, I do find it irritating that those same people want to take away my choice to read or not read those same books. In addition, it's offensive to me that there are people who think I'm either too stupid or too impressionable to read something and not immediately agree with everything in the book. I'm also not to dumb to recognize sarcasm, something that it prevalent in many of the banned/challenged books.

Needless to say, I think everyone should take a look at these lists (there are several of them), and then they should choose a couple of books to read. You'll probably find that you've already read a lot of them, and you might be surprised at some of the books on the list (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn anyone??).

Istanbul: Day 5 - The Last Day

2009-09-19T12:58:00.003-06:00

As sad as it is, today was our last real day in Istanbul. And, we, being the poor planners that we must be, thought it would be a good idea to go to Topkapi Palace today...a Saturday...the last day of Ramadan...in Istanbul. Yeah, so maybe we should have gone earlier in the week.

Nevertheless, after another wonderful breakfast at the Hotel Nena, we took off in the general direction of Topkapi Palace, Haya Sophia and the Blue Mosque, a direction which we are now very familiar with. The morning was cooler than the previous days and much cloudier. It was very pleasant.

We actually found the street marked on the map and took the pre-planned route without getting lost, if you can believe that, and were met at the gates of the park surrounding Topkapi Palace with some very nice looking men with automatic weapons. They were all over the place, and it kind of reminded me of Colombia in 1998. But I digress...

Going through the gates was another amazing experience. The walls surrounding the park are high, so you can't see what your going into until you're there. Plus, it is literally right across the street from one of the largest, oldest churches/mosques in the world (Haya Sophia). The whole experience is awe-inspiring. You enter the park through a set of gates with gold borders and some writing I couldn't read. And when you get through, it's just...peaceful...bucolic even. Seriously, when we got in, we saw 2 cats chasing each other, and behind them, two dogs were chasing the cats (in a playful sort of way...they were definitely playing, not trying to eat the cats). It was hilarious! I tried to take pictures.

Anyway, it was just lovely walking through, and we were confused for a bit, because we thought we were already in the palace, but hadn't paid yet. As it turned out, they managed to take our money and we got into the palace just fine...along with every freakin' tour group under the sun. With our trusty audio guide (for an extra fee) that ended up telling us basically what the posted signs told us as well, we meandered along through the different parts of the palace looking at jewels, Moses' staff, St. David's sword, St. John's arm and head, and beard pieces, teeth, and footprints from the Prophet Mohammed. It was seriously cool...not sure I believe that it was the actual stuff, but very awesome nevertheless.

The palace was HUGE, and I think we ended up spending about 5 hours to get through the whole palace and harem (more about that in a second). I mention the time, because as we were entering the park that morning, a group got out of a cab. They were trying to settle on a time for the driver to come back and pick them up, so they asked him how long he would take. He told them it would only take an hour and a half. So, I want to know that the dude was smoking! Over the course of the day, I think we were standing in lines that long!

After most of the palace, we went to The Harem, a separate section of the palace that costs extra, and thus has fewer people in it. I couldn't help feeling like a prisoner the whole time I was there, even though it's where the sultans' private quarters were. It's just that, all the concubines and eunuchs lived there, too. It gave me a very eerie feeling, but some parts of it were beautiful, too.

We'd had almost no break from when we started in the morning, but we wanted to visit this handicraft school that is run by the Ministry of Culture, so we persevered and actually found the place! However, it was do to the directions from the Carpet Selling Philosophy Professor from day 1 that we happened to meet on the sidewalk. Seriously, we run into everyone here! He was nice and even though we wouldn't buy a carpet told us where to go for our handicrafts.

Cafer Aga (the g has a hat on it) Courtyard was lovely! Coskum (pronounced Choshkoom) showed us all the rooms where students learn all sorts of different handicrafts. It was incredibly impressive stuff. They teach glass painting, pottery, embroidery, calligraphy, etc. and then showcase the art in their gallery. Coskum even wrote our names in calligraphy as a gift! It was great! So, another plug from me, if you're even in Istanbul, go by Cafer Aga even if to just look at the art. It's beautiful, and if you go between October and July, you can see people making stuff!

Really, that ended our day...as we were completely exhausted. Now I have to go pack, which I'm dreading, because I have to figure out how to fit 3 kg of tea and many other things into my bags and not go overweight. I even planned for this!! Hopefully, I won't have to pay extra.

I will definitely miss Istanbul, but am also planning my next trip. I'm still owed a honeymoon, and I think Turkey (including Istanbul) would be a great place to go for that. The people here are extremely friendly, and as much as I've joked about the carpet salesmen, I've felt so much hospitality from everyone. I would recommend this city to anyone looking for a nice mix of history, arts/crafts, culture, and fun. If you're every planning a trip here, let me know! I'll tell you some places to check out!

Carpet Salesmen Count = 1 (the first guy from day one), and he was so nice and pointed us in the right direction to where we needed to go.

Cat Count = 25...I got some pictures of loads of cats in different places

Turkish Guys Hitting on Me Count = 1

I was almost finished writing this, but then we went to dinner and hit up a jewelry store so Norah could spend the rest of her Turkish money. I was starting to feel neglected, because no one had said anything to me all day about how incredibly gorgeous I am. Fortunately, I got hit on in the jewelry store by one of the salesmen. He was so very nice and I even blushed with his compliments! He now wants to meet Gavin so he can "make sure he is good looking enough" for me. Hee hee... (Note: I find it really humorous that I attracted so much attention, and can only assume that other women from the US have also garnered the same attention. So, if you want to be reassured about your looks, come to Turkey. And, while I heard stories about butts being pinched, most everyone was very complimentary...not disgusting.)

Istanbul: Day 4

2009-09-18T14:01:00.002-06:00

This week has flown by so fast, and we've barely scratched the surface of Istanbul. Tomorrow will be our last sightseeing day, which is a little sad. Fortunately, we plan to go out with a big site, but more on that tomorrow.

This morning, after our usual breakfast, we decided to visit Kariye Museum (the Church at Chora) based on a recommendation from a friend of Norah's who comes here often. It did not disappoint! The 11th century church has a huge number of 13/14th century mosaics covering the walls and ceilings. I can't describe how beautiful they were, so I'll try to post pictures as some point. The mosaics covered all sorts of things from the Life of Christ to the Life of Mary to the Miracles of Christ, etc. They were exquisite and simply breathtaking. Seriously, I gasped when I entered one domed room.

The other interesting thing about Chora was the sheer number of cats! My cat count for the day went through the roof when we came across 8 cats on the street outside the entrance to the museum. The cats followed us in, and were very friendly for having lived on the streets.

Anyway, we took a cab back to the Spice Bazaar, which has shops that sell, can you guess??? Spices!! And they also sell Turkish Delight and tea. We found a little hole in the wall and I purchased loads of different kinds of tea. Yes, I'm a total sucker. But, it was all really good-tasting tea! I made it out with only 3 kg of tea and sundries. :( My baggage weight allowance is screaming at me right now!

Loaded down with our bags (Norah's was 5 kg), we tried to walk back to the hotel to drop our loot. I used the word "tried" on purpose, because the more I walk around here with the map, the more I realize that it really doesn't matter. Either the road markings suck, the map sucks (probably), or a combination of the both. Whatever it is, we got lost. After wandering around aimlessly, we found a street that looked promising and walked into an opticians office to ask where we were. They didn't speak a lot of English, but pointing at a map works in any language, and we figured out where we needed to go. What an adventure!

