Catherine Zeta-Jones wants to play Susan Boyle in a movie about Boyle's life. Yeah, cuz when I look at Zeta-Jones I think, "She knows what it's like to be under-appreciated because of her looks. SHE can relate."
[Serious eye-roll here]
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
K-mart, how I love thee
Two words: Double coupons.
Saving over 60% on items...stocking up...buying extras to donate. And the best part? Over $56 worth of cat food - $13. Midgie and Bucket are happy kitties :)
Saving over 60% on items...stocking up...buying extras to donate. And the best part? Over $56 worth of cat food - $13. Midgie and Bucket are happy kitties :)
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Too Many Stupid People
I've been reading about illegal guns to/from Mexico. Miss California/Perez Hilton. American Idol. The housing market.
In the past few months I've been making a lot of comments about the things going on in our country, but I've decided to stop. Why?
Because there are too many stupid people getting too much attention.
I'd have to devote my LIFE to sitting here responding to them all. I can't keep up. And if I can't comment on everything I don't want to just comment on a few things. The fact of the matter is that I care about EVERYTHING that happens in my country, but trying to be a voice of reason amongst the hip/cool/stupid is too time consuming. I'd rather enjoy my life then spend it hating and slandering others.
Besides, there's only so much I can do. Being frustrated with that won't help. Doing what I can and then moving on...that's the best I can do.
The days are coming when it will get worse. I'm not being a gloom/doom gal, just pointing out what most Christians should have a suspicion of. Don't get me wrong - I am NOT trying to prophesy or anticipate any coming day or event. I'm just stating a fact - things will get worse until they get horrid. And then...it'll be heaven :)
In the meantime I'll briefly step into the choleric shoes that I infrequently wear and get it all off my chest:
DO YOU REALLY THINK I'M THAT STUPID? I KNOW THAT -4+-4 DOES NOT EQUAL 8, SO DON'T TRY TO TELL ME DEBIT WILL MAKE ME RICH!
DISAGREEING WITH YOUR OPINION DOES NOT MEAN I AM SCARED OR HATE WHAT YOU LIKE - IT JUST MEANS I DISAGREE WITH YOU!
GO AHEAD AND SWEAR - PEOPLE USE SWEAR WORDS BECAUSE THEY'RE TOO STUPID TO USE A DICTIONARY AND FIND A REAL WORD.
I DON'T THINK YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO TELL ME WHAT TO THINK JUST BECAUSE YOU WERE IN A MOVIE! THAT DOESN'T MAKE YOU ANY SMARTER THAN LASSIE!
JUST BECAUSE MY OPINION IS DIFFERENT THAT YOURS DOESN'T MAKE ME AN EXTREMIST! ACTUALLY, THE FACT THAT YOU'D CALL ME AN EXTREMIST JUST BECAUSE WE DISAGREE MAKES YOU THE EXTREMIST...NOT ME!
Is there anything else? Any other recent hot topic that I didn't mention? Oh, yeah...
CFL'S SUCK! WHY ARE WE IN SUCH A HURRY TO PUT TOXIC SUBSTANCES IN ALL OF OUR HOMES?? I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW MANY CONGRESSMEN OWN STOCK IN PHARMACEUTICALS...THAT MIGHT EXPLAIN IT.
Okay, I'm done now. No more political comments. They tire me.
I need donuts...
In the past few months I've been making a lot of comments about the things going on in our country, but I've decided to stop. Why?
Because there are too many stupid people getting too much attention.
I'd have to devote my LIFE to sitting here responding to them all. I can't keep up. And if I can't comment on everything I don't want to just comment on a few things. The fact of the matter is that I care about EVERYTHING that happens in my country, but trying to be a voice of reason amongst the hip/cool/stupid is too time consuming. I'd rather enjoy my life then spend it hating and slandering others.
Besides, there's only so much I can do. Being frustrated with that won't help. Doing what I can and then moving on...that's the best I can do.
