I hate my cable company

Well, I do.
I've been having internet troubles for a month now.

I was recently told last week that the signal of 12 on the street drops to a 6 at the subpole. So who knows what I'm actually getting once it reaches my modem.
When it's below freezing, I don't get my internet. When it goes above 32 degrees, it seems I have it. Hence my updating you right now. But the temps are dropping fast. We have another snow storm on the way too.

So, snow is coming, the temps will be dropping and that means I won't have this connection for long.

They told me they don't lay new wires until SPRING!!!!!
But, they will try to do it. However, the other way they can do it will take 7 - 10 business days, add in weather related delays and I'm looking at 2 weeks before, MAYBE THIS WILL FIX IT, before I get my dependable internet back.

The thing is, I no longer trust it, believe in it or feel like I can depend on it.
Is this what it feels like to have a cheating spouse? A double-timing boyfriend?
It ROTS!

So, worse case scnenario, I'm down until the Holidays.
So, Merry Christmas, Joyeoux Noel, Felice Navidad and Happy Holidays to the few wonderful and lovely bloggers who still visit and haven't given up on me.

Oh, and read some good books!
I'm starting to read the Vampire Kama Sutra. That's a title that grabs you!
LOL

The Grinches of Black Monday Shopping

Beware. I saw something yesterday on the TV news about thieves driving up to people's homes because they see packages sitting on porches and front stoops. They waltz up, grab the box(es) and drive away taking hard earned dreams and trust with them. They are stealing Christmas presents, wedding presents, anything that usually is shipped via UPS and left while you are at work. Why do I mention this now? I just chatted with my little sis. She ordered, like many across the country, online. The day they call Black Monday, the busiest online shopping day of the year, is the siren call for thieves, malcontents and inconsiderate neanderthals to take advantage and ruin hard working peoples' holidays. Remember The Grinch? Her packages were witnessed by a neighbor as being delivered. However a few hours later, when she got home from work, they were all GONE! So, Beware. Track your packages if you can and be aware when they might be delivered. Have a neighbor get them for you if you are able. Before the Grinches of the season steal your bought treasures. Unlike the Grinch, these slime of society do Not 'see the reason for the season' and will not ever give them back. I had to mention this.

Cable Wires and a Book Contest

Hey, Long time no update, yes?

Well, I had the cable tech come by again and Lo! after almost crying in frustration..almost..my eyes got misty but I stayed in the shadows of the stairwell...he exhausted his expertise, he called three other techs for input and I believe he has determined the culprit. The final determination?

THE PROBLEM IS NOT INSIDE MY HOUSE.

He donned his little white hardhat and slogged off into the rain to climb the pole.
Turns out that the readings on the main line are 12 but my house is only getting 6 when it gets to the outside box but when it gets to my modem, it's anyone's guess what I am actually getting.

He said that all the Wires/Cables from the Main pole, the sub-pole and from the subpole to my house need to be replaced but with a THICKER cable.

Wouldn't it be great if that truly fixed all my problems?

He said he was going to paint the other guy red cuz he too went up the pole the last time but never noticed the extreme drop in signal and he should have. Oooooh, the senior tech is going to razz the under tech. Tee Hee.

But seriously. Almost three weeks of having intermittant internet, this last one being 48 hours without is driving me nuts! Thank goodness they did credit my account today. I called and I saved $9.00. It's better than nothing.

By next week, I should have the full 12 signal. I hope, hope, hope that it fixes it!
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On an upbeat note...a good friend, a wonderful author and a very sweet and generous person is having a contest you really need to know about if you are a romance reader.

Her first romance book in print! You can Hold it! You can smell the ink on the pages! You can drool over the hunky guy on the cover!

Available from Samhain Publishing

"One Love For Liv" (available in eBook or in Print)

Olivia "Liv" Leigh, wealthy socialite and spa owner, suspects her fiancé of cheating on her, so she takes drastic steps to discover whether appearances are deceiving. And if those steps require a bit of stalking, a change of appearance, a hippo-sized dog named Spike, and sacrificing her manicure to clean house for a sexy but sloppy man whose neighbor is determined to break several of the strangest Guinness Book of World Records, why should that be a problem?

Mike, a happily single auto mechanic, is more than content sharing his bachelor pad with piles of laundry, dirty dishes, and a sneaky ferret. But when a half-crazed woman in a bad wig shows up on his doorstep, what's a nice guy to do? Why, invite her in, unknowingly help her in her search for the truth and, in the process, fall head over heels for a woman who's never been less his type.

Doesnt' this sound AWESOME????

Here is the link to the rest of the page.

ONE LOVE FOR LIV

Check it out or better yet join in on the contest so you could win her book. I've read her stories before and she's never let me down. If you want upbeat and happy, then Marianne Arkins delivers.

Internet Yo-Yo

It did it again.
I was down.
I give up.
The cable rots. Should Verizon get off it's butt and install those fiber optics in my country county, I'll be switching from cable internet to DSL so fast! At work, they have DSL and it has NEVER gone down in the 2 years I've been there.

Be that as it may, I have some pics to share from when we went to Santa's Land. It's probably for the last time as my youngest is giving hints that Santa is really us. They grow so fast!

Anyway...here are some interesting pet tricks: I think this is Claude. I learned AFTER I took the picture that when llama's ears are laid back...be prepared to be spit upon and they can spit up to 15 feet! I was REALLY lucky he never let loose!

This next photograph is one of the original figurines from it's grand opening back in the 1950's. It's the Purple Plum Man.
Not very originally named is it? LOL...he was missing last year. He finally did a 'humpy dumpty' and fell off his ... caldron? Anyway, his historical ambiance is important to the history of Santa's Land so they repaired him. He sort of gives me nightmares....

This next is me being my wierd and irreverant self. You never DO know what you are going to see or read about on my blog, do you? Ha. My question. What animal does THIS come from????



They have a 1500 pound dromedary who is a year 'round resident. Amazing to see an animal that I'm more accustomed to seeing in the desert. I bet you didn't know that camels get Air Mail, did you? **chortle**



I'm also sharing a short video of these really cute and fluffy chickens. I don't know the breed but they are so CUTE!


I guess that's the update for now.
Hope your weekend is going well.
I hope to update my blog a bit more regularly, internet willing.
Take care!

