Starting over

D'oh! Apparently all the Valentine's chocolate went to my head.

One of the goals of my local RWA group, Heartland Writers Group, is for each of us to write (at least) 100 words a day for 100 days. If you miss a day, you have to start over at day one. And I was doing so well, but I completely forgot to write my 100 words yesterday. I was 43 days in! And now I have to start over at Day ONE. Gah! Maybe it's some subconscious thing about being at the 9000-word mark. I don't know. But here I go, starting over. You can watch my progress here.

At least there's humor in Scotland...

You are very, very naughty!, originally uploaded by juliebee.

...unless you misbehave near the hot water.

The theme for today

That's one way to deal, originally uploaded by waiting line.

I hate Thursdays.

More Darkfever

I was poking around to see when Bloodfever comes out (nothing says yet, and that's frustrating because it probably means "Not for a while yet"), but I found this from KMM about the Fever series.

Darkfever

I'm going to try keeping better track of what I've read this year, and share on my blog.

I just finished Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning. It takes place in the same "world" (this world, but peppered with the Fae, Sidhe-seers, possible vampires and some things as-yet unidentified) as her romances, but this isn't a romance. I love her romances, but I thought this book was the strongest of hers I've read. And I'm itching for the next book!!!!!

More 'Fun with skeletons'

Doc, originally uploaded by X-travalueMeal#2.

Apparently dressing up skeletons in more widespread than I thought. :)

So Nebraskan

A Fitting End
Originally uploaded by Chris in NE.

I found this on Flickr tonight when I should have been doing something productive.

Why dogs bite people (adding to that e-mail that's going around)

nacho libre and esqueleto
Originally uploaded by fetching.

This is hilarous! The look on the one dog's face says it all!

Happy Halloween!

collage1
Originally uploaded by mdesive.

Yay! It's Halloween! Hope everyone has a happy and safe one!

Prepare to die! ;)

I think it wouldn't be surprising if those were my last words. (Highlight the area below the globe if you can't read the words there.)

	Quiz Galaxy Predicts that Mary DeSive's Last Words Will Be...
"My name is Inigo Montoya you killed my father... prepare to die!"
'What will your last words be?' at QuizGalaxy.com

A little hungry

hungry
Originally uploaded by marielle takes a pic a day....

So, you're on a trip...say, to Paris, and you start to feel a little peckish...hmmm, what could you snack on? Hey, I know! The Eiffel Tower! Hope it was yummy, Marielle!

Yes, I'm wasting time at Flickr when I should be doing other things!

Chadron is a verb! ;)

After beating Colorado, Montana State lost to Chadron last week. Now, the University of New Hampshire beat Northwestern and is hoping not to start a trend with Stony Brook. I like the author's term for what that loss would be.

Union Leader - UNH Notebook: 'Cats don't dwell on big win - Monday, Sep. 11, 2006: "The last thing UNH needs, after all, is to be 'Chadroned' on Saturday at Cowell Stadium in its home opener against Stony Brook. "

My new mantra

I'm still reading Cheryl's blog (I should be doing other things, like writing). I think I've found my new mantra: "When I am old, I will read all those books, but I won't wear purple."

Dreaded rejections

‚“This doesn‚’t fit our present needs, and if it ever does, we‚’ll shoot ourselves.”

I had to laugh when I read this post by Cheryl St. John. She's one of the local authors who encouraged me to join the local RWA chapter. I did, and it's been the best thing I've ever done for my writing.

Right now, I'm just working toward the point where I can GET a rejection. I received my entry back from a contest today. Obviously, I didn't final. I did get some good comments, though. I keep learning, and just plugging away.

Our new houseguest

Missy
Originally uploaded by mdesive.

This is Missy, who is staying indefnitely. She's also known as Quinn's new toy. I just hope he doesn't pull all her stuffing out...but then, none of the other toys could fight back, and she sure does!

Reading a smorgasbord

In response to Tess Gerritson's blog entry, Rebecca Brandewyne says:

Romancing the Blog | Romance Authors and Readers Who Blog: "So, serve me a banquet, a buffet, a feast, a smorgasbord — not just Brussels sprouts and ice cream, but everything else in between, too, because some days, I want Brussels sprouts, and others, I want ice cream, and still others, I want something else entirely."



I say "Yes, Yes, and Yes again!"

Life lesson: Read what you want and don't apologize

This is so true. I read what I want to, but it's still hard for me to tell people what I'm reading sometimes. And when they ask what I'm writing and I say "It's a romance," I still wince when I get that look. The wince is a lot smaller, though, since I joined my local Romance Writers of America group. "I'm not the only one!" my soul cries out.

(The boldface is mine in the excerpt below)

Tess Gerritsen’s Blog» Legume Literature: "This is the greatest cruelty of all. It's one committed every day, by every parent who frowns at the child who’s got his nose deep in a Dean Koontz novel. By every bookseller who laughs at the pasty-faced men who linger near the science fiction shelves. By every highbrow twit who says to a friend, “I’d never read that trash.” Every single one of them is killing the soul of a reader.

So here's a new and revolutionary proposal: let people read what they want to read. Let them eat ice cream for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if they want to. Some of them will eat the occasional Brussels sprout and like it. But don'’t make them think they'’re any less virtuous for shunning it.

And for all those who read, my advice is this: never apologize for your books. They are your friends. And like friends, some of them are complex and demanding, while others are easy to spend time with. Listen to the critics if you choose to, but remember that critics tend to praise the books that make them look intelligent."

Yep, it's been hot here!

It's hot!
Originally uploaded by mdesive.

I took this yesterday while we were out running errands. Afew seconds later it popped up to 105. Bleh!

Fireworks and the Dog

IMG_0031
Originally uploaded by mdesive.

Poor Quinn! He spent half the evening under the bed yesterday.

The Nest by Bart Vargas, UNO Library

The Nest by Bart Vargas, UNO Library
Originally uploaded by mdesive.

I love how sometimes you get a wild hair and end up where you wouldn't normally be and something amazing greets you.

I came across the title of a book at work today & found the UNO library had it. I really felt I needed to go get this book TODAY, and it's on my way home, so I went. When I walked in, this mound of wires, cables, keyboards -- you-name-it -- sat just inside the library. It's apparently a student art project by Bart Vargas called The Nest. It was a little freaky. I think I have a miniature one growing in my garage...

Click on the photo for the larger version and a link to another photo (not mine) with better lighting. I still haven't figured out why my cameraphone made it blue...