The days are coming when it will get worse. I'm not being a gloom/doom gal, just pointing out what most Christians should have a suspicion of. Don't get me wrong - I am NOT trying to prophesy or anticipate any coming day or event. I'm just stating a fact - things will get worse until they get horrid. And then...it'll be heaven :)
In the meantime I'll briefly step into the choleric shoes that I infrequently wear and get it all off my chest:
DO YOU REALLY THINK I'M THAT STUPID? I KNOW THAT -4+-4 DOES NOT EQUAL 8, SO DON'T TRY TO TELL ME DEBIT WILL MAKE ME RICH!
DISAGREEING WITH YOUR OPINION DOES NOT MEAN I AM SCARED OR HATE WHAT YOU LIKE - IT JUST MEANS I DISAGREE WITH YOU!
GO AHEAD AND SWEAR - PEOPLE USE SWEAR WORDS BECAUSE THEY'RE TOO STUPID TO USE A DICTIONARY AND FIND A REAL WORD.
I DON'T THINK YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO TELL ME WHAT TO THINK JUST BECAUSE YOU WERE IN A MOVIE! THAT DOESN'T MAKE YOU ANY SMARTER THAN LASSIE!
JUST BECAUSE MY OPINION IS DIFFERENT THAT YOURS DOESN'T MAKE ME AN EXTREMIST! ACTUALLY, THE FACT THAT YOU'D CALL ME AN EXTREMIST JUST BECAUSE WE DISAGREE MAKES YOU THE EXTREMIST...NOT ME!
Is there anything else? Any other recent hot topic that I didn't mention? Oh, yeah...
CFL'S SUCK! WHY ARE WE IN SUCH A HURRY TO PUT TOXIC SUBSTANCES IN ALL OF OUR HOMES?? I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW MANY CONGRESSMEN OWN STOCK IN PHARMACEUTICALS...THAT MIGHT EXPLAIN IT.
Okay, I'm done now. No more political comments. They tire me.
I need donuts...
Friday, April 17, 2009
I got it! Check it out...
...I finally have a theme for my writing blog!
I know, I know...it sounds like it already has a theme (uh...writing), but that is VERY vague. I was never sure if I should offer helpful hints, questions, problems, ideas, samples...there's just SO much involved that I was never sure where to go.
Now I have it.
My writing blog is going to be my on-line journal capturing the madness of my attempt to get a novel published. It could go on for years. Or I could get lucky and end it in 12 months. adkvnowvnovnwejvno (Sorry, I was laughing so hard that I just kind of fell on the keys).
Anyway - that's the plan!
To know how I feel, what I'm thinking, and see how the process works, check it out :) I'd love to have you stop by...
I know, I know...it sounds like it already has a theme (uh...writing), but that is VERY vague. I was never sure if I should offer helpful hints, questions, problems, ideas, samples...there's just SO much involved that I was never sure where to go.
Now I have it.
My writing blog is going to be my on-line journal capturing the madness of my attempt to get a novel published. It could go on for years. Or I could get lucky and end it in 12 months. adkvnowvnovnwejvno (Sorry, I was laughing so hard that I just kind of fell on the keys).
Anyway - that's the plan!
To know how I feel, what I'm thinking, and see how the process works, check it out :) I'd love to have you stop by...
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Finding Spaghetti in a Cookbook
As some of you may know, I'm a writer. Right now I do some freelance work for a small, weekly newspaper. It's not much, but it's a start.
My dream, however, is to publish novels. I've already written a few (which I'm still working on), but I want to see them in print.
As part of this journey, I started attending conferences and submitting to publishers and contests. I also do research on the various publishing houses, just so I know what people want. I mean, I don't want to waste any one's time by sending an 83,000 word novel to a publisher that only prints 10,000 non-fiction.
It was during this research that I found it - one of the most confusing titles I've ever seen: Finding God in "The Shack".
Um...are you serious?
For those of you unfamiliar with The Shack by Wm. Paul Young, it is an amazing story about God, where He is during the hard times in our lives, and His amazing love for us. It would take too long to tell you what a positive effect it had on me, but I'll say this - if you want to believe what the Bible says about God, but you struggle with understanding how there can be evil in the world, pick this up. No book can replace the Bible in it's truth and wisdom, but The Shack can help you relate to it better.