We rested in the room for about an hour (it was rather warm outside), and then decided to take a trek back in the direction we had just come from to find the Suleymaniye Mosque. Once again, we got a little lost. Seriously, nothing is marked here and where the map says there's a street, there isn't! It's so confusing. Through the mire of "you are beautiful", "oh, baby", and "you look like an angel", we came to the mosque, eventually. And, wouldn't you know it? All of that trouble walking paid off...with a mosque that was almost entirely closed! I can only assume that it is an incredibly awesome site when it is not being renovated.

Dejected, we decided to comfort ourselves with more haggling in the Grand Bazaar. With only a moment of lostedness, we found an entrance that we'd been through before! Interestingly, we passed by the booth where Norah bought her bracelets. The man remembered us and said hi. It was a nice way to start off the second day of the bazaar experience. Then we walked around some more. Norah bought some things and managed to talk a guy down more than half of what he original said he was charging. He must have thought she was a total sucker...he was mistaken! I'm leaving the haggling to her from now on!!

We went back the way we came in to this Uzbek man selling embroidered things. I had tried haggling with him yesterday, and he really wouldn't budge. As it turned out, he was MUCH cheaper than anyone in the bazaar, so I bought something small from him. I liked him, and his shop was small and out of the way. I liked that too.

Taking a different route out the bazaar, we happened upon another hole in the wall place with a guy selling tea (the already-made-for-you kind). Norah wanted to get some tea, and I'm glad I stopped being a pain in the ass and had the tea! The guy who runs the stand was bringing tea to a shop down the way, and he didn't speak English anyway. So another shop owner came up and translated. He stayed at talked to us, because we were down an alley that didn't get a lot of traffic. He was extremely friendly and talked about going to school in Britain and how his wife embroiders things. We talked about textiles and he got us more tea. It was very pleasant.

Then we went to his shop. It was small, but he had lots of textiles and antique silver. He showed us some other things, and I think he knew we couldn't afford some of it, but he was proud of what he had and just wanted to show us. I told him he needed to get a website set up, and I plan to help him do that. I also said I'd mention him on my blog. :) So, if you're ever in Istanbul and you go to the Grand Bazaar look for Yasar (pronounced Yahshar), which is run by Amanullah Yasar. He had some really nice stuff and I thought his prices were extremely reasonable. I will post a picture I took in his store as soon as I get a chance.

That ended our bazaar fun, or so I thought. On the way out, we ran into an old friend--the carpet salesman that I wasn't so nice to yesterday, but who had been nice enough to escort us from the darkened, closed Grand Bazaar. He tried to persuade us to come by his shop, but we were tired, and I just absolutely cannot afford a carpet. So, I told him that. And, what do you know? It worked! I did also say that I'd try to remember to bring Gavin back when we come. Who knows, I may see him again!!!

Carpet Salesmen Count = 1 (although numerous tried to get us, we ignored them)

Perverted Guys with Stupid Pickup Lines = 8 (give or take a couple)

Cats = at least 25...seriously, they are everywhere!!

Note: If you want more info on Amanullah Yasar's shop, let me know! I'd be happy to send it. If he gets a website up and running, I'll link to it from here if I can. :) Also, I can try to give you directions to his shop if you plan on coming to Istanbul. It's worth the trip through the bazaar!

Istanbul: Day 3 - SHOPPING!

2009-09-17T13:25:00.003-06:00

As the title of this blog post suggests, we went shopping today. And, I must apologize to Gavin straight away for spending our life savings. If that didn't get your attention...

We started off the morning eating breakfast in the hotel. Can you see a pattern? This morning they had potatoes, which made me incredibly happy, because they were so good. I'm quite impressed with this hotel so far, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who came to Istanbul (it's the Hotel Nena, in case you're wondering). The people are extremely helpful and pleasant, the rooms are nice, and the food is tasty.

Anyway, now that I've given a free plug to the hotel...over breakfast we decided that we would go to the Grand Bazaar today, and then we'd go see a mosque or two when we were finished. HA! What we weren't expecting (and really I should have since I've been to the big bazaar in Khazakstan) was that the bazaar would be so huge! To start out, we got lost on our way to the bazaar. Really, we didn't so much get lost as was we took a different route than was suggested by our friend. We did, however, find exactly where we think he was sending us. I bought some really cool little pocket/purse thingees made out of old dresses. The guy was really pleasant and I bargained!!! I think I did pretty well, but you never can tell with these things. Anyway, it was a great way to start the day.

Next, Norah bargained for in-lay boxes, that were gorgeous mother-of-pearl and wood. The guy drove a hard bargain, but I think she did great!! We made a good bargaining team. :) We looked at all sorts of textiles, new and old, embroirdered and dyed, silk and cotton. They just had stuff all over the place!

We meandered around the alleys and roads in the bazaar, which is covered, finding all sorts of random trinkets, old grammaphones, textiles, jewelry, leather, clothes...you name it...I'm sure someone had it. Shopping made us hungry, so we ate at a little kebab place, and it was quite good. A cricket did fall out of the ceiling, but it was successfully avoided before it went in my mouth. I was freaked out, but...I kept eating. :) Hopefully, I don't get Cricket's revenge. Norah's rosehip tea was very yummy. I've decided I like Turkish drinks, which are sweet, the way I like them!

We found a place with some embroidered textiles, and bought a bunch of things. It was a nice little store out in the back of the bazaar somewhere quiet. I liked those much better than the main ones. For one thing, I think the people working there actually owned the stores. For the other, they were just less pushy, in general.

With our hands full of packages, we went back to the hotel for a break. Hoping to see the Spice Bazaar today, we quickly changed clothes (into something cooler) and left. Unfortunately, the guys at the front desk said we didn't have enough time. But, we did fret! We just just went back to the Grand Bazaar!

At some point, we ended up on one of the main thoroughfairs, which we tried to avoid for the most part, and got cornered by...can you guess? If you didn't guess carpet salesman, well, I'm sorry, but you're just not all there. We had done extremely well with the "nope" keep walking technique. In fact, we'd fended off all kinds of salesmen (the leather and carpet salesmen were the most persistent). One carpet salesman in particular actually ran up to me, and stood in front of me. So I stepped around, and said we weren't buying a carpet. Then I kept walking. He didn't like that, pursuaded Norah to look at pillow covers, and well, I got pissed off. If you've never met me, you would not know that I have somewhat of a temper (if you do know me, you would know that that sentence is an understatement). These carpet salesmen now know that when I don't want to buy a carpet, I don't want to buy a carpet. I didn't even yell. I just said, "We don't want to buy carpets," several times in a forceful voice. We ended up walking off to one of the guys asking, "why you gotta be like that?" To his credit, he comes up later in this blog...

Thoroughly embarrassed for being mean to a guy just trying to con some nice ladies out of a couple thousand dollars, I was led by Norah a d nice jewelry shop. We tried to bargain there, but weren't willing to pay what they wanted (which was probably a fair price), so we walked away. It was fairly easy for me to do that, because the pissed-offedness hadn't quite worn off yet. (Sorry mom, you don't get the necklace and earrings I found...) Luckily, right around the corner, Norah found us another jewelry shop and I bargained my way into a necklace.

We ended up back at the first store we went to, so Norah could buy some more trinkets. I have to say, out of all the vendors, I liked this guy the best. I felt like his prices were fair and he was just generally nice and not pushy. That probably means we got ripped off, but he made us feel bad while he took our money. :) Plus, he gave us two free felt ornaments!!

