And this means the slate is clean! It is a fresh start.
For writers, it doesn't matter how many rejections you received in 07 - its a new start as of today. So put all of the negativity behind you and move forward. Who knows what 2008 has in store!
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
It's a new year...
Friday, December 28, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
www.theshrinkingwoman.com
Today I posted on one of my sister blogs - www.theshrinkingwoman.com
Are you looking to shave a few (or a few hundred) pounds? Come join me and we can be miserable together. :)
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Doing The Right Thing
No, I'm not referring to the movie.
Last night Mom was watching the Glen Beck show on CNN. Personally, I think he's a fruitcake and a hate monger, but that's just me. His guest was Jon Huntsman, a very accomplished business man and philanthropist. In the course of his lifetime this man has lost and made hundreds of millions of dollars. One of his most enduring achievements is the founding of the Huntsman Cancer Institute. (http://www.hci.utah.edu/index.jsp) This institute is doing amazing things in the area of cancer research. Not only are they looking to cure cancer, they are looking to prevent it as well.
According to his book, Winners Never Cheat, around 2001 his company took a huge financial hit. In order to come up with the working capital to make his commitments, payroll etc - he put 40% of his company up for sale. After long negotiations, he and the buyer came to an agreement of 53 million dollars. The men shook hands in agreement.
As with most business deals, the lawyers then come in and tidy everything up. It took six months for the paperwork to be finalized and in that time, Huntsman's company came back with a vengeance and the 40% of the company was now worth 250 million dollars. The buyer came back to Jon and said, "Look, let's split the difference and I'll pay you 125million."
Huntsman's response was, "No, I shook your hand over the deal, you will pay me 53 million dollars, it's a done deal."
This man sold 40% of his company and lost almost 200 million dollars.
Huntsman then turns around and has to go to the banks to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars to meet his financial obligations. When I'm talking about financial obligations, I'm not talking about payroll, I'm referring to his charity contributions. He'd given his word to meet these obligations to charities and he took out loans to do it.
This man lost 200 million, then took out hundreds of millions more to pay to charities - both of which he'd shook hands on.
So why am I bringing this up?
Growing up, my father instilled these same values in his children. A man's word was his bond and shaking hands on it was as good as a signed and sealed contract. It used to be this was the rule, not the exception.
No matter what a decision will cost you personally, if you give your word then it should be a done deal. The only thing you really have in life is your reputation as a human being, your money and external accomplishments say very little about the core essence of a person.
So why am I bringing this up?
This morning the news reported that a new poll indicated that a growing minority of teens believe it is okay to lie, cheat and bully your way through life. That it is okay to physically accost a coworker as long as they are on the same level as you.
And this is the generation that will be running America when you and I are in our seventies.
This news report made me incredibly sad. Not only do I think we've forgotten where we come from, but we've lost our way as well. No longer is it enough to be a good person, you now have to have eyes in the back of your head so you can watch people as they stab you in the back to get up that ladder of life.
I don't know about anyone else but I don't want to live in that kind of world. In general I do believe in the goodness of people, but I also believe that we all could use a reminder of who we are and where we came from. That's what the Huntsman interview did for me. I was raised right, to do the right thing no matter the personal consequences and I will continue to do so.
According to Huntsman, when the man who bought the 40% of his company passed away, it was in his will to ask Huntsman to speak at his funeral. Huntsman said it was one of the greatest honors of his life and worth far more than 200 million dollars.
I agree.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
What happens when you put your underwear on backwards
In case you can't tell from reading my blog, I'm a pretty rational, down to earth kind of girl. I'm not superstitious, I'm just what they call...sensible.
This morning I got up early, now when I say early, I mean it was still full dark outside. My plan was to hit the grocery store and pick up a few things then lock myself in the house until December 26 - that's when I go out and hit the after-Christmas sales. :)
So I did my morning thing, got dressed, fed the dogs - you get the picture. After I got dressed, I was wandering around the house and realized that my drawers just didn't feel right. I had actually put them on backward. (And you thought the header was just to get your attention!)
Well I was dressed with purse and coat in hand when I realized this. I wasn't about to strip down and turn my drawers around. Let's face it, shoe removal alone would've cost me a few minutes of time, let alone dealing with the whole drama that is pants removal when you're wearing socks and the pants are cotton.
Ugly picture isn't it?
Laughing at myself, I head out into the wilderness that is the local grocery store. That part of my morning was uneventful, thank goodness. I packed my car with my shopping and decided to splurge and hit McDonalds for a snack.
Yes, I know I am working on losing weight, but sometimes you have to give into a temptation. If you don't, then at some point you will have a weak moment and hours later you will wake up covered in hamburger and pie wrappers. We don't want that to happen now do we?
