Getting our grump face on!

I asked for treats.
Then I demanded treats.
And yet you still ignored me.
Now you must deal with the wrath of Tyson!

Review: Phone Kitten by Marika Christian

Shy, slightly overweight Emily would die if she had to talk dirty face-to-face—especially to her hot cop boy friend. She sure didn’t set out to do phone sex—she wanted to be a writer. But when her BFF framed her for plagiarism, she got in a tiny financial hole and saw this ad for “phone actresses”… Hey, it’s not nearly as bad as it sounds. No pantyhose or pantsuits, no regular hours, you’re your own boss, and lots of people to talk to. Guys, that is. But here’s the odd thing—lots of them want to talk about more than Emily’s imagined attributes; they start to think of her as the best friend they’ll never have to meet. Next thing you know, one of her customers gets killed and Emily knows a lot more about it than she should. But she can’t tell the nearest cop, who’s also her own true love, because then he’ll find out about her secret life. What’s a phone kitten to do? Solve the murder herself, of course—because wouldn’t it be a great story for the newspaper that wrongly fired her? It’s her ticket back to her real life—if it doesn’t get her killed.

Marika Christian's debut novel was one of the most fun reads I have had this year. Sweet Emily taking a job as a "phone actress" has to be one of the funniest things ever. And after chatting with Marika and knowing these phone calls were real, amused me all the more. Emily's circle of friends and allies were all as lovable as her and the shady characters were perfectly despicable. (And there is a hot cop, Rick, that is just yummy!)Emily's investigation into her client, Jim's, murder is full of one zany misadventure after another with a long list of suspects. Along the way, Emily finds that her life is more interesting than she thought it was. It kept me guessing all the way until the end as to who was going to be the killer, I guessed wrong the entire way. Witty dialogue, charming characters, and a suspenseful who-dun-it makes this a fabulous read and one that comes highly recommended!

Wanna know what sucks?

I don't have HBO!
So I have to wait for a site to upload "True Blood" so I can watch it!

My bed is calling me, it's nap time!

The sad thing is no matter how much I do want to go nap, I know if I do, I will never sleep tonight. *sighs*

I knocked "Smokin' Seventeen" off of my "to be read" list, finishing it yesterday afternoon. I am so excited that there are going to be two books out this year (book eighteen in November) but I fear the end is coming soon. I am about 86 pages into "Just Friends with Benefits" by Meredith Schorr now. (And yes, I still need to finish the Sherilyn Kenyon book.)

I went to see "Bad Teacher" today. It was one of those movies that would either be hilarious or suck, there would be no in-betweens with it. While it was no "Hangover II", it was pretty dang funny. I will see Jason Segal in anything.

It is a three day work week for me and I couldn't be more excited for this!!

How has your weekend been?

Books, books, and more books!

I love, love, love to read but my "to be read" pile is getting out of control. I need to buckle down and get these books read!

My To Be Read Pile consists of:

Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
Good Enough to Eat by Stacey Ballis
A Pug's Tale by Alison Pace
The Taming of the Bastard by LA Dale
Just Friends with Benefits by Meredith Schorr
Do not lick the phones by Britney Bronte
Fantasy Lover by Sherilyn Kenyon (I am half way through that book.)

Those are just the books sitting in front of me. I have books on my book shelf that I have never read as well.

Plus I need to get two reviews up:
Phone Kitten by Marika Christian (YAY!)
Scotland by Starlight by Nancy Volkers.

So keep an eye out over here...hopefully I get some reading in soon and can cross these books off my list. :) For the record, I have done 11 of the 12 books for the Chick Lit Book Challenge. (I will participate through the whole year, I love the challenge.) I also put a personal goal of 24 books on myself for the year. I'm at book 28.