Anyway, after a long day, we ended up about to leave, only to get stopped by some lovely scarves. I tried on so many that the bazaar closed. In fact, it had been closed 30 minutes before we left! Talk about eery. The place was really dark, and all the outside doors were closed. We got a little lost, and I got a little scared. Fortunately, the carpet salesmen that I wasn't so nice to, led us out!!! So, if he ever happens to read this blog, I'm sorry I wasn't like nice. I didn't need to be like that. Thanks for helping us not get stuck in the bazaar overnight. And, to his credit as a salesman, he showed us his other carpet shop on the way down the street...

Dinner was at Rami Restaurant, which overlooked the Blue Mosque and the restaurant with the whirling dirvishes. Lucky for us, we got free music from the other restaurant. At one point, we could also see a dirvish in all his whirling glory! The food was excellent and the conversation was even better. :)

Today was a fun fun day. And, if Gavin is reading this and dying of a heart attack after the intro to this post, I didn't spend our life savings. I only spent half of it. :D

Carpet Salesman Count = at least 15 (but only one managed to stop me...and he got an ear full)

Perveted Turkish Men Count = at least 6, but these were much more discreet than before

Cat Count = too many to count, but if I had to guess...it'd be at least 20

Istanbul: Day 2

2009-09-16T11:38:00.002-06:00

My goals for this morning were to count how many times a man told me how gorgeous I am and to avoid, at all costs, carpet salesmen. I accomplished both those goals. I am apparently the most beautiful person on the planet according to at least 6 men, some of whom were trying to sell me things I'm sure and one of whom I think may have been propositioning me. Plus, I didn't get let into any carpet stores. "Nope" with a stern look at the growd while walking quickly away from the dudes harrassing you to buy carpets seemed to work quite well.

Carpet salesmen and perverted men aside, today was brilliant (yes, that sounded very British). We started off with another lovely breakfast at the hotel followed by the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum. There were a lot of artifacts there, but I think what took the cake for me were the rugs/carpets. I know that after complaining about carpet salesmen so much that it may be difficult to believe me there. But, really, the carpets were amazing! They had carpets there from the 12th century, and the work was spectacular. They were gorgeous. Plus, the entry was pretty cheap compared to some of the other places. It was well worth the visit.

We spent quite a bit of time at the museum, and then it was time for lunch. So, we decided to go to the Arts and Crafts showplace, where there was supposed to be a good cafe. We didn't get lost, really, but we had a hard time finding the place. And, on the way, several very helpful carpet salesmen tried to point us in the right direction...and also sell us carpets. We got the direction and ran with them...well...walked quickly. :)

We finally found a place to eat light, and it was tasty. Then we saw some Turkish arts and crafts that we could have bought, but couldn't afford. :( They were beautiful pieces and all handmade, which was why the cost so much. But, still...

After the arts and crafts, we decided to look at Mosaics. The only thing was...it was hidden! Seriously. We walked down where we thought it was (in the middle of a Bazaar next to the Blue Mosque) and couldn't find a thing other than stuff to buy. After wandering around a while, Norah stopped in a hotel and asked for directions. As it turned out, it was in the little bazaar, and the sign was in Turkish. Who knew?! But, it was well worth getting a little lost, because they had mosaics from like early 6th century all over the place. It was a floor and some wall-coverings that were excavated and preserved, after a lot of work, from several locations around Turkey. From above looking down on the floor, the mosaics actually looked almost like paintings. It wasn't until I got closer that I noticed the tiles were about 1/4 inch square and set in with different colors to emulate folds in clothing and muscles on legs. Seriously, very awesome!

This was followed by a little shopping. I bargained for my first item: a Nazar Boncu-oo-u (it's not spelled that way, but can't find the actually letter which draws out the sound of the first u).It's supposed to ward off the evil eye, and I found a pendant that I thought was pretty. The guy wasn't pushy either, which I liked. Plus, he helped us find someplace else we were looking for. After I paid for the thing, I heard a scuffle in the walk-way. A dude was chasing another dude yelling at him in English. His harsh words ended in, "you son of the bitch", which had two guys not had to drag the guy back, would have been really funny. I'm still not sure what made him so mad, which I saw another guy walking away looking very pleased with himself. Speculate away!!

Back to the Blue Mosque we went. I wanted to see it for myself, without a tricky carpet salesman rushing we through. We got there in time for the call to prayer. We watched, and it was quite interesting. I wanted to know why people seemed to leave after different prayers, so I asked the security guard who was very nice and tried to explain. I'm still not sure why they left at different times, but I can now read all about Islam, because he gave me several books. I'm quite keen to read through them, as he was so helpful, and I'd like some explanation for what all they were doing.

So, that was about it...but I can't forget to mention the cats. They're everywhere! I don't see dogs around that much, but man these cats breed like rabbits!!!

More tomorrow...we're going to the Grand Bazaar, where I'll have to work on my bargaining skills and fighting men off. Really, do they think it works to pick up a girl by saying, "you're really pretty, wanna meet up with me later?" Umm, yeah.

Istanbul: Day 1

2009-09-15T11:47:00.002-06:00

I realize it's Tuesday, and I usually post a teaser. But, in celebration of my awesome MIL, who took me with her to Istanbul, I'm going to try to blog about the trip every day we're here. Lord only knows if I'll actually blog every day. But here goes...

Well, after a very exhausting day of walking, looking at old stuff, trying to look as mean as possible, apparently looking as friendly and open as possible, and having to say 'no' repeatedly to people who mistook the 'mean' look for the 'I'm here to spend tons of money on carpets' look, I AM PLUM TUCKERED OUT. That isn't to say I didn't have a great time today, because I definitely did.

We (Norah, my MIL, and I) started out a bit late this morning, because the 2 hour time change had us staying up later than we would have liked. But, after a lovely breakfast (included in the room price!) at the hotel where we could see the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. One of the hotel staff offered to help us locate the places we wanted to go. Which started off a conversation about whether or not I was in school. He apparently thought I was in high school. Seriously. I'm not sure if that was a compliment or not, considering that was at least 10 years ago. But, well, it was funny.

This first day was to be spent in the Architectural Museum and Topkapi Palace. Little did we know that the former was the size of a city. So, most of the day was spent at the museum. I can't tell you how amazing it was to see parts of the tiles from the Ishtar Gate of Babylon.

Leaving the museum for some lunch, we ran into Carpet Salesman #1: the Philosophy Professor. I tried to avoid him. I really did. Norah even made a good stab and getting rid of him, but he literally RAN after us. I mean, what can you do when the guy stands in front of you, blocking your path? Well, I could have been really mean, but I hadn't learned my lesson yet. We followed him back to his store. He served us some lovely tea and proceeded to spread carpets out in front of us "just to show us." Although he was an excellent salesman and seemed like a nice guy, you can't sell carpets of people who ain't got the dough. So, we left carpetless. (And for those of you wishing to make a dirty joke here, save it. I'm sure I've heard it all today...)

Lots of walking comprised the first half of the day, and we ended up coming back to the hotel room for a short rest after the longer-than-necessary carpet setback. We had planned for lunch, but we didn't really have time, so we ate a snack we'd gotten at Heathrow, and headed out to the Blue Mosque. According to our guidebook, it was the only thing that would be open long enough for us to see it.

It's amazing how close we are to everything, and it didn't take us long to get to the mosque. IT'S GINORMOUS! And, I'm glad it's a mosque cuz when I walked into the gates and they had booths set up with people selling just about anything you can imagine, I thought about a particular passage in the Bible I actually remember from Sunday School...