My computer is on the Fritz again

I know I'm not blogging like I used to. Lately, my internet is acting like a yo-yo.
I'm on and then without warning, it can't log on. I've had my tower checked for viruses..and I did need a new modem but that not solving it.

The tech's are getting frustrated and so am I.
So, I will pop in when I can.

I discovered a new song that I really like. This is a bit of hard rock but the video is first class. Man has found reasons and has been willing to go to war for thousands of years. This song illustrates that in a very vibrant way.

This is a brand new release...what do you think?

I tried to imbed the HTML code but it's not working... So check out the URL.
If you dare...

INDESTRUCTIBLE

Now that you've watched it, I ask:

So, what are they saying? That man won't ever stop waging war? It's unavoidable?
And now women are doing their share.
What is the world coming to?
At least the music is good.

Hats off the Ren and Stimpy

Happy Thanksgiving! There are many wishes out there with very eloquent and sentimental posts that will touch your heart and mind. I'm not going to be among them. Sure, I want you to eat well, laugh and be with those you love and care for..but I really want you to smile and laugh. Hence...YouTube No post is complete without the Happy Happy Joy Joy Song...unfortunately, there wasn't a good copy ...but listening to Ren and Stimpy as chipmunks was its own source of amusement...you can get through it in seconds flat. LOLOL Skip the Slo-Mo version....that Drove me NUTS. And for those with a really Bizzare Turkey Day sense of humor..... Enjoy your Day!

Honk on Tap

A few weeks ago I ended up stopping at a red light with this huge truck in front of me. With nothing else to do until the light turned green, I checked out my surrounds and spied the small print on the lower right of this truck.



My question: ARE THEY SERIOUS? WILL THEY REALLY DO THAT? AND WHAT HAPPENS IF I DID HONK? WOULD I GET A FREE BEER? AND WHY AREN'T THERE MORE HONKING ACCIDENTS OR SOMETHING?
Can anyone explain the logic or reason behind this?????

Mel Ruins the View

Last month we took a long drive to leaf peep. We'd heard the leaves were bright and the view from on top of the mountain, glorious. You can imagine expectations being high. Then again, you know what they say, Be Careful What You Wish For, the results can be skued. You see, Mel had been there. Mel left a mess. Mel robbed me of a tower climb. A climb which was guaranteed to appeal to my leaf peeping, picture taking heart. Instead, I got roped-off areas, a blocked-off tower and the remnants of spent movie magic.

Mr. Mel Gibson filmed on that mountain. He turned my experience on its ear. Instead of being in awe of the color palette that is nature, I was presented with a bit of illusion and man's ability to use a color palette to create what doesn't exist.

Of course I took pictures. It was what I'd come to do, never expecting to capture something more elusive than fall foliage. Unlike trees which will once again unfurl leaves to recreate their colorful glory next autumn, this sight will never be repeated.


The following picture looks good BUT, the foreground has bushes. If I'd been able to go where I expected to go, the only thing I would have captured and you would have seen were uninterrupted panoramic views of the valley from high in the air. As it is, all I got were pictures close to the ground. I had a mammal's view when I wanted an eagle's.


This next shot is perfect to illustrate just how dramatic movie magic can effect the landscape. See the foreground? Looks like six feet at least of concrete, right? Did you notice the RADIATION warning?

See the grey ridged wall formation that surrounds the building? Do you see the field stone square on the upper left with the white pole sticking up? The ONLY thing original is the field stone square up there because THAT is the tower. That is where I was supposed to be, had expected to go. The cement was actually WOOD. Wood and paint and putty created an impressive and impenetrable cement bunker. They even had used paint and putty to create aged, rusted and weather beaten iron tracks for what I can only assume was a trolley system. The glass is not a part of the original building. In fact, this building is twice the size as the actual building. It's quite impressive, isn't it? And it's not real.

The next one is a clearer example of movie magic. This is what you will see in the movie...somewhere.

This next photo is what it really looked like.

Did you notice the pretty tree stump with the flowers inside? They built the scenery around the natural environment. I laughed when I saw that.

Next is proof that they filmed at night, or dusk or in bad lighting. There were quite a few pieces of equipment left. The lighting looks kind of sad and neglected, doesn't it? Then again, I like the pretty color - like a lizard.

Just think, everything, and I do mean everything, constructed in this next shot is fake. There is nothing in view that is part of the original building. Doesn't it look like metal? Doesn't it look impressive? It's all wood, folks. But look beyond to the view of the mountains. Isn't it gorgeous???

All in all, I guess Mel did provide me with some unexpected, picturesque and unusual once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and for that, I thank him.

The view from the bridge at the bottom of Mt. Sugarloaf.

Happy Halloween

I hope you have a delightful and fun Halloween evening, whether you hand over the candy or scarf it up.




And may you see some Amazing Costumes!

More Snickers and Snorts in 60 Seconds

I know, I know. I'm YouTube addicted again. I can't help it!
Look what I found! I loved The Lord of the Rings movies.

And this fast clip was done so well, it left me smiling and giggling. And It's Friday. Don't we deserve some humor?



And Star Wars? What is a Robot Chicken?



Have I done the SpaceBalls song yet? If I did, sorry. I'm addicted to that movie.
Cracks me up no matter how many times I've watched it and I quote things from the movie. But I"m not saying what...this is a PG blog. Tee hee.



Happy Friday everyone. I hope you have many reasons to smile besides it being the end of the week.
TTYL!

I'm laughing, I'm Crying

I can't get over how hard this hit my funny bone!
Have you SEEN THIS?

HAHAHAHAHAHA

Oh my gosh, I almost fell out of my chair!

Knee Bouncing

OK, I like the beat, it's snappy and fun.
The costumes are sparkly and interesting.

It is the dancing...specifically the knee bopping that totally makes me giggle.
Somehow it ruins what the sexy outfits tried to convey, from a totally objective viewpoint. I have NO idea what they are saying and I sort of wish I did to understand what the hand movement near the face means.

Do you know? Besides understanding UFO, I'm clueless. Sometimes it rots only knowing one language. But even if I knew more than one, what are the chances I'd know this one?

A new band to follow

I only heard this once on the radio and I loved the beat and what lyrics I could understand.
Thanks to YouTube, I put in Bad Girl Friend and found the song and a rather deliciously naughty video. LOL



I'm a romance reader, if you haven't figured that out by now. And the moment when he sees her, his face frozen in shock, his libido obviously gone super nova...well, I really liked that moment. Sure, he's a wild man,some would say he's a horn-dog, but the look on his face when he catches sight of his 'bad girl friend' is priceless.