38th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (pt 2)

I love the daytime TV genre. I remember Luke and Laura's iconic wedding on "General Hospital" in 1981. I fell in love with that show because of Robert and Holly. I have watched "All My Children", "One Life to Live", "Port Charles", "Young and the Restless", "Santa Barbara", and "Days of our Lives" at some point or other in my life. Soap actors don't get a lot of respect. They work harder than most other actors as there is not a season break, there are not repeats. It is a fast paced, often changing atmosphere where you need talent to survive. But it is generally looked down on when someone says they got their break on a soap. Over the last few years the soap opera scene has started to crumble. A couple of months back it was announced that ABC would be cancelling "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" and replacing them with reality based TV talk shows. And I do understand the network point of view as it does take a lot of money to produce a daily soap opera and yes, the market has been on a steady decline for years now. However, instead of getting rid of the soap operas maybe they should look at what is not working and what is working and make some changes to them. That said, we had the 38th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards telecast last night on CBS. The networks have been balking at hosting this awards ceremony for the last couple of years. Two years ago was a disastrous airing on the CW, last year and this year CBS agreed to air them with generous backing from Las Vegas. And when I say generous backing, I mean the promotion of all things Las Vegas swallowed the show. Somewhere it became an infomercial of why you should go to Vegas instead of to honor the daytime genre. Very sad to see it happen that way. Unfortunately, if this is what we have to look forward to next year, I hope they opt to not air the telecast, instead do a low key awards ceremony and save an already slighted genre further embarrassment.

That said, let me hop off of my soap box and give you my best dressed from the Emmys last night.


Melissa Archer - last year she went for the scandal. This year, she went simple elegance.

Lisa LoCicero is tied for my favorite dress from last night. Absolutely stunning!


Laura Wright - Big congratulations for winning Best Actress last night. 20 years in the daytime business and won her first Emmy on her first nomination.


Chrishell Stause and Melissa Claire Egan. Chrishell is my other favorite from last night.


Bree Williamson - beautiful!


Tamara Braun is my favorite daytime actress. I loved her dress, but wasn't crazy about her hair. Still adore that Tams!

38th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (pt 1)

This is going to image heavy so I'm breaking it up into two posts. Let's look at some fashion!

Let's start with some WTF dresses.


Jill Larson...the dress is overwhelming, the bows are ugly!


Jennifer Gareis...Too much ruffle.


Elizabeth Hendrickson - I haven't seen the front of the dress, but it looks like she just threw some material over her underwear.


Kate Linder - her face is plastic.


Ronn Moss - Quite honestly he just gives me the heebie jeebies! And he always has on a scarf.

Hello Hot Stuff!

Ricky Paull Goldin and his son are just adorable!


Nathan Parsons grew on me, he drove me bonkers when he first joined the show.


Christian LeBlanc always looks so dapper, but Jeff Branson looks like a massive creeper!


Brandon Barash, the shoes have got to go!!

Hot Duos


Sean Kanan and Kim Matula


Tamara Braun and Mark Hapka


Nathan Parsons and Lexi Ainsworth, quickly becoming my fave couple (to be) on General Hospital


Kelly Monaco and Heath Freeman


Brandon Beemer and Nadja Bjorlin, so ridiculously good looking.


Brandon Barash and Natalie Hall. Her dress is very pretty, she looks extremely uncomfortable.


Peter Reckell (channeling Ronn Moss) and Kristian Alfonso

Guest Post: Choices by Misa Rush

What a way to start a Monday off, with a wonderful guest post from author, Misa Rush! Thank you so much to Samantha from Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours, as always, for introducing me to the words of a truly fabulous author and thank you to Misa for sharing her wisdom.

Choices

Choices are a major theme throughout Family Pieces, so what better topic to tackle here. Just like in the book, life sometimes throws us curve balls and how we choose to deal with those often defines us. We can be flexible and optimistic or all doom and gloom.

When I set out to write my first novel, I, too, had choices. I could’ve chosen to have gotten a LOT more sleep. I could’ve chosen to quit after a few anonymous reviewers criticized a rough draft. I could’ve quit when my infant was airlifted via helicopter three hours after birth. But, I chose to keep going. Sure there were days (okay – weeks) I didn’t write, but I did finish. So my advice to those reading and facing choices in their own lives, no matter what the choice, is as follows:


1. Make the best out of what you have been given.
2. Be flexible. It may not happen the way you plan, but only good can come out of trying.
3. Keep looking forward. When the roller coaster goes down, it has to go up sometime.
4. Count your blessings and be thankful for each and every day.
5. Make sure to thank those who help you along the way.