Anyway, we found the "visitor's entrance" off to the side and proceeded in that direction. Enter Carpet Salesman #2: Tour Guide for the Blue Mosque. He was very nice indeed, even though we walked right past him and kept on going. In fact, I had the "if you mess with me I'll kill you" look that has seemed to work on other trips. It doesn't work here. No, instead, apparently this look is just a challenge. Either that, or they think I'm flirting.

Tour Guide guy gave us a nice tour of the mosque, which I don't think we would have had without him. He pointed out all sorts of things and told us about holy days, etc. I was a little surprised when I saw that not all the women had their heads covered, and well...I dunno...it just didn't seem right. But, that's just me. He said it wasn't required for visitors, but still.

Then we went on a tour of the outside of the mosque, the old stable areas, and some old old houses. This tour ended at...a carpet store. And, I actually considered buying one. So much so, that I asked the price. Well, let's just say...I didn't buy anything. As lovely as they were, I can't spend half my rent on a carpet. And, it made me feel a little bad, because they'd gone to so much trouble trying to sell us stuff. And, even though we didn't buy a carpet, Tour Guide guy continued our tour all the way to the Hagia Sophia, where he informed us that it was open until 7:00.

We went in, and it was AMAZING. If I thought the Blue Mosque was huge, wow, there are no words to describe the Hagia Sophia. It's ridiculously old, and incredibly beautiful in a stoic kind of way. I just can't imagine how it was built. They were doing a lot of restoration on the mosaics, so we didn't get to see the whole thing, but we got a good idea of the massive size of the place. Seriously, I wish I could describe it, but I can't. You just have to go!

The day ended with some dinner at a place we were pressured into eating at. Seriously, men here have no problem standing directly in front of you, telling you what to do! Fortunately, the food was really good, and it was served on a terrace overlooking all the sites!!

Now, throughout the day, I'd had several flirting men (just ask Norah), but I think the waiter took the prize for most flirtatious. Even after I said I was married--by which he was completely shocked--he continued to flirt. It was kind of funny actually. And, he managed to jump into a picture Norah was taking. My facial expression may have been pretty funny. I'll have to see and post it if so.

And, that's basically it for the day. I'm tired and will be going to bed as soon as I dry my hair. I'm thinking of making it into a big poofball. Possibly, I'll put my lipstick on crooked tomorrow as well, and paints a weird mole on my face. Do you think would get them all off my back? There have been very few times in my life when I really thought I NEEDED to have a man around (the car dealership being another of those times), but I have to say...for reasons other than the obvious one...I wish Gavin were here. At least he might scare off some of the carpet salesmen!

Want time to write? Get your husband an Xbox 360

2009-09-12T14:49:00.002-06:00

After a year of saying "no", I caved this weekend and told Gavin he could get his Xbox 360. Of course it had nothing to do with recent decrease in price, but everything to do with giving him an outlet of fun so I could write in peace. Actually, it was mostly about the price drop.

Today we went into town, hoping to get the best deal possible. I think we did well. All-in-all, we came away with the Elite console, an extra wireless controller, and 5 good games. We didn't pay much more than what the console itself cost, so I figure the shopping around paid off.

You know what else paid off? Gavin sat in front of the monitor most of the day, mostly getting himself killed over and over again, while I wrote. It was a very productive day indeed!

Tomorrow, I'm thinking we'll have to break out something a little less nerve-racking...like...Legos Indiana Jones or Kung Fu Panda. Ohhh...yeah!

I predict very few words written tomorrow.

Now Showing at LiveJournal: This Blog

2009-09-10T17:20:00.001-06:00

I'm a follower. I'll admit it. And, being such a fantastic follower, I've followed several other AW peeps over to Live Journal. That's not to say things are stopping here on Blogger. Do not despair for I am still posting here!

Just in case it's easier for people to check out my amazing writing skillz (notice the z, which indicates how ridiculous that statement just was), I'm mirroring this blog onto this blog: http://aggiew3thrgirl.livejournal.com.

I'm still working out the kinks. For example, currently, the layout over at Live Journal sucks. Hopefully I can remedy that with the help of Vero (who got me started on this mirroring stuff). Only time will tell!

Because I was bored...New Layout!

2009-09-04T12:11:00.002-06:00

Through a mix of boredom, jealousy, and a good case of the crud, I decided to change the layout on this here blog. Gavin should come along in about a year or so when he gets tired of my bugging him to read the blog and realize that it's different than the one he set up. Actually, it was different before this layout change, because his was boring. But, well, what can a girl do?

(Gavin if you do wander by this blog--the blog that you started and subsequently didn't post on--any time close to the posting date, I do apologize for my lack of faith. But really, it was warranted, right?)

I've been in bed most of the day, because I just don't feel that good. At least, that's my excuse. Yeah, I think it's a good one. **cough, cough, sneeze** And, I decided to read some blogs (check them out over in the sidebar!). I have to say, I was quite jealous with the layouts. So, I figured out how to get my new shiny layout here! I had to go with something dark, because, well...the name of this blog kind of lacks the sun. I should have also gone for something completely grey, like how most people view Manchester. But, I had to have SOME color in my life, right?

So, what do you think? Like the layout? It's ok if you don't, but I will hate you. Just so you know. ;)

Quilters and Vendors and Lectures, Oh My!

2009-08-27T05:45:00.005-06:00

This is a little late in coming. Honestly, I had planned to post this Monday, but what can I say? I'm just lazy! You probably already knew that, so I don't feel too bad. Anyway, last week I accompanied my mother-in-law to a quilt festival in Birmingham (not the one in Alabama).

I'd like to say that I spent every waking hour looking at quilts, shopping, taking classes, and generally having a quilt-tasticly good time. Don't get me wrong, I did have a good time. But, I was a little overwhelmed, causing me to hole up in the hotel room most of the time. It turned out to be incredibly productive on the reading and writing front. Plus, I did grow a pair and ended up taking pictures of quilts and buying random things from vendors. I even stood in front of people to help my mother-in-law show her quilts!! (Shameless plug time: http://www.bellabellaquilts.com/home.html)

I took some pictures at quilt show of some absolutely amazing quilts. I'm not putting them all on here, because I don't have room. But, I've picked some of the ones I loved (and making sure to credit the quilter!!). I tried to add the credit on the images themselves, but since they appear kind of small, I'm also adding the credits directly below each quilt with the quilt's title. Enjoy!

"Heat" by Ferret Fabrications

(http://www.ferfab.co.uk)

"Second Spring" by Jenny Bowker

(http://www.jennybowker.com)

"Bushfire Sunset" by Lisa Walton & Nic Bridges

I can't take my mind off this damn song...

2009-08-13T08:12:00.002-06:00

Seriously. I am currently listening to The Blower's Daughter by Damien Rice for, I think, the 10th time in a row. It's sad. I have a song obsession, much like other obsessions I seem to be forming. If you haven't heard it, listen to it now:

The official Damien Rice version

A Choral Version (that happens to be gorgeous)

I previously blogged about music that was true in its musicality and lyrics. This is one of them. It brings so many emotions out, and images flash in my head when I listen to it. I think I will play this a lot when I'm writing. It definitely conjures up scenes that I would like to write.

Anyway, I like it so much, I just blogged about it. Thanks for the ladies over in AW for making me stumbling onto Damien Rice!