I just hope, once behind closed doors, she makes him work for it.
ROTFL

Tongues and Middle Fingers

There's a posing trend going on that totally fascinates me. I just joined OWNED on FaceBook the past few days and I've noticed something quite perplexing. The preponderance of males who insist that a cool pose sure to garner interest and purchase seems to require that their tongues hang out like over eager puppies. Or it looks like their mouth muscle is caught doing acrobatics towards someone/thing else. Is this a must for a relationship? I mean, auditions for KISS ended decades ago, so why else? Then there is the middle finger. I don't care if I'm looking at pictures of teens or men over 60 years of age - the lure of the middle finger is timeless. Few do it with a smile. They inevitably add in a scowl or "mean dude face" sure to intimidate the viewer. Or is it they hope to entice a female buyer? Perhaps this is the new male dating phenomena much like the antics of birds or mammals in the wild? The more fierce a male is, the better the date will be? Personally, I laugh. I think all that posturing is silly, unimaginative and pointless. The fact that so many think of doing the same thing in many of the same ways shows their level of imagination. The only difference is the location of the pose -- exotic locales or in not so quiet suburbia, tongues and middle fingers abound. I'm not quite sure if the females are drawn to these male displays or not but it would be interesting to find out. As for the females out there, well, they are a bit more...classy. Not too many middle fingers for them but tongues? Yes. And bikinis abound showing abundance. I notice that those that show the most nubile poses are consistently in the 4 million "dollar" range. Not blatant poses, but instead graced with softening touches and props and/or colorful backgrounds that enrich and entice a viewer. Whereas crass displays of vulgar hand signs are left in the dust, tasteful and artsy poses strike a resonate chord which equals unheard of lunch money in the application of OWNED. I'm of the opinion that once again it shows the difference between cavemen and sensual sirens. The battle of the sexes continues regardless of venue. I wonder if those tongue wagging, finger flippin' males will ever notice? You won't find them in MY portfolio, that's for sure.

Time to change the post

Not a very original title is it?

I always have things to say but that doesn't translate automatically to a blog.
I decided to post pictures.

I mean, why not? A picture is worth a thousand words so this blog ends up being a short story, right? LOL

This first picture is of a place I drive by at least twice a month but I've been doing it for 15 years. Finally I slowed down enough to snap this picture. I wanted to share this with you so you could see the sheer absurdity of posting two different speed postings so close together. I mean, if you go 35MPH, do you get a ticket for breaking the 25MPH limit?
Which one do you choose and since when should we HAVE a choice? LOLOL
I don't think it's too often where numbers make me laugh,but these sure do.
What were they thinking? And why leave it for over a decade?



This next photo is one of three baby snakes my kids found. They put 2 in the hole they dug so they could view nature up close. Of course I had to come out to see what the excitement was about. Personally, I'm not too excited or enthusiastic about things that slither but I have to admit, small things, even snakes, are cute.


This next shot is of an unusual bug that up until I moved to the country, I thought were exotic and had only seen them on TV. What an amazing surprise to find this five incher...possible six, in our yard after a rather humdinger of a thunderstorm. It's an amazing critter and you know what? I think they bite. Won't catch me testing that theory out though. ::shudder::



I love this picture. It's of a friends frisky dog and I was able to snap the pic because the little darling needed a rest after racing pell mell all over the neighborhood when we took her for a 'walk'.
**gg**
She's such an adorable and loving puppy. Though I think she'll be a year old fairly soon. Where does the time go?



This last picture is of my SIL's dog. Another cutie who luurves his mommy. My SIL was out on the porch talking to my DH and the dog was inside. As you can see, inside is NOT where he wanted to be. Isn't the paw up in the air endearing? Soon after this picture was taken we took pity and let him out so he could jump joyously around my SIL. I'm personally not a dog person but being in these two dogs' company for awhile, I can see the appeal.


Well, there you have it. Words do come from pictures and I now have my blog post.
Have a wonderful week everyone!

It was my Birthday today

Yes, I was sick and I stayed in my jammies all day. But, Dh got me a scrumptious cake filled with my favorite Bavarian Creme filling.

So, I have been online, basking in the glow of MySpace and Facebook with all the wonderful well wishes coming in. I'm flattered that so many of my favorite people chimed in and in fact a few surprises came my way too.

So, in the vein of fun that is a birthday, allow me to expose how old I am. You see, I remember this show and loving it.

Tee hee



If that isn't enough to show my age, what about this blast from my past,



Does anyone know what character and much loved series Wild Boy ended up starring in later?

And one of my favorite shows was this:



I used to have the blue prints to one of the EAGLES courtesy of STARLOG magazine, a publication that I adored for many years. Amazing how I've gone from hard core science fiction to pure romance.

LOL

Who knew?

Well, my special day is almost over. So, thanks for dropping by and viewing some of my fav's from my 'younger' days.

Prologue Pet Peeves

I have clarified to myself a pet peeve in books. The prologue. Perhaps not all prologues should go on my bathwater list but this type does. I read a prologue that was about six pages long. It sets up this dramatic scene of mistrust, possible betrayal and who will the heroine actually leave with and is it the right person? Then the book starts way before the heroine meets these people and builds. The thing is, the part where the prologue started is actually a verbatim scene 3/4 of the book in. Heck, I didn't bother reading any of the book. I found the scene, read through to the end and just from the last five chapters, I got the whole gist without all that rigamarole of dragging my butt through what was going to happen. It read like a cliche and I hated it! For me, a prologue should NOT be about a point in the future of the book that we have to read up until. It didn't grab me enough to get me to CARE. I certianly didn't give a fig if she went with this guy or that, trust that guy or this. Big deal. I prefer a prologue to set up the story. Perhaps a scene that shows a catalyst for a series of events that we will now read about. A history to make us understand why we are about to read what we are. Like...a crime that remained unsolved because the villain thought they were untouchable and they left the scene thinking no one would ever stumble upon it. The story will then pick up because someone DID. Or a setup, perhaps an old woman looks into a flaming blaze and sees her granddaughter having to face an old foe of the family at a critical time in her future life and the old woman sets up safe guards that will find and aid the young woman when the time is right. Those, to me, are prologues that set up a story and allow me to read from cover to cover. The initial prologue pet peeve example does absolutely nothing for me, except inspire me to put it back on the shelf, throw it against the wall or write passionate drivel on a blog such as this to vent my spleen. Gee! I feel better. What do you know?