As long as I’m the author, I’ll always choose a happy ending.

--
You can find out more about Misa here:

Misa Rush's official website
Family Pieces on Facebook
Misa on Twitter

Happy Fathers Day!

Happy Fathers Day to all the wonderful fathers out there. Especially mine. I may test your patience frequently but trust me, it is done with love. (And a lot of inherited stubbornness.) And to all the beautiful single mothers out there, Happy Day to you as well for pulling double duty and raising those little people on your own. ♥ ♥

Review: Family Pieces by Misa Rush

What do you do when your once charmed life falls to pieces?

Karsen Woods’ life seems charmed from her hunkalicious boyfriend to her picture-perfect midwestern roots. Away at college, even the necklace she wears serves as a constant connection home – a family tradition created when her grandfather handmade each immediate relative an interlinking charm. Each piece crafted in the shape of a puzzle piece, each one interlinking perfectly together. But when the unexpected death of her mother turns her world upside down, she discovers there is a missing piece of her treasured family tradition and her life as she once knew it may never be the same.

Addison Reynolds resides in her posh Manhattan condominium and wraps her personal identity around running Urbane, the magazine empire built by her father. In a moment of haste, Addison divulges her deepest secret to her closest friend Emily – a secret she never intended to disclose.

Could one choice, one secret, bond two unlikely women forever?

Misa Rush's debut novel was an emotional journey through the life of two women that are so different, but tied together with an unknown bond. Dealing with love, both loss and discovery of, the characters in this book tugged at my heart as they tried to piece the past together. The determination of Karsen to discover the truth and the equal determination of Addison to not acknowledge the truth was gripping. The story of emotionally distant Addison was the more fascinating of the two women. She seems to have the personal life, but the past has her hiding and willing to sacrifice love to keep from letting herself be hurt again. A couple of instances felt rushed to get to the point, but overall the book flowed smoothly and I couldn't believe how quick time flew before I was turning the last page. A big bonus to me was the fact Karsen's college life took place in Arizona. As a Phoenix girl, there were mentions of familiar places to me and that brought the book to life for me. I could easily imagine these characters at the Improv, at ASU, around town. Ms. Rush is a talented author and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

Please join Misa and hostess Samantha from Chick Lit Plus for a Twitter party on Thursday, June 23rd, at 6PM CST. Use hashtag #CLPMisa and join in the fun!

You can find out more about Misa at the following:

Misa Rush's official website
Family Pieces on Facebook
Misa on Twitter

Guest Blog: How the written word affects my life by Kathleen Kole

When Samantha with Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours asked me if I would be interested in not only reviewing Kathleen Kole's "Breaking Even" but in having her do a guest post, I was more than happy to agree. Kathleen's debut novel is a charming read (review is in the post below) and her guest post, my first hosted, is absolutely wonderful! Thank you, Kathleen, for such inspiring words.

How the written word affects my life.

I am by nature a fairly high energy person. Sitting and focusing for long periods of time is not my usual state of being. The only exceptions are when I am reading, or writing. Then, something in me shifts. I am transported away, I forget about my physical state and time can fly by me without the merest hint of notice.

I discovered the reading/stillness/transportation connection in grade school. I could launch myself into a “reading coma”, to the point that my Mother was often forced to bellow at me: “Put the book down and save some for later!” That mantra became the norm in our household for many years as I dove again and again, into story after story. Bless her for her willingness to repeatedly cajole me from the pages, so I didn’t miss out on the living end of things.

The awareness of the writing connection didn’t come until much later. It’s power to still me was strongly present, I just didn’t consciously realize it. I loved to write, took it for granted that I did, even set my course in college to learn more about it and, still, had no mindful grasp of how it affected me. If I am to be completely honest, I would hazard to guess I didn’t become cognizant of its power to still me until six years ago. And, the only reason I did so was, when I was forced to take long breaks as a result of parental obligations, I became cranky and unfocused. Something was missing and, suddenly, I put two and two together to get ... Ah-ha! Light bulb moment! When I write, I have an outlet. When I don’t, “Cranky-stein” shows up.

Simply put, I cannot imagine a life without writing, or reading, in it. For me, they both have magic and I feel everyone’s life needs a healthy dash of magic to keep it interesting. I sincerely hope you have some sort of magic in yours.