With that said, there is NOTHING about this book that makes God hard to find. The back cover tells you - Mack gets a note, apparently from God. It only takes a couple of chapters for God to appear. I don't want to give anything away, but you'd have to be BLIND to miss God in this book!
And yet some wrote a book on finding God in The Shack? And then someone published it??
What's next? Finding God in The Bible. Finding Spaghetti in a Cookbook. Finding Words in a Book.
Duh. Seriously, I want to published as much as the next person, but I have my limits. Please know that you will never find a book published by me that could have been entitled:
Captain Obvious does it again!
My dream, however, is to publish novels. I've already written a few (which I'm still working on), but I want to see them in print.
As part of this journey, I started attending conferences and submitting to publishers and contests. I also do research on the various publishing houses, just so I know what people want. I mean, I don't want to waste any one's time by sending an 83,000 word novel to a publisher that only prints 10,000 non-fiction.
It was during this research that I found it - one of the most confusing titles I've ever seen: Finding God in "The Shack".
Um...are you serious?
For those of you unfamiliar with The Shack by Wm. Paul Young, it is an amazing story about God, where He is during the hard times in our lives, and His amazing love for us. It would take too long to tell you what a positive effect it had on me, but I'll say this - if you want to believe what the Bible says about God, but you struggle with understanding how there can be evil in the world, pick this up. No book can replace the Bible in it's truth and wisdom, but The Shack can help you relate to it better.
With that said, there is NOTHING about this book that makes God hard to find. The back cover tells you - Mack gets a note, apparently from God. It only takes a couple of chapters for God to appear. I don't want to give anything away, but you'd have to be BLIND to miss God in this book!
And yet some wrote a book on finding God in The Shack? And then someone published it??
What's next? Finding God in The Bible. Finding Spaghetti in a Cookbook. Finding Words in a Book.
Duh. Seriously, I want to published as much as the next person, but I have my limits. Please know that you will never find a book published by me that could have been entitled:
Captain Obvious does it again!
Friday, April 03, 2009
That's Customer Service for You
I'm not the type of person who stays quiet when things happen. If I see something I like, I make it known. When I experience something not-so-hot, I say something, usually to try to fix it. I'm a firm believer that the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Besides, if I did something for someone and they didn't like it, I'd want to know, because chances are good that I was trying to do something nice.
Have I lost you yet? Let me explain.
I've had some problems with the post office. The first was because of a postage situation. I wrote a letter explaining the situation and agreeing to pay for more postage, but the post master took care of it. My packages were mailed and I didn't have to pay extra. Three cheers for the postal dude!
That was pretty easy. This is a small community. People get to know each other, so you can talk to the post master when you need to. I like that about where I live. But what do you do when it's a bigger problem? What if it's not MY post office, but the post office in general? How do you figure out the problem?
Simple - go to the website and contact them (there's a place to express concerns).
Okay, so I'm trying to print postage for a package I want to send. I follow the procedures, but the last two times nothing happens. It just doesn't print anything. Granted I'm not charged for the lack of postage, but there's obviously something wrong. I send a message to the trouble shooters and wait.
Pop quiz: how do you get people to leave you alone? Make communication with you the most annoying thing in the world.
I got an email back from the USPS tech people. Excited, I opened it. POOF. That's the air escaping my lungs as I read the email: [paraphrased for dramatic effect]
We're sorry this isn't working, but I can't help you until you give me the following info:
- what were you trying to print?
- what kind of printer do you have?
- is it a color printer?
- what kind of computer do you have?
- what system do you use?
- how old is your system?
- are you using the factory installed drivers, or did you install your own?
- what color was your paper?
- did you plug the printer into the computer?
Seriously - they sent me about ten questions that needed to be answered about my system before they could help me. But didn't I tell them that I've been able to print postage before? This is a new development, and none of the hardware on my end has changed?
Since I pretty sure my computer ISN'T the problem, and since I'm pretty sure some geeky guy in a cubicle in Virgina doesn't care about my printing problems, I ignored it.