Car Attitude

See this here car?
I was driving behind it the other day and simply HAD to snap a picture.

If you click the pic, it should load larger so you can see the wonderful descriptive graffiti on the bumper.

I love people's sense of humor about their cars, don't you?

A Cute Kitty Video

I found this on the great DDD's post. It's really cute and since I'm a cat lover, well, it's a natural addition to this blog. It's a favorite thing. :-) And a joke for you: A woman was helping her husband set up his new computer and, at the appropriate time in the process, told him he would now need to enter a password - something he would use to log-on. Her husband was in a rather devilish mood and thought he would try for the shock effect to bring this to his wife's attention. So, when the computer asked him to enter his password, he made it plainly obvious to his wife that he was keying in: P ....... E ....... N ....... I ....... S ....... His wife fell out of her chair laughing when the computer replied ***PASSWORD INVALID...........NOT LONG ENOUGH*** I love this kind of silly humor, don't you? ON the personal front. Not much happening. Discovered a new author I really like, Patricia Briggs. Quite a nifty piece of world building she's done. Her heroine, Mercedes Thompson...she's spunky and unique. I like this series so far. The interesting thing is this author doesn't zero in on only one person...there are offshoots which helps a reader look at different aspects of the same world. I think that is what is keeping me hooked. TTYL

I love this series...and Ian's story is eagerly anticipated!

Mr. Hugh Jackman - got a moment?

Sometimes people Google themselves.

Maybe, just maybe, if you had a moment of idle curiosity, you may have found my blog because of that very reason.

If so, this post is being written with the sole purpose of pointing you to a fan
who has the hilarious knack of inserting your name somewhere in her Friday renditions of Spamarama. It's always in answer to the best things that could happen to a person - namely her and the best thing is you.

Her name is Bailey and this is the link to her blog. BAILEY

Just a simple 'HI' in her comments would send her over the moon.

Thank you.

Is this a protest song?

With every military conflict this country has engaged in, there are songs of protest, of awareness that somewhere in that good fight there is a dark side.

I could be wrong, but I think this song is in response to our current conflict. The beat is hard, the pace is harder. The lyrics are perhaps difficult to discern if listened to on the radio. That is why this YouTube clip is better because the words are there for you to enjoy. The crow is a bit of a spazz, but it's a well put together piece.

I have a tendency to like hard rock, so this song appealed before I really heard the message. It made me think, and that's a favorite thing.

Enjoy.

Where have I been?

I've been a bit stressed. I don't handle it very well.
I tend to let other things totally slide, even things I LIKE doing.
I can't focus on other things when the object of my stress is my child.

Seems the school did it again. We hammered out an IEP last year, two sessions, the last one was two hours long held on the second to last day of school. They agreed to offer supports in line with MD recommendations.

I had a meeting ten days into the new school year and gee, what do you know, my child is falling: emotionally, confidence-wise and academically. Ten days and all present at the meeting noticed but didn't know what to do about it.

HELLO!!! Look at the bloody IEP! They didn't initiate ANY of the accommodations! They said 'sorry'. Sorry is NOT good enough! There were two supports they were to have set in place from day one. It took 2 1/2 weeks to do one and the other didn't even have a plan to do so yet! Yet THEIR MD said they were crucial to my son.

My advocate had steam coming out of her ears. Middle school is tough. Going into middle school with a new building, new rules, new responsibilities and,after two years in an isolated program which was finally deemed inappropriate (duh), going mainstream again is daunting. And they let him flounder. I give him credit. He didn't breakdown in school. He was holding on by his fingertips. But we sure understood something was happening...or not.

The other thing we had to fight, but ended up being anti-climactic, was their initial refusal to list Aspergers as a diagnosed condition. Because THEIR MD didn't see it in his opinion after six hours of testing, they disregarded the six week hospital program where he was there Monday through Friday for the duration. It's part of his med file. How can they say he isn't on the Autism Spectrum?

It was anti-climactic because they didn't argue at the meeting and it was quickly overshadowed by the other issues that came to light.

WHY is it so hard to do the right thing for my child? Why is it a fight? Why doesn't No Child Left Behind have any meaning?

I'm having MUCH better luck for my other child with his peanut allergy. I joined a group of mothers two years ago who are extremely proactive in protecting their children in the school as far as peanut exposure. Some mothers had not had any children in the system yet but because of what us already in the system experienced, they knew what they wanted and didn't want for their children once in the school system. It's amazing what a vocal group and letters and being PRESENT for meetings can accomplish.

The latest wrinkle is the bus. We were all set until I and the other mothers got a call from the superintendent of the school system two days before school started.

Seems the lawyers for the bus company got wind of their drivers being Epi-pen trained and felt a suit was imminent. They absolutely forbade ANY and ALL drivers from administering Epi-pens in an anaphalactic emergency. Even if the driver wanted to, if the driver saw that the child was in such distress and they could see the EMT's could not get there in time, they are NOT to intervene.
WTF?

The Good Samaritan Law protects people from suit when they try to assist a person in a life threatening situation. It's not just for heroes who give life saving CPR. (ribs can be broken in that process) But that doesn't matter. No is No.

I went to a 504 meeting yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. The school system is actively seeking job applicants for the role of ... gee, what would their title be? Any bus that has a child riding in it with a LTA (Life Threatening Allergy) will have a trained person with knowledge of response protocol and Epi-pen usage and will ride the bus while these children are on it. My child has an Epi-pen on him at all times in his backpack in a designated pouch.

I was pleased and relieved with this alternative. In a few years it will be a non-issue when he can self-administer. But right now? He needs to rely on adults.

So, the school system is quite a see-saw. For one child, they are not doing their best and for the other, they are.

I think parenting these days is much tougher than my parents had it -- environment wise. We have more options but we also have more things to fight for and against.

I've been reading during this situation, but I have latched onto books as an escape. I don't want to do anything right now expect read. I want to read about HEA's and good triumphing over evil because in my own life, there isn't an HEA in sight, neither is evil clear cut...it exists in a shade of gray and it goes by the name of "the bottom line". It rules people who should care about the child but are tied to monetary shackles instead. The sad thing is...they don't seem to mind.

Does it matter that I do?