--
You can find more about Kathleen here:

Kathleen Kole's website
Kathleen on Twitter
Kathleen on Facebook

Review: Breaking Even by Kathleen Kole

"Meet Penelope Whittaker, an accountant. A sensible, do things the right way, soon-to-be-married accountant. Penelope is engaged to the wonderful, kind and caring Ben Miller ... a man she has known forever.

Enter Single Dad.

While on a school run, Penelope accidentally locks her keys in her car. A seemingly boring event, until she is offered aid by a very handsome (hubba, hubba) and personable Single Dad. Shaken by the encounter, or, more to the point, shaken by her reaction to the encounter, Penelope tries to put it where it belongs: on a shelf marked "Chance Encounters".

Life has different plans.

Just when Penelope thinks she has blown the whole encounter out of proportion, and made much out of nothing, she is thrown together by chance (or fate?) with Single Dad. Suddenly, he’s a part of her life and, even though Penelope knows it can only cause trouble, she is helpless to stop it. Besides, she doesn’t want to. At least, not until she finds out the unsettling truth about Single Dad.

Penelope is confused. Her family, friends and, most importantly, her fiance, Ben, even more so. Will she be able to find her footing and go back to where she used to be, safe in her carefully structured world? Or, will she take the path of redefining herself, possibly leaving Ben behind?"

Kathleen Kole's debut novel was such a fun, fast read. Penelope is an average woman with an average life until a chance meeting leaves her questioning when life became so routine and why she wasn't having a more spontaneous side. When future sister-in-law, Kris, innocently suggests that Penelope try some retail therapy, little did she know that she set Penelope off on a journey to change her life. I cheered Penelope on as she started to make changes, found myself sad for her when she became conflicted, and ultimately thrilled that she figured out her happiness. The supporting characters came in the form of her future sister-in-law's and their husbands, her fiance's brothers. They all had their strengths and weaknesses, but the ripple effect of Penelope changing her life brought on their own changes as well, which was handled in a believable way. Ms. Kole definitely has a knack for storytelling and knows how to captivate her readers and keep them intrigued. Anyone that has ever wondered if the grass is greener on the other side is going to love this book that not only explores that option but answers the question. Put this on your must read list!

Please join
Kathleen and Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours (Hosted by the lovely Samantha) on Wednesday, June 29th at 8PM CST for a twitter party. Use hashtag #CLPKathleen to ask your questions and participate.

Fangirling

Be warned…my geekiness is about to explode!

In 35 days I am going to be getting up before the sun and heading off to San Diego to go to the annual “nerdvana”…Comic Con! Now the mere fact that “The Big Bang Theory” is going to be there doing a panel and autograph signing was enough for me. Of course, I knew there was more to come. Most movie studios and TV networks have not actually released their full schedule of Comic Con attendees. Then it happened. On Sunday, Jon Favreau announced he was bringing the world premiere of “Cowboys & Aliens” to Comic Con. He is bringing his cast to Comic Con. He is bringing Harrison Ford to Comic Con!!



Okay, do I need to retell the story of the fact I snuck into see “Star Wars” when I was 5 years old and saw Han Solo and wanted to marry him? I have carried that crush since I was five years old. And he will be in the same vicinity as me! The chance of meeting him is slim, of course, but I am going to be focusing all energies on that happening. After I did a mini-freak out/happy dance (it resembles the Snoopy dance of glee), I instantly text two people that would get it. Jo replied that she thought of me as soon as she saw that and that she will be proud if she hears reports of someone molesting him at the premiere. Kent replied with a hilarious anecdote and request that I tell her immediately if I meet him.



I will either turn mute or word vomit is going to happen and I’m going to babble like a lunatic. Ya know, either telling him that I have loved him since I was 5 years old (why not make him feel old) or that I even sat through his crappy movies because he was in them. Good times are coming up!


(No, No, I am not calling the Indiana Jones series crappy movies...after I saw Indiana Jones, I decided I would marry him instead of Han Solo.)