As I'm sitting in the drive thru, my car stalled. I wasn't too shocked, it has done that before. I've had the car for five years and its probably stalled maybe 4 times. I started it up again and it purred like a kitten. I got my food and thought I'd head over to the car wash and get the road salt off my car. (I recently had my car detailed inside and out - my Christmas present to myself - and I'm completely anal about it now)
I pull out into traffic, all is well. I'm about to tuck into my heart-killer breakfast when WHAM - my car stalled again. Now this time, I was actually driving it when it cut out. After I struggled around the corner (let me just say that turning a corner in a Jeep 4x4 with no power steering is just ugly!) I put it in park and started it up.
Now I'm sitting at the corner of a major Ohio artery and a little side street. In front of me is a Goodyear auto shop and me, in my infinite backward underwear wisdom, decide that I can get it home instead of just pulling in there.
Putting it into drive, off I go down the street. I made it about 150 yards and BAM, it did it again. Now I'm concerned. My Jeep has been through some tough terrain, weather etc and I couldn't keep it running on a flat, paved road. BWAH!
I did manage to make it another 300 yards or so until it died at a stop sign. After calling a friend and whining, I called AAA and they sent out a car hauler. (because it is a 4x4, they don't tow them, they put them on a flat bed instead) I explained what my car did and the guy said it sounded like bad gas.
"Sounds like bad gas to me." he said.
"No, that isn't it." I said.
"What do you think it is?"
"I put my underwear on backwards."
He started laughing so hard his false teeth almost popped out.
"You don't understand. This car has never broken down on me in five years and seventy-five thousand miles. But I put my underwear on backwards this morning and my car paid the price for my laziness."
He laughed harder.
Ya know, sometimes people just don't understand me.
Moral: If you put your undies on backwards, change them right quick or a man with false teeth will have to rescue you and he'll laugh at you!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
13 Last Minute Christmas Gifts
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1. Online gift certificates! They are one size fits all and you don't have to get dressed to buy them. |
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
Monday, December 17, 2007
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Sexy Saturday
The weather says a storm is coming in. So while I'm battening down the hatches, I thought I'd share a little Christmas warmth. : )
Friday, December 07, 2007
Winter's Daughter is NOW AVAILABLE!
To say that I'm excited...would be a HUGE understatment. I am stupidly thrilled that WD is now available that I'm almost beyond words. (Note the 'almost') And now for some review quotes...
"This is an incredibly engrossing tale and I did not put it down for more than five minutes once I started it." The Romance Studio, 4.5 hearts
"The first Coven tale is an exciting paranormal thriller with whodunit and romantic elements to enhance the tense drama." Harriet Klausner
"Murder, mayhem and magic will send chills down your spine in this haunting first in The Coven series." RT Magazine, 4 stars
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Friday, November 30, 2007
The Junk Drawer...
Yes, I realize it's Foto Friday and I normally put up something pretty, thought provoking or fun - but this week I thought I'd just put up something that provokes me.
This is a photo of what I call my cord drawer. This is the top drawer of my filing cabinet that sits next to my desk. Now, I'd love to keep handy things in there like office supplies, files, paper for the printer...
BUT NO....
Every other week the cords take over. I swear, I clean this drawer at least twice a month and the moment I'm not looking, gremlins get in there, tangle up the cords to ensure I can't find anything. I gave up keeping much of anything in that drawer because it just gets caught in the cords, flipped out of the drawer and onto the floor.
Do you think it's a conspiracy? Are the cords trying to form a union and take control of my filing cabinet?
Cheeky monkeys. Today I'm armed with zip ties and labels, we'll see who wins this battle!
Monday, November 26, 2007
Manly Monday
Romance is all about the fantasy. 
We, as women, do harass men from time to time about objectifying us as sexual objects. If you watch television ads, what does a blonde in a bikini have to do with selling wine? Is the implication that if you buy said wine, you get a free blonde with purchase?
Now let's be honest ladies - do we not objectify men through romance novels? Tell the truth now. ;)
Of course, IMO, its difficult to find a man who doesn't enjoy being thought of as a sexual toy. Let's face it, they're all about the fantasy, too.
This is Jason Chambers, a mixed martial arts fighter and co-host of Human Weapon on the History Channel. I picked this photo because I thought he was hot, like the pose, and the tattoo screams Bad Boy. In all honesty, my favorite photo of him was in a suit but I didn't select it as I didn't feel it properly illustrated my point.
Fantasy is a beautiful thing.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
A Musical Commentary
Recently I discovered that my cable service has The Best channel EVAH! It is VH1 Classic. They play tons of videos that were big when I was a teen and completely addicted to MTV. This morning I spent several hours chuckling over the polyester stretch pants and way big hair.