Quiz time

Your result for The Geek or Chic Quiz?...

The Chic

Lost with technology, lost in your own dizzy world. You are Chic and you know it but you couldn't send an email to save your life. Looks and social life are your driving force and nothing will stand between you and the clothing rail. Geek chic was so last year.

Take The Geek or Chic Quiz? at HelloQuizzy

So, Which are you?

I find that my results aren't too accuate. I mean, I BLOG!!!!
LOLOL

Confused Boo & Hiss

I just read
Immortals: The Redeeming.
By: Jennifer Ashley

It is Tain's story and I really really am glad he got his HEA.
But that' s not my Boo & Hiss stance.

No. I read the blurbs for the new Immortal series coming out and I'm ticked.

In Tain's story, there were no foreshadowing of the new guys on the block. These are totally new guys. I don't remember anything ever being mentioned about them. Why not? How can thier existence be justified?

Five Immortals, Five Brothers, Five brothers got their HEA's, so what gives?

You know what I expected? What I wanted?

Logan!
I want LOGAN'S story

He fascinated me. He has secrets. We were teased and it was hinted at. Septimus found out some dirt but not WHAT.

And no where is Logan's name mentioned in the up-in-coming blurbs.

So, I'm confused. Why not? And Boo & Hiss because he's not.

So, what's up, author Jennifer Ashley??
Will he be a sub plot?
Will he appear in the current series?
Will Logan ever get an HEA?

I'm pouting because it's likely I'll never know.
:-(

Need a chuckle?

A 5 year old's first job...

Here's a truly heartwarming story about the bond formed between a little 5-year-old girl and some construction workers that will make you believe that we all can make a difference when we give a child the gift of our time.

A young family moved into a house, next to a vacant lot. One day, a construction crew began to build a house on the empty lot.

The young family's 5-year-old daughter naturally took an interest in the goings-on and spent much of each day observing the work ers.

Eventually the construction crew, all of them 'gems-in-the-rough,' more or less, adopted her as a kind of project mascot. They chatted with her during coffee and lunch breaks and gave her little jobs to do here and there to make her feel important.

At the end of the first week, they even presented her with a pay envelope containing ten dollars. The little girl took this home to her mother who suggested that she take her ten dollars 'pay' she'd received to the bank the next day to start a savings account.

When the girl and her mom got to the bank, the teller was equally impressed and asked the little girl how she had come by her very own pay check at such a young age.

The little girl proudly replied, 'I worked last week with a real construction crew building the new house next door to us.

''Oh my goodness gracious,' said the teller, 'and will you be working on the house again this week, too?'

The little girl replied, 'I will, if those assholes at Home Depot ever deliver the fuckin' sheet rock.'

Kind of brings a tear to the eye - doesn't it.

A bit O' humor

REPLACEMENT WINDOWS

Last year I replaced all the windows in my house with that Expensive double-pane energy efficient kind, and today, I got a call from the Contractor who installed them.

He was complaining that the work had been completed a whole year ago and I still hadn't paid for them.

Hellloooo!

Just because I'm blonde doesn't mean that I am automatically stupid.

So, I told him just what his fast talking sales guy had told me last year, that in ONE YEAR these windows would pay for themselves!

Hellloooo?

It's been a year! I told him.

There was only silence at the other end of the line, so I finally just hung up.

He never called back.

Guess I won that stupid argument.

I bet he felt like an idiot.

Do mice Pop or Crunch?

I was visiting Lyn Cash's blog post and I had a memory burst.

Did I ever tell you about the mouse that lived in my car? Under my hood?

Yep, my mouse scared the crap out of me while driving.

There I was, driving along a winding country road when out popped the head of the mouse. He climbed UP the windshield and STARED at me!

No lie-- AS I DROVE.

So there it was, with its little beady eyes and nose a-twithin', which I suspect is 'mouse' for HaHa or Boo!.

Talk about the ultimate taunt.

Anyway, a week or so later, I go to pick up my son from the sitter and I had to park in a different spot from where I usually do in the mornings.

There, where one of my tires would have been from the morning was the flattened mouse.

Seems when the car stopped, either the furry thing thought I was home and went to explore for food, or he was coming back from foraging -- either way, I'm sure his little mouse legs were going a mile a minute trying to keep up with the rotation of the wheel before he lost.

Forgive me if I laugh at the visual. I still think it's funny.

And so, I have to wonder. I know that frogs POP when you drive over them, do mice pop too? Or do they crunch?

OK, so I'm indulging in a bit of morbid humor.

TEE HEE

Accident update

Tried to get the police accident report today but it was not done.
Guess the responding officer is a part-time cop and isn't back on the roster for quite some time. Because of the insurance reg's and time table, that report needs to be written up. Although I don't need to give that report to the insurance company, only the other form that I have to write up in triplicate.

You know what? It's a VERY good thing that I documented all of the action the day of the incident on Blogger here. It's going to help me remember things since I wrote them when they were very fresh in my mind. You won't believe all the things you have to fill out for the report. Sheesh!

My back seems to have calmed down so I think it was muscle tenseness from stress.
The kids remain fine. The only injury came from my eldest playing Zombie Attack with his buddy and he jumped off of something and hurt his heel. Kids. Any discomfort from the bumper cars has not shown up. So I hope it never does.

Oh, guess what. I found out from the tiny paperwork the dispatch guy gave me that the truck behind me had to be towed; that the guy WAS transported to a hospital -- good thing I told them he was injured and that they sent an amublance, it was needed, and that the vehicle that plowed into him was a Ford Bronco. Those are big cars! There is NO way that the Bronco was at a stop in line like the rest of us for an impact to have done so much damage. We drove by the site this afternoon and there was still glass on the side of the road. He had to have come up from somewhere else.

It was sort of anti-climactic today to get into the car again. The damage doesnt' look too bad but the entire bumper and back door is going to have to be replaced.
*sigh*

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I called a guy to give us an estimate on roof repair but he hasn't returned my call yet. He was recommended by a friend of mine. I hope things can work out somehow.

You know, this has been a very tense past twenty four hours.

What say you to a joke?


Young Chuck, moved to Texas and bought a donkey from a farmer for $100.00. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day.
The next day he drove up and said,

'Sorry, son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died.'


Chuck replied, 'Well, then just give me my money back.'


The farmer said, 'Can't do that. I went and spent it already.'