My other favorite movies, Lord of the Rings, are currently going through a re-release for the next 3 weeks in select theaters. It is the extended cuts, all digitally remastered (for blu-ray release), and in all their epic glory! Last night was “Fellowship of the Rings” and it just renewed my love for these movies. The beautiful scenery, the imaginative story telling, the incredibly talented cast, the sweeping musical score…I could go on and on about it.



And an interesting side note…there were probably 40 nuns in the theater last night. I know they get out and do things, I think it was the sheer number of them that shocked me. As I said – maybe they were not really nuns, but came in costume? Did they misunderstand the request to dress as HOBBITS, not in HABITS? I had to go to the bathroom and left about 5 minutes before the movie ended so I missed them leaving or I would have been snapping pictures. If they are there next Tuesday for “The Two Towers”, I will get a picture of them.

80's Style

My totally awesome friend, Kristie had a cool 80's quiz on her blog that I'm going to borrow! :)

1. What do you think is the cheesiest 80s song?
I love it, but let's face it, "Wake me up" by WHAM is total CHEESE!

2. Which 80s song do you hate the most?
"Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin. (I have to agree with you, Kristie!)

3. Judy Blume or Beverly Cleary?
Both? I love Ramona and Fudge! (And "Are you there God? It's me Margaret" is one of my fave books!)

4. What is your favorite 80s cartoon?
Strawberry Shortcake or Jem

5. What is your favorite 80s sitcom?
Hard to pick just one. Facts of Life

6. Favorite 80s teen idol?
Rick Springfield!!! Still love the man to this day!

7. Favorite 80s movie?
Xanadu

8. Name 3 characters from Strawberry Shortcake and Friends...
Apple Dumplin', Huckleberry Pie, and The Peculiar Purple Pie Man of Porcupine Peak (ratta tatta ratta ta ta ta ta)

9. Favorite song from "Annie"?
"It's a hard knock life"

10. Favorite song from "Grease 2"?
I want a cool rider, a cool cool cool cool rider.

11. Favorite rock glam band from the 80s?
Poison

12. Favorite catch phrase from the 80s?
"Gag me with a spoon"

13. Debbie Gibson or Tiffany?
Debbie Gibson

14. Favorite Smurf?
Brainy

15. When you think of MTV, which video is the first one that pops in your head?
Duran Duran's "Girls on Film"

16. Did you watch Dallas with your parents on Friday nights?
HA! No, I wasn't supposed to watch Dallas...I did go check it at the neighbors house though. Thanks, Mandy!

17. Favorite girl from The Facts of Life?
Natalie or Jo

18. Favorite member of The Brat Pack?
Rob Lowe

19. Favorite 80s toy?
Barbies

20. What song are you listening to right now?
Thanks to Kristie, I have had to turn on the speakers and listen to Sly Fox's "Let's go all the way".

Can I get one more day in the weekend?

It is so not fair how quickly the weekend passes by!

I went to see "X-MEN First Class" on Saturday.



I personally liked it, a lot. I'm not really up on the many cross stories for X-MEN so I don't know how well it sticks to the comic books, but I enjoyed it. There are a couple of cameos that are amusing. And Michael Fassbender is hot!




I had a really fun phone call with Marika Christian today. Just before she called Tyson had jumped up on the bed and started his usual annoying dance. He gets up close to me, head butts me for a scratch on the ears and then tries to swat me as he doesn't want to be touched. This is accompanied by that God awful loud meowing of his. I gave him food and treats in hopes that he would behave himself while I was on the phone and not try to crawl on me, meowing belligerently. I'm pleased to say he behaved himself. Thanks for the phone call, Marika! I had a great time hearing your stories and just chatting. :)

Tonight is the Tony Awards...Neil Patrick Harris is just brilliant!

Review: Confessions of a Call Center Gal

First off, thank you so much to Lisa Lim for asking me if I would be interested in reviewing her book, "Confessions of a Call Center Gal".