In Guide We Trust

2009-08-09T14:36:00.005-06:00

We just got back from a 3-day weekend trip to Scotland with Gavin's parents. It was great fun. We started out in Manchester, driving through the Lake District on the way to Helensburgh. Luckily, I wasn't driving, so I actually got to enjoy the scenery in the Lake District. It was beautiful, and I'd like to go back (as a car passenger) to take some of the back roads. The sun was out on Friday when we drove through the Lake District, so every British person alive seemed to be there. We tried to go to Beatrix Potter's farm, but realized too late that it would be flooded with people, and we wouldn't be able to get a ticket. This was after sitting in a queue while waiting for the ferry across the lake.

By the time we got across the lake, we were all quite hungry. Fortunately, Gavin brought along the Good Pub Guide 2009, so we had no problem locating a good place to eat, drink, and be merry. We've used the guide three times to find places to eat, and all three times it has delivered. The food was excellent, and Gavin said the beer was great! So, from now on, we won't doubt the guide.

After that, we made our way to Helensburgh to meet with some of Gavin's dad's friends who had been vacationing in Scotland. We ended up having an excellent Italian meal and going to sleep quite late!

The next morning, it was raining and yucky, so we decided to forego a drive into the Highlands and settled on a trip to Culross instead. That turned out to be an excellent idea, as the first property bought by the National Trust for Scotland is there. In fact, almost the entire 16th century village has received funds from the NTS to help refurbish the beautiful buildings. We walked through the "palace" and had a guided tour of the village.

We then drove to Bannockburn, where Robert Bruce led the Scots in a decisive victory over the bloody English! :) It was neat, but we didn't get to spend too much time there, as we were a little late. However, we managed to take pictures in some chain mail. (I'm the demon-eyed b***h in the middle).

We went back to Helensburgh, had dinner with Gavin's cousin and her husband, and then went to sleep. This morning, I woke up to this:

Needless to say, it was a great weekend!

You Make Me Smile

2009-08-02T08:01:00.004-06:00

Continuing the theme of titling the blog posts with lyrics from Blue October, this post is about my husband, Gavin, one of the nicest people I know. [Gush]

Yes, I know he's good looking. You don't have to tell me. But this isn't about how handsome he is, it's about how nice he is. Now, this is definitely unusual, because I am not an overly gushy female. Seriously, I'd much rather be teasing him and making fun of him for stupid stuff, but he was just too nice this morning.

Case in point, he cooked me breakfast and brought to me while I was still laying in bed reading my book. See, he's really nice. It wasn't even just cereal...he COOKED eggs and bacon with toast. And they were good eggs. The bacon was perfectly crispy, and he used real butter on the toast. YUM!

If that wasn't just the nicest, he brings me coffee in bed most mornings! Yes, I'm lazy, and I sit there in bed reading for an hour. He doesn't even care. He just brings me coffee with a smile before he leaves for work. He's truly nice.

So, here's to Gavin. [raises glass of sparkling water] No one could ask for a better husband.

Note: Shortly before this post was typed, Gavin, the nicest person ever, banished me to the bedroom, because my typing was too loud. It disturbed his trying to review journal articles. But, see, I was so moved by the rest of his niceness that I am still posting this. But, for good measure, I'm throwing in a picture of him in his kilt. Woohoo!

Is That Seat Taken?

2009-08-01T08:29:00.004-06:00

The title of this post is intentionally misleading. It's actually part of the lyrics to a song that I am listening to while I type this. Can you guess which song??

It's raining, I don't feel particularly great today, and I'm sitting in the flat by myself, so I decided to listen to some music. I have a few albums I tend to play over and over again, the one I'm listening to right now is one of them. Unfortunately, these songs are pretty depressing. Probably not a good listen for rainy weather, but oh well!

Sitting here listening to music, the lyrics in particular, got me thinking about a conversation I had last night with a friend about music. (Side note: This would be a mini-conversation had while I was sitting at the computer typing away on a message board...so if the friend reads this...sorry again for being such a bad hostess!!!) He asked us if we liked songs because of the music or lyrics. I instinctually said, "Both!" That's mostly true. The songs I'm listening to right now, I like because of the music and lyrics (wait, isn't that a movie?).

Typically, I like music that moves me, which could be from the lyrics or the music. But, if the song has great lyrics and bad music, I tend to not like it as much. I need a good combination of the two. However, if it has bad lyrics and good music, I can overlook the lyrics. It's the music that moves me, and the words just add to the music. Cool, huh? I've always been like that. I found myself almost crying several times while singing in a concert, because the music was so beautiful, even when the words were in Latin and I hadn't a clue what they meant. :)

That's it. Boring post. But, well, they can't all be great! So, (if anyone actually reads this), do you like songs for music or lyrics or both? What kind of music do you like??

(Song I was just listening to: Congratulations by Blue October w/ Imogen Heap)

Edit: So, I'm adding this little part, because I continued Blue October and came across "18th Floor Balcony". I've heard it before, but I never really listened to the lyrics. I think this would fall under the good lyrics, good music category. I found myself actually picking a scene that played out what the lyrics were saying. I may have to use this in my writing... See, music can be really moving!

Geek Alert!!

2009-07-29T07:56:00.002-06:00

So, I never thought of myself as a total geek. Don't get me wrong, I always knew I was nerdy and never part of the "in" crowd. I listened to Billy Joel and watch old episode of Star Trek TNG even. (Note: I have been informed that my use of TNG for The Next Generation may, in fact, classify me as a geek.) That suited me just fine. But, recently, thanks to my husband and some good friends, I have entered the Realm of Geekdom. Let's get this straight though, I'm just inside the borders. I mean, I'm not talking Dungeons and Dragons here. But, I've definitely taken taken several steps on the road to Geekdom.

Case in point: Tonight Gavin and I will be going to what has become a fairly regular (weekly) Fallout 3 session. Yes, video games, and a role-playing one at that! I'm not saying I've never played video/computer games. I have, and have been for a long time (Kings Quest, anyone?), but this seems to have taken me to a whole new level. I actually DREAM about being in a post-apocalyptic dystopian society where I have to decide which mission to go on next. Really. It's true! The last dream saw me running through the Capitol Wasteland trying to get away from the SuperMutants.

This should tell you about what role I play in the Fallout 3 experience. I watch. I sit at the back of the basement room (yes, I said basement) and alert the boys to enemies. I also have a good time trying to pick the meanest comments when talking to other characters, because we have to keep up the "Evil, Optortunist" persona! It's a given. Anyway, it's not to say that girls can't play video games, because they most certainly can. I just don't have the hand-eye or perhaps finger-eye coordination it takes to shoot things and generally move around on the screen. It's a learning curve that my years outside the Realm of Geekdom have not prepared me for.

However, I'm totally hooked. I love this game, even I only passively participate. I can't believe Geekdom could be so great! I think I may venture further into the Realm, but perhaps only with baby steps. I mean, I could get attacked by a Level 20 Super-Mutant-Sorcerer-Dragon thing and have enough magic to fight it off!

I'm a Culinary Genius!

2009-07-27T11:54:00.011-06:00

Well, not really, but after rolling 12 enchiladas, I certainly feel good. In this post, I will take you through (with pictures!) how I made Cheese Enchiladas. Honestly, it'll be lame, and I'll probably leave out lots of steps, but I just wanted to post pictures of food. Prepare to drool...

The first step I took in making the enchiladas was to make the enchilada sauce. I take no risks with the canned stuff, and I'm not even certain if I could find it easily here. I probably could, since Old El Paso is quite prevalent, but then it just wouldn't be the same. Besides, I found a tasty recipe and it's pretty easy. Basically, you make a roux (oil and flour) and CAREFULLY add some chili powder. At this stage, I should note from recent experience, that you face should not be anywhere near the saucepan when the chili powder is added. I think my lungs may actually be scarred, hence the all capital wording above.