Chuck said, 'Ok, then, just bring me the dead donkey.'

The farmer asked, 'What ya gonna do with him?

Chuck said, 'I'm going to raffle him off.'

The farmer said, You can't raffle off a dead donkey!'


Chuck said, 'Sure I can Watch me.. I just won't tell anybody he's dead.'

A month later, the farmer met up with Chuck and asked, 'What happened with that dead donkey?'

Chuck said, 'I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars a piece and made a profit of $998.00.'

The farmer said, 'Didn't anyone complain?'

Chuck said, 'Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back.'

Chuck now works for the Congress

Accidental Domino

Today started out so well too. The sun was out, I and my kids were going to get hair cuts and from there we were going to bring a buddy home for my eldest to have his very first Sleep Over at our house. Yep, all was going our way. I love my new shorter hair cut, even my hairdresser was surprised how good it came out. I looked at one of those glamour books and pointed to what I wanted. I do love it. Off we went to McDonald's for a quick lunch and then to home. We had a slight delay going home. I was at one of the THREE intersections with lights in our town, (yep, 3), there was a brightly painted yellow crosswalk directly in front of me. There was a young woman waiting and waiting to cross. I had the red light. Both sides had the red light. Mine turned green first and I took my foot off of the brake and then put it back on again because I remembered that a pedestrian in an official crosswalk has right of way. If I rolled at all from taking my foot off of the brake, it was maybe 2 inches. I checked my rear view mirror, the guy stopped, and all was OK. She stepped out, because the other line of traffic was still stopped. She was halfway across the road when my car lurched forward. At first I wasn't sure what happened. It was so fast. In my rear view mirror, there was an older man, maybe in his 60's, in a pickup truck full of cut limbs and tree debris. He was holding his head and his neck and his face mirrored the pain he must have been in. You see, he didn't drive into me. He was rammed into me because someone slammed in HIM from behind. Dominoes. I stayed in my car. The kids were fine, thank goodness, and that is the most important thing. Kids are resilient. They were like, "Cool! We're part of a crime scene!" and "Are we going to be on TV?", and they proceeded to eat their McDonald's lunch. They were agog at the police cars and the ambulance and all the people milling around. I never got out of my car. I was not leaving the kids. I had no idea how much damage my car endured but this is the second time our car has been hit in 2 years. Oy. This is also the first time I've used my cell phone to call 911. And I guess it went pretty quick. I was transferred to my local police department and when asked if I was hurt, I said no, but I said the guy behind me looked like he was in a lot of pain, he was holding his head. They said they'd dispatch an ambulance right away. I would say the response time was five minutes. I am impressed. While waiting for the police to come, the young woman who I stopped for and let cross the street came back over to me an apologized. She was so sweet too. She gave me her name and phone number as well as her cell. She couldn't stay because she was heading off to babysit someone. I figured just her info would be enough if needed. She felt so bad; I think she felt that if I hadn't stopped for her, it never would have happened. Who's to say? The police officer wasn't interested in taking the info even though I offered it. He said that even if I wasn't letting a pedestrian cross the crosswalk, even if I stopped for an ant in the road, ( his words) drivers of cars are supposed to keep plenty of distance between them so if the car in front stops, they retain control of the car at all times. He also told me that the truck sustained heavy damage and the gentleman received injury whereas I and the kids were fine. I only had to provide my drivers licence, my registration and I had to provide him with the names and birth dates of my kids and their friend. I didn't know they would need that type of stuff. As to why or how it all happened, the only thing I can think of is the third driver didn't see break lights on, saw the light was green and assumed traffic was rolling and slammed into the guy behind me. Why else? Just think though. If she was slow stepping into the crosswalk after I stopped -- the momentum of the push sent me into and over the crosswalk -- I would have hit her. THAT would have given me nightmares for months! Thank GOD for many things. My kids and my eldest's friend was not hurt, the girl was not hurt and I was not hurt. Right now, my back is a little sore, but if that's all I have, I'm not going to bother with an MD visit. I should be fine. Now my bumper has a gash in it and my trunk handle is pushed in. I bet you it's going to cost a couple of grand to fix this. I have to go to the police station tomorrow to pick up the report and on Monday, go to the insurance company. Because I didn't get out of my car, I did not get any of the usual information; the names, insurance numbers and all that. And lets face it, the poor guy behind me was in no condition to look for insurance and registration papers. So now my worry is, was I ever at fault? No. Because it wasn't the guy behind me that hit me by driving into me, it was the guy behind HIM. And it is a state law for cars to stop when pedestrians are at an official crosswalk. I was within my rights to stop. The traffic on the other side was still stopped. I was already stopped. She was IN the middle of the crosswalk so it didn't happen because I had made a sudden stop. Enough seconds of time had lapsed for it to be entirely the third drivers fault. But shit, you know? I have a leaky roof, and now I have car repairs to deal with. This sucks. And as I type this, the kids are playing Wii and are shouting and having tons of fun. Ah, the innocence of youth.

My Life Tidbits

Addiction... that is what the song is. I have listened to it at least ten times in a row and seem to not be able to get enough.



My roofed leaked again when we had another wild wind storm.
Thunderstorms raced through last night again but this time, no leaks. We had a LOT of rain but no leak. I am thinking the direction of the storm may have something to do with it. Who knows?

4 weeks until school is back in session. Wow.

I've picked a few cucumbers and today I picked another yellow squash. Except I gave it to my sitter. Why keep it when we won't be around to eat it?

Going civilized spelunking. That means the caves are made safe and tourist friendly.
The bad thing? One of them, they keep out the bats. What is a cave without bats?
So we'll go to another one where we know bats are. They are so cute!

It was so humid today! I mean, the windows in my car fogged constantly. When you walked outside, it truly was like a sauna...heavy, oppressive and sticky. Darned shame we all have to wear clothes during weather like this. Guys at least can go with only short shorts on and be comfortable. Gals can't- unless we want to be arrested.

Ever See the movie Ghost Rider with Nicholas Cage? Would you say it was OK for an 8yr old to see? They LOVE the trailer with the flames, the motorcycle and the chains. But what about the theme? The plot? Is it too violent? Worse than Lord of the Rings??? Just wondering.

Hey, Great news!! Possibly great news.
My eldest's EEG showed "normal" brain activity. Once school starts we are going to wean him off meds and see if he will be seizure free. He will always have epilepsy as part of his medical history, but to have a calm brain scan? He's not had that since he's been four years old..Seven years ago. We are Very Very hopeful!