A fun chick lit romance that will appeal to fans of Sophie Kinsella and Marian Keyes. Bridget Jones meets The Office. Madison Lee is a fresh college grad, ready to take on the world of print media. But she has zero luck landing a job. Unemployment is at ten percent and on the rise. Desperate and left with no other options, she accepts a position as a service rep at a call center in Pocatello, Idaho. At the Lightning Speed call center in Spudsville, Maddy plunges into the wild and dysfunctional world of customer service where Sales is prided over Service and an eight hour shift is equivalent to eight hours of callers bashing her over the phone. Oh sure, the calls are bad. But Maddy manages to find humor on the phone and off the phone. And with all the salacious drama behind the calls, there is never a dull moment at the Lightning Speed call center.
Lately . . . Maddy has been pining for her smolderingly gorgeous co-worker Mika Harket. Now things are heating up on the phone--and elsewhere. Don't hang up on this novel. Working at a call center has never been this garish . . . or this delightful.

A book about call centers, living in Idaho, and chick lit? Sign me up!

From the opening line of "How on earth did I wind up stuck here in Pocatello, Idaho?!?" to the very last line, I was entertained. Maddy, out of work and out of options, takes a job at a call center, along with her best friend, Karsynn. As someone that spent years in the trenches at a call center, this book spoke loudly to me. Crazy drama from co-workers and callers ensues as Maddy tries to get Mika to notice her. The characters were likable and easy to relate to. The only real issue I had was the relationship between Maddy and her mother. The fact it was strained and left unresolved bothered me, but didn't change how much I enjoyed the book. At times, I felt that the author was in my head. Self diagnosing with WebMD? Yup, do it frequently. Rude thoughts about ignorant callers? That was a daily occurrence. Little pop culture references made me laugh and the co-workers at the call center were fabulous!

Definitely do yourself a favor and check out Lisa's book! You won't regret it!!

I'm a guitar hero!!!

Google has done it again!
Today to celebrate Les Paul's birthday they have an interactive guitar on the header page. You can play guitar and record it to play back.

I'm a bad ass!



Rock on!!

I'm feeling lucky!

Bring on the lottery!!

It was a rough start to the day. I didn't think I was going to last the full work day for a while there before I was heading home to crawl back in my bed.

However, then I won the Chick Lit Central book contest for LA Dale's "The Taming of the Bastard".



The day started to look up!

Then I won a phone call with Marika Christian, author of "Phone Kitten".



YAY ME!! Seriously, I never win and this is the one contest that I was hoping to win. (Come on, I want to hear the stories of the research for the book!) I can't wait!

Now if I pull the winning lotto numbers for tomorrow...

And I have to include this picture.




How freakin' cute are these platypus babies? Platypi? Did you know that baby platypus are called puggles? Of course, they also have venomous claws, but they are still cute!!

New blog and book recommendation!

As I have mentioned in the past, I worked at an answering service/call center for a past career choice. I lasted there more years than I ever should have and as a result have a great respect for anyone that can hang in there at a service center without wanting to commit a violent crime every night.

So imagine my delight to find out about this book:



"Confessions of a Call Center Gal" by debut author, Lisa Lim. Then imagine my surprise when Lisa asked if I would like to read and review her book. A book about the insanity of a call center? I'm in!

You can find out more about the book (and where to order it) here:
About Confessions of a Call Center Gal, the book.

And check out Lisa's blog: Author Lisa Lim's blog

Stay tuned for my review, folks! I can't wait to read this.

Book Nook: If you were here

There are only a small handful of authors that I anxiously await all new releases from, one of them without a doubt is Jen Lancaster, whom I find to be absolutely hysterical and brilliant. So I pre-ordered her new book, “If You Were Here” as soon as it was available on Amazon and then anxiously awaited the arrival.

Her first foray into fiction and Jen proved she is just as witty in fiction as she is with her much loved memoirs. “If You Were Here” follows Mia and Mac McNamara as they buy their first house, a fixer upper that they figure they can handle easily. The fixer upper in question? The famed house where Jake Ryan lived. If you are asking who Jake Ryan is, I am shaking my head at you. Jake is the dream guy from John Hughes’ classic film, “Sixteen Candles”. The fact it is Jake Ryan’s house is what appeals to Mia, the fact that there are plenty of do-it-yourself opportunities attracts Mac. Unfortunately, they aren’t prepared for the overwhelming money pit that they have moved in to.