Then came my magazines. I only have two subscriptions. I finally got them in the mail - both of them had the backs ripped off (one had the entire back HALF ripped off). Since they came across country I contacted local and national postal people.
Local post master - concerned, caring. Spoke to me and looked into it for me.
National computer center - [again, paraphrased]
Sorry about your mail. In order to figure out what happened, please give us the following info:
- when was the magazine sent?
- where did it come from?
- how long did it take you to get it?
- what does the label say?
- what's the code on the label?
- is the label white or pink?
- was there enough postage on it?
- did you buy the magazine, or was it a gift?
Once again, I don't think they even read my message. If they did, then they missed the part where the cover was ripped off. You know, the cover - the part with the labels and postage and codes on it??
With all of this said I want to make sure you know that I'm not anti-post office. I like dealing with the locals. I know them. They understand that my two magazines are important to me. I live in TC...it's still snowing here. There's nothing else to do if you don't have your magazines.
But those folks in Virgina...they don't seem to care. And they've made their point. I won't be dealing with them anymore. I will only talk with my local post master. He gets me. He's nice. He really does care about making a good impression, because he lives here, too.
Great big national organizations - they're really losing their appeal.
Have I lost you yet? Let me explain.
I've had some problems with the post office. The first was because of a postage situation. I wrote a letter explaining the situation and agreeing to pay for more postage, but the post master took care of it. My packages were mailed and I didn't have to pay extra. Three cheers for the postal dude!
That was pretty easy. This is a small community. People get to know each other, so you can talk to the post master when you need to. I like that about where I live. But what do you do when it's a bigger problem? What if it's not MY post office, but the post office in general? How do you figure out the problem?
Simple - go to the website and contact them (there's a place to express concerns).
Okay, so I'm trying to print postage for a package I want to send. I follow the procedures, but the last two times nothing happens. It just doesn't print anything. Granted I'm not charged for the lack of postage, but there's obviously something wrong. I send a message to the trouble shooters and wait.
Pop quiz: how do you get people to leave you alone? Make communication with you the most annoying thing in the world.
I got an email back from the USPS tech people. Excited, I opened it. POOF. That's the air escaping my lungs as I read the email: [paraphrased for dramatic effect]
We're sorry this isn't working, but I can't help you until you give me the following info:
- what were you trying to print?
- what kind of printer do you have?
- is it a color printer?
- what kind of computer do you have?
- what system do you use?
- how old is your system?
- are you using the factory installed drivers, or did you install your own?
- what color was your paper?
- did you plug the printer into the computer?
Seriously - they sent me about ten questions that needed to be answered about my system before they could help me. But didn't I tell them that I've been able to print postage before? This is a new development, and none of the hardware on my end has changed?
Since I pretty sure my computer ISN'T the problem, and since I'm pretty sure some geeky guy in a cubicle in Virgina doesn't care about my printing problems, I ignored it.
Then came my magazines. I only have two subscriptions. I finally got them in the mail - both of them had the backs ripped off (one had the entire back HALF ripped off). Since they came across country I contacted local and national postal people.
Local post master - concerned, caring. Spoke to me and looked into it for me.
National computer center - [again, paraphrased]
Sorry about your mail. In order to figure out what happened, please give us the following info:
- when was the magazine sent?
- where did it come from?
- how long did it take you to get it?
- what does the label say?
- what's the code on the label?
- is the label white or pink?
- was there enough postage on it?
- did you buy the magazine, or was it a gift?
Once again, I don't think they even read my message. If they did, then they missed the part where the cover was ripped off. You know, the cover - the part with the labels and postage and codes on it??
With all of this said I want to make sure you know that I'm not anti-post office. I like dealing with the locals. I know them. They understand that my two magazines are important to me. I live in TC...it's still snowing here. There's nothing else to do if you don't have your magazines.
But those folks in Virgina...they don't seem to care. And they've made their point. I won't be dealing with them anymore. I will only talk with my local post master. He gets me. He's nice. He really does care about making a good impression, because he lives here, too.
Great big national organizations - they're really losing their appeal.
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