Yep, it's Al Franken! He starts with his home state, Minnesota. It's pretty amusing to watch it in the last two minutes of this clip.
Once a month, I get together with one of my best friends--who also happens to be a YA writer--and we do dinner out. And I mean, we seriously do dinner out. We'll make reservations at some cool 4-star restaurant neither of us has tried before, order a cocktail or a glass of wine, and start catching up. Odds are somewhere between the shared appetizer and main course we'll start talking about deeper stuff. What's really going on in our lives. What we're thinking and feeling, beyond the superficial. We split dessert... luckily we're both highly biased in favor of the chocolate option... and linger over coffee. I always leave feeling happy, inspired, and full. Tonight we went to Seattle Tilth Restaurant, and we did not regret it! In fact, I couldn't resist snapping a phone pic of these hors d'oeurves. Each one is a bite-sized tartlet topped with their soft farmer's cheese, a zesty citrus slice, fig, and an almond. So. Good.
Ooh, and there's already a bid! I'm excited. :)
This is the question publishing folks and authors are all desperate to know. It might as well be re-phrased as, "Damn it, are any of our marketing efforts working at ALL???"
A huge percentage of that blog's readership mentioned picking up recommendations from Twitter and blogs... which makes sense given they are people who read a publishing industry blog. A not-so-random group. So, I thought I'd ask the question of my own not-so-random group, which I suspect may be skewed in other directions.
I'm curious to know how YOU heard about a book you're reading now... or if it's an ancient tome you've known about forever, like say Moby Dick--which no fewer than 6 of my friends are reading lately--what made you decide to read it suddenly now?
Poll #1420795
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All
How'd you hear about that book, eh?
As my first move toward cutting down spending (and waste), I've decided to issue a challenge to myself to limit my clothing purchases for the next year to second-hand. Now, I will reserve the right to buy new stuff if it's really necessary. For example, I think I have enough pairs of sneakers to get by for the next year but if that turns out not to be true, I'll buy a new pair. Also, anything that fits into the category of "unmentionable" I will buy new. So don't even ask. :) But for other clothes, shoes, and accessories, I am going to see if I can make it a whole year without buying new. I have no idea how hard this will be. I kind of suspect it will be fun. I already do about 50% of my clothes shopping at Funky Jane's, one of the awesome consignment stores in my neighborhood. I've had some great finds there, including a dress for $29 that I've worn to 4 different semi formal or formal events so far. Now that I think about it, I can't believe I never came up with this idea before!
Thanks for being my witnesses, LJ flist. I'll update after the first few months, letting you know how it's going. And if you see me breezing through a mall with a giant Ann Taylor bag sometime in the next year, please mock me without mercy.
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All
Do you drink enough water most days?
yes, and that takes into account my body weight, exercise levels, climate, and any medications I take.
9 (33.3%)
Yes, I drink 8 glasses of water a day like everyone's supposed to. 2 (7.4%)
I know what I should be doing but I don't. 11 (40.7%)
I have no clue what I should be doing, and now I'm getting all worried. Thanks a lot! 1 (3.7%)
Water is yucky. I barely ever drink it and I'm still alive, so must be okay. 4 (14.8%)
Sometimes, I yearn to cancel all my plans and spend three days at home under an invisibility cloak. In the past when this happened I’d think, Aha, I must be an introvert… I should trust this desire to be alone; being alone will help me recharge. When I did follow up on the urge, I invariably felt more like myself again, and more productive… for an hour or two. And then, I felt not so good. Not so good as in: an aphasiac in a bathrobe, wandering the apartment with sad but crazy eyes a la the ancient mariner, humming that one Carissa’s Wierd song that makes everyone who ever listens to it want to open a vein.
At which point I’d think, Good God, I’m totally an extrovert. People, I need people. I love people! I’d (dress and) rush to the nearest café to be surrounded by the buzz of humanity. Blissed out and re-energized, I’d sit at the table with my short mocha and, using my trusty cellphone, proceed to fill up my schedule with social stuff…
Lather, rinse, repeat.
But I think I’ve finally figured it out. If introverts get energy from being alone and extroverts get it from being around people, it seems I get my “charge” from the shifting from extro to intro. And lose energy from extended time in either mode. I need alone time, followed by social time, followed by alone time, followed by social time—for maximum energy I need several cycles of this pattern daily. This is what works for me… and it’s the only thing that works. Every time I fail to build introvert/extrovert shifts into my day, I end up feeling off-kilter and getting much less work done. On a practical level, this means I’ll often take a walk in the middle of a multi-hour party, or retreat to my hotel room during a conference or convention. I also avoid scheduling back to back activities, because I need to allow buffer time in between to be alone. But I can’t afford to be alone for too long either… I’ll skip out and meet a friend for coffee in the middle of the workday (which is mostly alone time for me since as a writer I mostly work at home). And I have to plan ahead to avoid an entire evening of alone-time after work. (Yes, I'm married, but I'm married to an introvert. Some evenings, he needs his alone time.)