Anway, after I did the chili powder thing for a couple of seconds, you add some liquids and some more spices. Then voila! You get this:

I then tasted my masterpiece of sauce, and was surprised. I was not surprised at how incredibly yummy it was, but rather by the burning in my mouth and on my lips. That was not the sensation I got the last time I made the sauce. I went back to consult the spices. Apparently, all those times I was told that "spicy" in Britain wasn't spicy at all, it was a lie! Seriously, the Hot Chili Powder in my cabinet is actually quite hot. But, the sauce was still good, and it didn't byrn that bad, so I kept going. I then let the sauce cool.

Good cooks might use this time to prepare the next step. Lazy cooks, like me, would take a break, surf the net, watch some TV for a while, or whatever makes them happy while the sauce cools. It doesn't really matter, but you have to stick your hands in the sauce at some point, so the cooling step is a good one.

After being lazy for a while, I prepared the items for the next step. Here they are:

I particularly like the saucepan of warm-to-hot oil. It just makes the "southerner" in me all warm and fuzzy. Anyway, with these ingredients, a lot of dipping and rolling takes place. The tortillas get coated with a good amount of oil, which supposedly makes them floppy. Then they get dipped in the sauce which supposedly sticks to the supposedly floppy oily tortillas. Obviously, this was not my experience. I had non-floppy, non-saucy tortillas at the end. But, it still worked out. After dipping, I rolled cheese--LOTS of cheese--and onions in the tortillas and placed them in a pan.

Then I poured the rest of the really yummy sauce over the enchiladas. And, I forgot to take a picture of it.

Cooking the enchiladas made the flat smell pretty fantastic and I was met with a smile as my wonderful husband came in from basketball. It was all very Leave It to Beaver, which kind of makes me want to puke. However, I won't, and instead will just continue with the conclusion of my enchilada experience.

The enchiladas also looked great when I took them out of the oven. Unfortunately, this is another step I forgot to capture for all eternity, because my stomach was just too excited and overrode my brain. It's not surprising.

I hoped that the smell and sight of the enchiladas would only mean better things from the taste. I was right...and somewhat wrong--they tasted quite yummy indeed, before my my mouth turned to fire and I had to run to fridge for some Coke Zero (of course I would have preferred Diet Dr Pepper, but what was I to do?!). I like spice, lots of it. But, this was REALLY spicy. I won't kid you. Go for the mild chili powder if you make this. You won't regret the decision, unless you're a masochist, and then more power to ya.

Oh, and after all that, here's what was left:

I won't lie. The food was mouth-wateringly good...and also eye-wateringly spicy. I have to chock this experience up to living in the UK, because I would never have tried making enchiladas if I had a good Mexican restaurant to go to. Next, we'll try making Tacos al Pastor, but seeing as we don't own a grill or have a place to use one...that might get a little tricky.

Driving in England

2009-07-27T10:30:00.003-06:00

Perhaps I'm biased (yes, I am very biased), but driving in England is a very harrowing ordeal. Ok, maybe that should just describe my first driving experience in the UK. Well, really, that probably only counts for a quarter of that experience. I'll recount the taking of my driving-in-the-UK innocence.

We went from Manchester, England to Helensburgh, Scotland (a drive that takes about the same amount of time it takes to get from Houston to Dallas) for our trip to The Open--The British Open to the Americans who acknowledge the existence of multiple "Opens". I had the second shift. I stalled the car before we ever got out of the parking lot. Apparently, 2 months of not driving makes me forget about clutches and their necessity in a manual transmission. Once I got the hang of the clutch, I reached over my left shoulder for the seat belt only to find thin air. Things were not looking great, but they got much better.

The motorway was a cinch! I even passed a car in the first 5 minutes. I was told that this was excellent and much better than Gavin had done his first time. I'm sure that was just a way to make me feel better. But then I passed many more cars, on the right!! Passing on the left is a no-no. We made it to Helenburgh with no incident. Gavin took over the parking, because parallel parking just isn't my thing.

Skip two days ahead.

We were driving back from Helensburgh to Manchester via Yanwath. I drove the second half of this route as well. We stopped in Yanwath for a rather excellent lunch at a gastropub called The Gate Inn. If you're in Yanwath, go. It's well worth it. Anyway, back to horrible driving. Gavin had some beers, so I was forced to drive. It was the plan in the first place, but once he had the beer, I didn't have an out.

I wanted to do something touristy on the way back, so we decided to drive through the Lake District. Actually, it was partially my idea. I should ALWAYS keep my mouth shut. (I never take my own advice, unfortunately). If you were to ask me, "Laura, what does the Lake District look like?" I would reply, "Well, I wouldn't know. I assume that it looks like black asphault, stone walls, cars coming toward you, cars talegating you, and sharps drops." Then you might say, "But, I always heard the Lake District was beautiful." I would reply, "So have I. I'll have to visit there sometime when I'm not driving"

Seriously, whoever thought it was a good idea to make 5" wide roads that are expected to be roomy enough for cars on both sides of the road going at least 45 mph was a moron. Or maybe, they were just smoking something really really good. (Note: I do realize that the roads were most likely just paved over versions of cart tracks.) Needless to say, I almost hit several stone walls trying not to hit oncoming traffic while trying to drive fast enough not to get the back bumper ground off by the car sitting about 2" from my bumper.

When your favorite road in the Lake District turns out to be the B road that is literally wide enough for 1.5 cars and has spots where it's just wide enough for one car to stop so the other car can pass, shake hands with the other driver, and keep going, you know something is wrong.

After that, the motorway and driving through Manchester was a piece of cake. Getting out of the car after the drive, not so much. My muscles were so tense from the drive, I could hardly walk. Let's just say that it'll be a cold day in Hell before I drive in the UK again...at least on roads like that! Most likely, however, in 2 months I'll have another post about how horrible my second driving experience was.

New Blogger Syndrome

2009-07-15T08:27:00.002-06:00

Well, you may notice that this post will be signed by me, not Gavin. He was kind enough to invite me to post on his blog. Well, really, I was kind enough to log in as him and invite myself. But, whatever. He did have the notion that we could BOTH post on this blog, but I will believe that when I see it. (Gavin, if you're reading this...it's a challenge! But, since I had to force you to read my post last night, I hold out little hope.)

Anyway, I think I have what the professionals might call "New Blogger Syndrome". I found myself dreaming about what I might blog today. (As an aside, I find it slightly annoying that I just used the word "blog" as a verb.) Actually, I don't remember my dreams, which is a first in a long time as I actually slept last night. I haven't been sleeping so well, so I was quite pleased to wake up at 7 and not 5 this morning, well-rested. Nevertheless, I woke up thinking about the blog. Sad, I know. Don't worry, this will pass, and I'll manage to post at about the same frequency my husband used to post, I'm sure.

Today, however, I'd like to rant about the public library system here in the United Kingdom. I should qualify this rant by some praise over the fact that I have been able to find quite a few books I wanted to read and can even reserve things online! This is quite an achievement for the UK. But that leads me to the following:

1) Online Reservations - I quite like the fact that I can do this. Unfortunately, it often takes a long time to get books that supposedly are on the shelves at one of the library branches around the Greater Manchester area. The longest amount of time I've waited for a book whose status said "check shelves" was 3 weeks. Now, I can manage to get myself all over town in no more than an hour, so why exactly does it take 3 weeks to transfer a book that is apparently available? This brings me to...