I adore the books by Kresley Cole. How many are there anyway? I've lost count.

I am yawning so it must be time to hit the hay. Have a good weekend and I hope where ever it's hot out, that it cools down WITHOUT the aid of thunderstorms or wild weather.

TTYL

More Videos of my Scottish Day

Video Hodge Podge.. tee hee and a bit of humor

What I've been up to

The story in this song is filled with dark eroticism and romance to it. Is he bound to her even when he doesn't want to be? What binds him to her? What magic did she really do to him? The beat really gets my toes tapping too.

Oh, did I tell you I went to the Scottish Games last weekend? I got my first tattoo...temporary. I loved it. But I"m glad it's washing off. LOL. So I can get another one next year.

The lightening storms we've been having have been amazing. And yet, I was never afraid. Not good. But on the way home last Thursday, I saw the coolest thing. I have to wait for my turn at the rotary. It was thundering out and I was pretty happy about that. I was staring at the car in front of me, sort of zoning out while I waited for the light to turn green before I could head into the rotary, when a jagged slash of white lightening reflected off of the car's rear window. That means the bolt had appeared right above my car! How amazing is that! And then the thunder hit and the air in my van actually shuddered. I felt it through my body. I love thundestorms. Although to be fair, I know that they are to be respected.

Wednesday night we had a bolt that hit so close, the light, the crash/boom and the cutting of power all happened simaltaneously. That was a bit too close for comfort. We ended up with a leaky roof. Heck, we built the house 14 years ago, so it should not have leaked. But the wind and rain were so powerful, we suspect it pushed the rain down the vents at the peak OR, rain simply poured down the PVC vent on the point of the roof. The rain was so dense, it was akin to pouring buckets of water directly down the spout that should have nothing coming in or out except for air.

I've been left with stripes on my ceiling so now I say I have a Tiger Ceiling. LOL

I picked my first cucumber and yellow squash from my garden. Major High!

I've discovered Facebook. I mean...I've found myself addicted. The word games there are great. I have always loved Scrabble but my DH doesn't ever play board games. It's like I found people to play with! When I was growing up? My Aunts, Grandma and my Mom and I would play. Well, my Grandma and Aunt are dead, I've moved away and no one plays. So Facebook is like a trip to my past when I could play all the words games and have people to play with. It's really sweet.

So, I went to the Scottish games and tried Haggis for the first time. I have no idea if it made that big of a difference in taste when served on a Triscut as it was, you know, if it made the flavor change? or if the Haggis they served is authentic but I liked it. Well, I didn't love it but I could eat it if I had to and I would not make a face.

LOL OH, I have to say, the 1970s had very strange fashions for clothes. Whose bright idea was it for bell bottoms that were so much like bells they looked like sweepers cleaning the floor? LOL. I didn't mind the bat-wing collars but those pants were atrocious. *grin*

One of my All Time Favorite Shows

If you've ever watched any of Weird Al's MTV Video spoofs, you know just how clever and talented this man is. However, a little known film he made awhile ago is my absolute favorite for lifting me up when I feel down.

UHF.

There are so many movie puns/spoofs and references, even as of today, I've not identified them all. The only thing I DO know is, they make me laugh. The man has a gift.

Al could not have started off his movie with a more perfect scene and parody. Too dang funny and so much fun. Even the music makes me smile, which you can listen to at the link at the bottom of this post.. ....


I know entrepreneurialship is alive in well, but this sure took it a bit too far. **snort** LOVE the expressions on their faces. I go into fits of giggles every time....

That's one part of the scene I like...Turtles...who knew? ROTFL

This next one had me chortling and LOL'ing so hard when I first saw it. Thank goodness Conan isn't for real because I do NOT remember anything about the Dewey Decimal System.
**snicker**


And this place? I'm serious, when I pick up a spatula? I have this commercial in my head. When one of my spatula's break, I wish for just such a place to run to.


I'm pretty sure Al put this video together -- it's a capsule of the high energy Al's best known for.
BUT WHO IS THE GUY HE'S DOING A PARADY OF WITH THE FLASH CARDS???? I cannot figure that out. Any ideas??? And Billy Idol never looked so good. **tee hee**

I think this is going to be one of my most favorite posts on M's Favorite Things...just because putting it together made me smile all the way through.

Can you remember the last post you did that had you feeling so good as you hit Publish????
WOOT!

Click here and SMILE!!!!!!

I laughed so I snapped it up

I was perusing a blog buddy's blog that I visit once a week or two and today I found this and I couldn't stop chuckling. Not totally from what it says but
where my mind went...











After Reading this? I thought to myself....

In what local-yokel town and in what state was this taking place in?

And I totally can imagine the renowned Mr. Jeff Foxworthy taking a gander at this and thinking to himself... "Hmmm, she just Might might be a Redneck!"

ROTFL.
I crack me up.

Fireworks of July 4th

Even though the fireworks were cancelled on Thursday night because of thunderstorms, the rain held off on July 4th to celebrate with loud and colorful style the night of the holiday.

This is the first time I've ever had a camera that could take night pictures and believe you me, I had a BLAST. **grin**

Want to see my favorites? I'll even upload the video of the finale for those who didn't get to see any fireworks. Remind me for next year, PUT COTTON IN MY EARS.

What a loud sound! But aren't these shots pretty?

I call this my Butterfly

This is my Dandelion

This is my Feather Duster

And this is my video that I felt sure would not come out and voila!, it captured the colors, the sounds and the ooh's and aaah's. Parden the bouncing though because when I heard the "Whomp!" of the ....cannon? launcher?, I could never be sure of exactly where the explosion would be...high in the sky? left, right or on the horizon. I felt like I was chasing fire flies. Really BIG and LOUD fireflies. LOL

I hope you and your loved ones had a wonderful holiday!

Library update

Still no word on why the ceiling fell.
They are now working from a tiny room in the basement and they can only provide books and movies, etc. that were checked out before the collapse of the ceiling. The inter-library loans via the internet are saving me.

No one has been upstairs since the collapse. I also heard that 121 years of dust and who knows what else, rained down all over the place and the air quality is suspect.