Does this sound weird? Familiar? I can’t be alone. There must be tons of us out there! Erm, right? (*crickets*)
I'm thinking I can keep these cards handy and flip through when I'm feeling utterly overwhelmed. Which would be
Here are some examples of activities I have so far, stuff I already do:
1. take a walk in the neighborhood
2. lift weights
3. make a hot drink, and drag it to my desk as a soothing mechanism
4. eat good quality chocolate
5. swim very slow laps
6. nap
7. call a friend
What else? What do you do? What helps you? What really makes you feel better, happier, more relaxed, more like yourself again? Be honest. I need ideas. One can only eat so much chocolate and lift so much before one is a bloated body-building freak.
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All
How do you feel about raising children?
I have kids already. 8 (23.5%)
I plan to have kids soon, within the next few years. I'm ready! 4 (11.8%)
I plan to have kids in the distant, murky, vague future when the time is right. 4 (11.8%)
I am waffling on the issue, but my gut instinct is, "I want kids." 1 (2.9%)
I am waffling, but leaning toward NO kids. 5 (14.7%)
I am pretty sure or certain that I don't want kids, ever. 12 (35.3%)
For me, the coolest thing about having kids is/would be:
For me, the biggest reason I would hesitate to have a child is:
For Seals On Facebook, 'It's Complicated'
A choice quote:
"A seal elephant's relationship status, like most of us in college, is 'It's complicated,' " Teutschel explains. "Facebook doesn't have, like, a harem option or alpha/beta/gamma male option, so I think that definitely falls under the complicated category."
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All
How many times, in an average week, do you eat dinner out? (fast food counts)
rarely if ever 3 (7.9%)
1-2 times 20 (52.6%)
2-3 times 1 (2.6%)
3-4 times 7 (18.4%)
4-5 times 2 (5.3%)
5-6 times 5 (13.2%)
every night, baby! I haven't seen my kitchen in years 0 (0.0%)
( Buffy Wouldn't Have Gone Out Like That )
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heartsong Which five book characters are you most like?It is really, really hard to think of any characters I'm anything like. So this list is just off the top of my head.
1. This is totally cheating, but the #1 character of all time I identify with these days is Buffy. Yes, the vampire slayer. Way back when the show was actually on, I saw myself as more of an Anya--the ex demon who's impatient and inept when it comes to human ettiquette. But now, it's Buffy all the way.
2. Katie from The Girl With The Silver Eyes, because I've always felt different and the happiest moments in my life have been about discovering others who are different too--trite as it sounds, aren't we all?
3. Anastasia Krupnik because I too was born into a quirky, intellectual family, and because I see life as basically a comedy.. And I go on kicks of keeping a journal.
4. I can identify a lot with Ruth, the "absinence teacher" from Tom Perrotta's latest novel. She's genuinely shocked when an offhand comment of hers generates huge controversy. I'm often surprised by what people react to. (I guess that's the Anya in me.)
5. Elaine in Atwood's Cat's Eye. I was a really sensitive child and my friendships with other girls were intense and often wounding. And then, like her, I grew up to be an artist who freaks out at the thought of calling myself an artist.
I tag: Anyone who wants to play!
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All
...make your bed in the morning?
never or rarely 31 (81.6%)
about half the time 2 (5.3%)
very often 1 (2.6%)
always, always, always 4 (10.5%)
From LJ friends to critique groups to co-presenters to agency-mates, Tenners, Broad Universers, and SCBWI guys, just to name some, I am blessed to be a part of writing community. On the 16th I got to have dinner here in Seattle with a group of YA writers that included the ladies in this picture, as well as my dear friends Suz and Barrie. From the left : Mandywriter, Newport2newport, me, and Mindiscott. Thanks for great conversation, tasty vegetarian food, and a lot of laughs. :)
jrpseudonym gave me a particularly wonderful Christmas present this year -- 3 home-cooked, gourmet meals of three of more courses, theme to be chosen by me. For the first one I chose mushrooms. Here's what I got.Stuffed crimini mushrooms
Spinach arugula shiitake salad with bacon viniagrette. (I didn't photograph this one in time--we nommed it quickly.)
The main course: campanelle with oyster mushroom and prosciuttio in a garlic cream sauce (finished with white truffle oil, yum!)
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