2) Check Shelves - I have checked the shelves for a book at the local library branch exactly twice. Both times the online catalog showed that I should "check shelves" at that specific branch. Exactly twice I found no such book. After asking the library volunteer about it and them checking the same shelves I had just checked (because obviously I cannot spell names or put them in alphabetical order, nor do I have the forsight to check the other fiction section), I was told on both occasions that they couldn't find the book. Interesting. This brings me back to online reservations. You see, this makes a loop...perhaps an infinite one.

3) Picking Up Reserved Books - Because it is apparent that I should not ever check the shelves for books at the library, I reserve them online, wait a ridiculous amount of time for them to come in, and go stand in line to pick them up. Standing in line is not a problem; I actually don't mind that part. What I do mind is the sheer inefficient way they apparently sort books that are on hold in the back. Instead of sorting them by the name of the person who reserved the books, they sort them by author name (and presumably their category, like Fiction, Non-Fiction, Historical, etc.). This wouldn't be such a problem for people who reserve one book, but I often reserve five or six. This means I stand there for 10 minutes waiting for them to find my books in the back while the queue behind me gets restless and wonders why I don't just "check shelves" like the rest of them.

4) Returns - Every library that I have ever been a patron of has had a return slot somewhere in the building, the kind you can walk up to, dump your books into, and leave. Not this one. I would bet none of the branches have a return slot. Instead, one must wait in line behind the person who's reserved six books while the library volunteer sorts through the reserves at the back by author name. This is why I make sure I return books and pick up new ones on the same go, because unlike libraries in the UK, I try to be efficient.

This leads me to some suggestions based on my experiences with the excellent library system in Fort Collins, CO. First, update the online catalog to reflect that actual current status of the books. (Note: This actually happened a couple of times in FC as well, so I can't really fault them on this, except that it's happened here every time I've looked for a book). Two, at least categorize the reserved books in the back by the name of the reservee. It will make things go a lot faster. Better yet, allow us to check a "reserves" shelf ourselves and tie your computer system to make sure that only that reservee can check out that particular book! And finally, have a book drop somewhere, anywhere. If you want to make sure the books aren't stolen, have the bookdrop on the side of the main counter, where the books are collected behind the counter.

And, this was long enough, I will end my rant by saying, that I do appreciate the library efforts here in the good ol' United Kingdom. And, I guess I shouldn't complain too much considering the number of books I have checked out for free lately. I'm just sayin'...

I'm Hijacking This Blog

2009-07-14T03:54:00.002-06:00

This is Gavin's wife, Laura. I am hijacking this blog, because my husband is apparently not a blogger, and I couldn't be bothered to come up with a new blog name for myself. So, from now on, you'll find my posts, which will most likely not be as funny as Gavin's posts. In fact, I may try to make them as boring as possible. We'll see.

I randomly decided to start writing a blog when I realized that I have no one to talk to during the day and needed an outlet where I could bore anyone stupid enough to read my blog. So, you will now find that I'll be posting once a week--or more probably whenever I feel like it. I will be posting rants, musings, reflections, observations, and all those other words used to describe writing random crap.

Up first in random-land:

Writing fiction is tough. Seriously. Especially when you've been in the science mindset since birth. Actually, I used to write these really dumb stories about a princess who was always saved by her handsome prince. Of course, I was the princess and the prince was whichever boy I was obsessing over at the time. That was when I was about 10...yes, I've been boy-crazy for a long long time. It's finally tapering off. I only dream about 20 men other than my husband at any one time now, and by men I mean 20 year-old movie stars. <> If you are Gavin or any of Gavin's family reading this now...that was a joke. Seriously...I only dream about 10 other men.

Anyway, back to my musing. So, about four months ago when I had this odd desire to write something other than my dissertation, I was confused. I mean, I actually have an imagination? Then I realized, OF COURSE I HAVE AN IMAGINATION!!! I've been writing science and research-related papers for so long, one has to have a great imagination to believe those pieces mean anything! I knew then that I had a way to procrastinate, you know, other than Facebook and MySpace and TV and... But I didn't have anything to write about, until this one night when I had a dream about a boy and a girl in a meadow. Wait...that was Stephenie Meyer. No, I didn't have anything to write about.

It wasn't until I was talking to a friend about writing fiction that I said, "I want to write about some girl in high school who doesn't really have a lot of good friends and she's really into school and she's boy crazy and she's..." Then I realized I was talking about myself. Write what you know, right??? So, I started brainstorming some more, came up with a really ridiculous idea and started writing. I have around 3000 words written. 3000 words does not a novel make...not that I need to write a novel, but the story way too large and preposterous for a short story. But writing fiction is hard!

Reading between the lines

2008-08-30T14:24:00.002-06:00

So, I had an interesting chat in the car on the way to Cranfield (where the aircraft is based) about newspapers. It seems I will need to think more carefully about the newspaper I'm seen carrying around. Usually I carry a paper in a prominent place to 'look educated and "in touch" with the world's recent events', then just read the sports (or sport) section, and finally recycle it at the end of the day.

In the US, it was pretty simple picking a newspaper, at least in Fort Collins. The choices for daily's were the Denver Post and The Rocky Mountain News, plus the Coloradoan, if you count the local paper. If you were in a starbucks you could read the New York Times, but that was pretty much it. In Britain, there are about 10 national papers available from every corner store (known as 'newsagents'). Each is associated with some type of political leaning, and cultural standing. I need help deciding which one to read on a regular basis, so please have a look at this list (in no particular order) and let me know what you think:

1. The Times
Politcal leaning: right-of-center (aka Joe Lieberman, Arnold Sch-something-eger)
Cultural level: pass the stilton
Pros: It gets points for its somewhat cocky 'we don't need no city in our name' flaghead, but then I quickly realized that all of these papers don't have city, or even countries, in their titles. What I used to think was what England was all about.
Cons: Owned by Rupert Murdoch's NewsCorp. Tabloid layout.

2. The Daily Telegraph
Political leaning: right
Cultural level: Just the right amount for the voters
Pros: Still published as a broadsheet. Firm convictions...
Cons: ...that exactly follow the Conservative Party platform

3. The Daily Mail
Political leaning: right of right
Cultural level: mind your own damn business, you bloody foreigner
Pros: Not made out of puppy skin?
Cons: owned by Rupert Murdoch's NewsCorp, anti-immigrant, The Daily Telegraph with balls

4. The Sun
Political leaning: right
Cultural level: boobies!
Pros: Naked woman pictured on page three of every issue, supposed to have the best football (soccer) coverage of all the national dailys, in depth literary criticism of post-modern dielectic novels and free-form expressive poetry (hint: one of these three is not really true)
Cons: Did I mention the naked women?

5. The Guardian
Political leaning: left-of-center
Cultural level: meusli, sandals, natural medicine, a furrowed, concerned brow
Pros: An obvious choice for an academic studying air pollution, climate change...if only I didn't like so many violent video games and hate so many different types of people.
Cons: Falling in-line with the classic stereotype.

6. The Independent
Politial leaning: left
Cultural level: The world is broken beyond all hope. Let's go have a coffee and talk about it.
Pros: Youngest of the dailys, cutting-edge, trendy pick, claims to be above the fray. 'Powerful' journalism exposing the evils of the world.
Cons: It is already grey enough in this country without needing to read about it being even worse in the headlines.

7. The Financial Times
Political leaning: economically liberal, who cares about the rest
Cultural level: +4 1/8, -4005%, FTSE = -34
Pros: I'd look rich
Cons: I wouldn't be. It is pink.