I wonder how long inspections and cleaning will take? Meanwhile, I am reading the books I got.
*****************

My kids called me outside today. Guess what? Another snake. A pretty garter snake all coiled up and looking at me when I walked up; its pretty red tongue flicking and sensing if I'm a good thing or a bad thing. My kids know not to bother snakes - we just gather round and admire a wonderful example of nature.
No, I'm not squeamish around snakes. Moms can't be. *grin*
*****************************

Nothing in my garden has yet to die or be eaten. Knock on wood I didn't just jinx myself. LOL

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I"m on Facebook. I"m addicted to some of the games on there. Im addicted to the application Friends For Sale. For the longest time, I'd been owned by one guy and he is pretty cool. Out of the blue this past week I was bought be a stranger. Oh dear! This person even changed my NAME. I used to be **Snort**

Gee, why would I have THAT name? **giggle**
Now I have a new, new owner and I am pretty happy. I even got a present! oooh.
Yeah, I know, lame.
But fun!
****************
And I'm still mad that Moonlight got cancelled. Can't they ever have an ENDING made for that? Sheesh...get us all involved and leave us hanging like the cliff hanger than never ends.
Anyway want a vote? Does Beth hook up with Mick or not?

************************
OK, that's my rambling and nonsensical update.
Sure beats seeing the same-o same-o, right?

Happy week to you!

A Diss on Demon Romance

What is it with paranormal books lately? I didn't mind the influx of vampire and werewolf/shifter romances. I liked most of the themes and the conflicts they presented. However, lately I've been reading more and more about demons. Demons with heart, demons that buck the systems of hell and demons living and romancing within the rules of hell. I've read five books/novellas set in this new direction and I'm not loving it. I'm finding they are trying to write romance within worlds where backstabbing, moral perversion, ethics corruption, hedonistic pursuits with soul stealing strings and torture/mayhem/ and various forms of disrespect are, well, respected. Those negative human traits are sought after and held in high esteem. Heck, even murder is ho-hum. Echoes of Dexter? What the heck is happening? Desensitizing? I'm not talking about redeeming them, having them save their souls or the power of true love saves all. There is no saving or changing. They remain as they are, demons. They remain in that world and their loving seems to embrace promiscuity, infidelity, mind/body/soul rape, and a twisted view of what love and the pursuit of romance is all about. I am not entertained. I am not accepting of this new line of writing and it makes me very uncomfortable in thinking new readers just getting into the racier levels of romance find themselves cavorting with demon lore as though it's normal, acceptable and desirable. I tolerate a LOT with vampires and werewolves. There's a decent thread among those stories that have much in common with what you'd expect from romance. I also find the marketing ploy of putting two established authors who write very well and are much loved by me with two newer writers who focus on this new demon line, tacky. Probably profitable, ( which is the bottom line, isn't it?) but I'm not happy. Are they trying to seduce me into reading these? Are they trying to entice me into accepting them by virtue of the other authors? Not working. OK, so I read them to give them a fair shake. I have been thinking about this for awhile but after reading these, I think I've read enough to cultivate a personal view. I give kudos for trying to find an untapped niche. I find some of the writing styles and capabilities are to be admired and acknowledged, but the topic, of making me sympathetic to life and love ( I use that word loosely) in the world of demons, is not creating a fan out of me. The closest I've come to is reading books with demons are books by Kim Harrison or L.A. Banks. There is a line I won't cross and their books straddle it. I have no idea what others think about this. I don't know if anyone has noticed this new trend or even if they have an opinion. I do. And I have shared it here. No. No. I do not like this latest fad/trend/story arc. Anyone have a different opinion?

OK so I almost did it and yet, ...

I almost reclaimed my garden.
Except, I didn't.
I made it somewhere else using something else.

Anyone have any luck planting INSIDE cinder blocks?
I am giving it a whirl. Mostly because every time I dig, even in places
that have been dug before, there are rocks.

It's an unconventional raised garden but at this point, I'm going to try anything.
Ferns, those pretty frothy green things, in conjunction with some strange vigorous perennial green leafy fragrant plant which can grow four feet tall, have taken over my old place of gardening.

So, I bought lots of new MooDoo and humus and soil and other planter's helper type stuff and some time release fertilizer and off I went.

I have petunias and marigolds and cosmos and portulaca.
I have yellow squash and some type of sweet pepper, and six Roma tomatoes and six Big Boy tomatoes and six muskmelon a/k/a cantaloupe, and oregano, and six cucumbers.
I planted seeds of zucchini, dill, fennel and okra and sunflowers.

This ends up being the most gardening I've done in three years. I can't believe it's been that long and once I got my hands in the dirt, I'd realized how much I actually missed it.

Another thing I recently miss is my library.
They are closed until further notice.
Seems Friday afternoon, the ceiling in the main lobby gave way and crashed.
No one was hurt and here's the kicker, or the oddity.
In years past, until this year, they've adopted their summer hours the first full week after schools let out. This year, they opted to change their hours the SAME day the schools closed for the summer.

Here is the wierd part. If they had not done that, if they remained on winter hours, they would have been open until 6 PM. On Friday nights they were always busy and usually had people inside all the way up until closing. There would have been injuries. But for some reason, unknown to me, they changed this year.
And that change, that decision saved patrons from injury; and for the children in the kids section so close to the main lobby, saved them from a frightful sight.

They have no idea why the ceiling 'failed' as they termed it. They now have to check the whole building for structural integrity.

The thing that gets me about our little 127 yr old library, give or take a year, is that we've been struggling to save, generate and raise funds for an expansion for years. The library has been applying for grants and have gone before the town asking for the town's support. For all the valuable services this little building provides to all of us...why is it SO hard to support them when they support US so unfailingly?

And yet, the process has been dragged out so much and so long, this almost tragedy has come to pass. It remains a tragedy because the library is so much a part of my life in the summer. It enriches my family in books, videos and music. Now there is nothing. The other libraries in our local vacinity either have dragons for librarians or are even smaller than us with hours shorter than a blink.

What can I do? What will happen to our little town library that no one seems to want to give money to, to support and yet demands so much from?

It just doens't seem right.
I love my library,
I miss it,
and I want it reopened.

Thanks Bailey for letting me know!

In the middle of the article about Danielle Steele, there is a poll ... do we read romance books?

OK, so they labeled them 'bodice rippers'..but the thing is...the NO's! are winning!

Romance books ARE literary art! They DO count. They DO matter!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25191970/

If you have 30 seconds... click for romance books!!!!

Picture Smorg