Told with Jen’s familiar tone (complete with the foot notes that I adore) and filled with references to all things John Hughes, this book was a fabulous read. While it is fiction there are plenty of instances where you just know that something similar has happened to Jen and husband, Fletch, in real life.

I absolutely loved this book - from the zombie Amish teenagers in love to all the 80's references, I highly recommend this book!

(Reviewed for the Chick Lit Plus 2011 Challenge.)

Book Giveaway contest!

The fabulous ladies over at Chick Lit Central are having a giveaway that ends tomorrow (I procrastinated, I'm sorry) for author LA Dale's book, "The taming of the bastard".

Hurry over and enter the contest! :)

Chick Lit Central interview with LA Dale and book giveaway.

Be sure to read the interview with LA Dale that they did, it is a lot of fun!

Hello Sunday!

I was sitting at work, minding my own business, on Friday when it happened. The coughing, the sneezing, the watery eyes, runny nose. I popped a sinus/allergy pill and hoped that would cure it all, but no dice. I had to admit defeat on Friday night and accept that I had a crazy mix of allergy/sinus issues and a bit of a flu bug. This means that I did nothing with my weekend except mope around that I am sick.

"X-Men: First Class" has not been seen yet! Woe!! Laundry, however, did get done.

And now for two random comments from me. First off, I always state that I want a Hello Kitty cake for my birthday and never get it. So I am going to change the request for this year. I want this Jem cake or this Strawberry Shortcake cake. *smiles sweetly*





And maybe I am the only one, since I am big fan of google, but I do love when they change the Google header to celebrate something. Today is in honor Richard Scary's 92nd birthday. (Article on the Google Doodle)



A couple of jobs back in my past, I sat down to watch some TV before getting ready to leave for work. Richard Scary's Busy Town was on and to this day I don't know why I stopped flipping channels and started to watch it. All I know is the phone rang TWO HOURS later, wondering where I was, because I was still sitting there watching that stupid TV show. Subliminal messages, yo!! That is the only excuse I have ever had for it.

Birthday Shout Out Time!

So maybe a little known fact to some of you, but I was a big fan of professional wrestling in the late 80’s through the 90’s. One of the first things I did when I got online was join a wrestling chat room. It was there that I met the person that is not so fondly referred to as “Psycho Hose Beast”, a truly insane wrestling fan girl that seemed normal at first. After months of chatting online and eventually on the phone, we discovered we were both heading to the City of Sin, Las Vegas, for the annual WCW Halloween Havoc PPV and decided we would meet up. She kept telling me that I had to meet her roommate, Tracy, and that she had another friend from New York meeting her there and I had to meet her as well. That New York friend would eventually become one of my dearest and best friends, truly my sister, Rose.


(One year after we met...I can't find the pictures from the first year in Vegas due to my pack rat packed closet.)

From the day we met through today, I have been beyond blessed to have Rose in my life. We have shared many laughs, tears, and experiences. (I even would have covered for her the day she tried to burn a hotel down in Baltimore, blaming it on the faulty microwave and popcorn. It really was her fault, no matter what she will try to say.) She has the biggest heart of anyone you will meet and while she may not always believe it, incredible strength and determination.

Ro is the mo to my mo (private joke) and the best there is. Even if she becomes a crazy cat lady down the line, I promise to not judge. (I do, however, reserve the right to mock!) Happy Birthday Rose! I hope that the sun shines brightly all day today and that every wish you wish for comes true. Enjoy your day for all it is worth and know how blessed you are. xoxo

Today I am thinking about running away.

I am having one of those “I think I should run away” type of days.

It isn’t that anything is going bad, it just isn’t *going* in general.

I don’t want to run away and join the circus. Because this is not what a clown truly is:



(At this point I really had planned to put a picture of what I envision when I think of a clown. But when I googled and their ugly faces popped up, I got the heebies and the jeebies. Even the cute clowns had me twitching.)

I could go to the South Pole and study penguins.



I could move to Mongolia and live in a yurt (because that word is fun to say) and breed yaks.



Maybe I could go live in Cinderella’s castle at Disney World?



Or maybe I should convince Dwayne Johnson that we are soul mates?



Maybe I just need a road trip…



(Or maybe I just need a nap so Miss Cranky Pants can stop sulking around.)