Ah, fond memories.
While enjoying this blast from my past, I came up with a few comments that I'd like to share.
Van Halen - the moment David Lee Roth left they blew chunks.
Ann and Nancy Wilson from Heart have two of the most beautiful voices in music
The Police - after they broke up Sting had a few moments of brilliance then lost his mind and musical way
Eddie Van Halen wasn't nearly as hot as I remembered.
Warrant was one of the worst hair hands there was.
Michael Jackson was stupidly talented
U2 rocked both then and now!
Eric Clapton is one of the best guitar players in the history of recorded music
AC/DC was the BOMB both with and without Bon Scott
Metallica turned the Heavy Metal world on its ear when they made their arrival
Steven Tyler of Aerosmith is still incredibly HOT!
Why the Pet Shop Boys did a song called 'West End Girls' when it was pretty obvious they had little to no interest in women is beyond me...
Twisted Sister was one ugly band
Iron Maiden - how did they play music with all that hair?
Poison - no thanks - did nothing for me both then and now
REM was THE BAND then they went commercial in the nineties
I just loved Pop Up Video - it was fab.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Where does the time go??
I could've sworn I posted a blog last week. Normally I try to post two or three. Somehow, in the depths of my scary brain, I managed to miss almost two weeks of potential blog-time. How does that happen??
I was going through some old photos and thought I'd post something pretty. The fall colors around here have been bad thanks to the drought. I took this photo seven years ago and I think it's pretty.
I absolutely love the scent of drying leaves. Reminds me of pumpkin pies, hot chocolate and the scent of snow.Wednesday, October 31, 2007
13 things I can't live without
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1. Chocolate - no explanation necessary Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!) |
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
Happy Halloween!
It's that time again...when the little ghosties and goblins scamper about. You never know, someone who has passed on might be sending you a message - be open to it.
Namaste
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Have we gone too far?
This morning on local talk radio, the topic was Halloween festivities for children. I live in Central Ohio, north of the Bible Belt, in a position I refer to as the Bible Garter Belt. (its above the actual position of the panties (the bible belt) so hence the name.)
Yes, I know I'm not funny - its one of many crosses I have to bear in life. :)
Locally there has been a movement to eradicate Halloween from the schools. Instead of having a costume party, schools are now having a 'fall festival'. One lady called in and said that her children's school had declared halloween themed plates and napkins as verboten. (Hey, what did Caspar the ghost do to these people?) She laughed and said that she liked to throw them a curve by slipping a few of the contraband plates in the mix of autumn themed plates.
Good woman - a little civil disobedience is good for the soul.
Of course next year I expect them to frisk the plates before allowing them into the classroom. If I had children I'd do the same thing but I'd volunteer to help hostess the party then show up dressed as Glenda, the good witch. I'm devious like that. :)
First off, WTF? I agree, heartily agree, in a parents right to choose for their children. Children should not be allowed to play with loaded guns, drink liquor, or run the streets at midnight. Yeah, I get that - but Halloween? Candy? Costumes?
Secondly, as a tree hugging pagan, I can state with some authority that if one was to celebrate a Fall festival - that should be done on September 21st - the Autumnal Solstice or the beginning of fall.
What has happened to imagination in this country? When did fantasy become a bad thing?
Yes, I understand there are some who don't want their child exposed to the 'dark side' they imagine Halloween to be - but that's a lie. Samhain, for us pagans, signals the end of harvest. The Celts (not the basketball team) divided the year into two halves, the light and the dark. It signals the beginning of the dark half of the year - the time in which nothing grows and the earth lays fallow, gathering nourishment for the coming growing season. Some even believe it is the time in which the dead come to visit the living.
I don't know about anyone else but if you watch TAPS or MOST HAUNTED then you know ghosts are around all the time, not just one day of the year.
I guess for me, the bottom line is that I feel there is no darkness in the holiday. If you want to talk about darkness, read up on the origins of Passover - that day is much bloodier than Halloween.
I and millions of others grew up with Halloween parties, going trick or treating and all the crazy fun that makes up the holiday. Guess what, I'm not a serial killer and it didn't warp me in any lasting way. (At least not that the courts could prove) So let the kids have their fun and liberate the candy!!!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
Men never change...
Every morning I hit the local rec center to use to use the pool. That early in the morning, the only other people there is a group of retired swimmers. Seeing that I'm the youngest person there, they constantly call me The Kid.
In this group there are several married couples and I swear, these men still haven't grown up. they splash the pretty girls, play around and giggle like four year olds. They are great fun and when I spend time with them, it always starts my day with a smile.
I think men are genetically predisposed to being perpetual four year olds - or maybe they regress to that stage when they hit retirement. Whatever it is, I hope I have that much energy when I'm their age. :)
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