Let me know what you think, or if I have forgetten any of them. Happy reading.

At last, no more suitcases

2008-08-21T04:33:00.002-06:00

After a quick trip to Berkeley, California to attend a conference on carbonaceous aerosols and visit Landon and Robyn (+ a special visit from Laura), I am finally sleeping in my own bed. The bed in the new flat is not great, but it is mine for the next six months (at least), so it is still special.

Overall I am very pleased with the flat. Its location is fantastic, minutes from both the town centre and my office, not to mention the fantastic Indian restaurant across the street. I've posted some pictures on facebook for those of you interested in checking them out.

The best thing about finalizing the flat lease is having an address. My first load of groceries is being delivered (for free) tonight between 7-8 pm. I'm interested to see how this turns out. I've also signed up for broadband (internet), and subscribed to The Economist, rekindling an old love affair. Water, gas, electricity, and council tax bills are all to follow. Very fun.

Work is going well. My office computer is great, and now has fully functional versions of IGOR and IDL on it, meaning the only limitation to my work is coffee. Also played my first game of after work, 5-a-side football (indoors). It was quite intense, but very fun. I intend to hone up my skills, particularly my ball control and bow staff skills, in order to dominate at some point in the near future.

Banking on breakfast

2008-08-08T04:33:00.004-06:00

Cold status: recovering
Bank status: grrrrrrr

Well, nine days in and I almost have a bank account. After my seventh trip to the bank I am told that they should finally have the information they need to open my account. They currently have my passport information, a letter from the university stating my job contract length and salary, a letter from my bank in the United States, bank statements, a letter from the university giving my temporary/permanent address, and my application. You'd think all they would need was the money, but security laws passed in this country make opening a new account much more difficult than that.

I've made more progress on the apartment search, having made an offer and applied for a rental contract for a 1-bedroom place called Princess house on Princess street. This link may still work, but no promises. I looked at about a half dozen apartments, and decided that this was my best option. It is located right between the university and the city centre, so I should be able to get about anywhere on foot. With any luck, my application for tenancy will go through without a hitch (it would be the first time that's happened since moving here). Anyway, Amy can now rest easy. Unfortunately, i won't be able to move in until after I get back from California on the 18th.

I have been struggling a bit with breakfast. In the absence of having my own kitchen, I've been purchasing muffins and other breakfast foods, such as the 'breakfast sandwiches' seen here:

I am looking forward to being able to make my own breakfasts again once I have a place, as this is getting a little old. Not that they are bad, but a little variety would be nice. I also am struggling to find places that serve drip coffee, rather than Americanos (dilluted espresso). Again, coffee maker may be the first purchase I make.

Some good news related to food: local grocery stores in this country will deliver your food to you at a specified time for a small, but reasonable, fee. This is great for me, because it means I won't have to lug a bunch of groceries halfway across town to stock up my pantry (or larder).

The first week has gone as well as could be hoped, I suppose. I really wanted the bank stuff to be taken care of by this point, as I still have to get all my university payroll work done, but can't until the account is opened. That said, by the time I get back from California that should all be done, the computer ordered for me should have arrived, and with any luck my apartment will be waiting for me to move in. I've been able to get going on my work, mostly stuff carrying over from Colorado, thanks to my laptop. I've installed IGOR, a data analysis program that is favored by the Aerosol Mass Spectrometer community, and so far I really like it. That said, I haven't really tried to do anything with it. We'll see how it goes.

banking my time

2008-08-03T13:08:00.004-06:00

So, after nearly four days in Manchester I've accomplished the following:

1. I have keys to an office.
2. I had fish and chips.
3. I caught a cold.

It has been a productive time. I am still without an apartment, though I expect that situation to change soon. I am still without a bank account, though I also expect that situation to change soon. It seems that in this country, having money does not entitle one to a bank account. More aggravating is that I'd actually be better off as an international student without a job. That's right. I would have an easier time getting a bank account if I wasn't making any money. Go figure.

Friday was a nice day in Manchester, as you can see in this nice picture I took of one of the older campus buildings.

Saturday I transported my things to a friend's flat that is also near the city center. This is my base of operations until I move in to another apartment, and it is quite a nice place. After settling in I visited two potential apartments, which were nice, but a bit small. I think that will be something I'll have to get used to. I am going to look at some more apartments before making my decision. Fortunately, there is a large selection to choose from, because of all the recent construction that has been happening in the area. The housing slump has come at a perfect time for me, and I've heard that vacancy rates are very high in most of these new (and old) blocks of flats.

Today, however, I haven't really done much besides make a few plots and generally 'potter' about and feel rather under the weather. Tomorrow should be a full day, with a group meeting, a meeting with the bank manager, an appointment to pick up my staff security card (essentially my gateway to everything else concerning the university) and then several apartment showings in the afternoon.

Heading for greyer pastures

2008-07-31T12:47:00.000-06:00

Well, somehow I've made it to England. After months of anticipation/dread, the day(s) has/have finally arrived.

Actually, it's not much of a mystery how I got here:

The flight was quite pleasant. Nice entertainment options and prety good food. According to the inflight magazine, Anchorman is considered a 'classic'. Not bad, San Diego.

After we landed, I took a taxi in to the hotel where I am staying for my first two nights here, called 'The Palace'. Quite a nice building. It originally housed offices for some kind of 'assurance' company (my guess is this is similar to an insurance company). The room is very nice and very modern, in stark contrast to the architecture of the building.

I can't tell you how much I love the painting/photograph of the flower above the bed.

Today has turned out as I expected, a mix of recovering from the jet lag and trying to get a few things taken care of. I couldn't get any job paperwork processed because I don't offiically 'start' until tomorrow. Amy will be happy to know I have an appointment to look at a few apartments Saturday. We'll see how they look. My visit to the bank was less successful. To open an account you need a) proof of identity, and b) proof of address. To get an address (read flat) you need a bank account. Fortunately it looks like the latter requirement is not as strict, so I hope to have a flat picked out within the week, obtain my proof of address, and get permission to give someone else my money. I also took a nap.

I miss Laura already, but we were able to get the Skype set up and working through the hotel internet, so at least we've got that. Actually, that's a lot. The Apollo astronauts couldn't even see their wives.

Anyway, it's 8 pm local time, and I'm starting to fade. I promise future blogs will have a bit more humor and creativity in them.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, it was overcast today.

Contact Me

2008-07-01T13:45:00.003-06:00

Thank You For Contacting Me

2008-07-01T13:33:00.000-06:00

Thank you for contacting me! I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.

--Laura

About Me - Laura McMeeking

2008-07-01T12:17:00.002-06:00

I'm an American expat living in the UK. I'm an education researcher by day and a writer by night. I started writing YA fiction in June 2009 after completing my PhD. After having written loads of technical papers, I found I needed an outlet for my creativity. I found that in writing. One day, we were driving to Scotland, and I had this idea of a girl and guy being chased by strangely dressed men through the forest. That turned into my first novel, which I'm still writing.

Once I decided to start writing, I joined the Absolute Write Water Cooler. It was one of the best (and FREE!) decisions I've made. I've met so many wonderful people through that forum, and I even found my crit partner there!

In my spare time, I read books (lots of them!). I also play video games with my husband--well, maybe he plays, and I watch. When we have time, money, and good weather, I like to go out to the English and/or Scottish countrysides and putter around. The scenery is amazing and always seems to inspire me in some way.

I took over this blog (my husband actually started it) with no format in mind. I just write what I feel like when I feel like it. There are writing posts, ranting posts, and even thankful posts.