I traded in the ol' dinosaur - finally - and got a snazzy new computer tower. Lots and lots more memory, much faster. Happy me! I can now work more efficiently, and actually click a button without waiting for a five-minute lag time.
I got it from Gateway, and I decided I love them as soon as I opened the box. NO Styrofoam in sight - just molded cardboard, which is recyclable. Yay, Gateway! You rock.
Hubby now has computer envy - but he's still the one with the bigger monitor.
That's next on my list. :)
Friday, August 14, 2009
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Wednesday Wit
A couple of laughs for you today, one toddler-related, and one writing-related:
Smart Boy
I was having a talk with my toddler earlier this week about ages. Lately, he wants to know how old all our family members and friends are. I went through the list one by one with him, including my own age (hint: it's between 30 and 40). About ten minutes later, he asked me again how old I am. Hoping to reinforce his memory, I answered, "I just told you, honey. How old am I?"
Without missing a beat, he said, "Twenty-one."
C'mon, how do you correct that without wanting to give your kid cookies? :-D
Rejection Ditty (to the tune of that Queen song)
Da, da, da
Another book bites the dust
Da, da, da
Another book bites the dust
And another "No" mailed, and another "No" mailed
Another book bites the dust
Hey, they'll reject you too
Another book bites the dust ...
(I'm considering writing the whole thing out, and singing it whenever I get one of those form rejections.)
Happy Wednesday, all! :)
Smart Boy
I was having a talk with my toddler earlier this week about ages. Lately, he wants to know how old all our family members and friends are. I went through the list one by one with him, including my own age (hint: it's between 30 and 40). About ten minutes later, he asked me again how old I am. Hoping to reinforce his memory, I answered, "I just told you, honey. How old am I?"
Without missing a beat, he said, "Twenty-one."
C'mon, how do you correct that without wanting to give your kid cookies? :-D
Rejection Ditty (to the tune of that Queen song)
Da, da, da
Another book bites the dust
Da, da, da
Another book bites the dust
And another "No" mailed, and another "No" mailed
Another book bites the dust
Hey, they'll reject you too
Another book bites the dust ...
(I'm considering writing the whole thing out, and singing it whenever I get one of those form rejections.)
Happy Wednesday, all! :)
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
On Weird Beer Names and Marketing
Hubby and I were strolling through the grocery store today, and he spied a beer called "Arrogant Bastard Ale." You know when you find something with a name like that, you gotta take a closer look.
The label bears a smiling cartoon devil. The description on the back of the bottle is hysterical. Totally cheeky. It only got funnier as we read it. Someone in Marketing had a brilliant idea, because even at $4.50 a bottle, we bought one to try. (Seriously, if you have this beer where you live, go read it. *snort*)
We're living proof that humor is a great way to sell something. Work humor into your stories, and you're going to grab a reader. People like to laugh. Think about what your book has that will grab a reader emotionally--whether that's humor, or sadness, or anything in between, and really bring that out. Emotion sells romance.
By the way, Hubby disliked this beer (he being a staunch Guinness man), but he says he's keeping the bottle on principle. :)
The label bears a smiling cartoon devil. The description on the back of the bottle is hysterical. Totally cheeky. It only got funnier as we read it. Someone in Marketing had a brilliant idea, because even at $4.50 a bottle, we bought one to try. (Seriously, if you have this beer where you live, go read it. *snort*)
We're living proof that humor is a great way to sell something. Work humor into your stories, and you're going to grab a reader. People like to laugh. Think about what your book has that will grab a reader emotionally--whether that's humor, or sadness, or anything in between, and really bring that out. Emotion sells romance.
By the way, Hubby disliked this beer (he being a staunch Guinness man), but he says he's keeping the bottle on principle. :)
Friday, July 17, 2009
Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Warning: Spoiler Alert!
Now that we got the warning out of the way, on with the movie review. My first impression was that, while this was a good movie, it wasn't a great one. Granted, my expectations were insanely high, considering this is my favorite book of the Harry Potter series. But I couldn't help feeling that this was the Cliff Notes version of the book. It touched on all the high points of the book, bip-bip-bip, but never stopped long enough to examine and feel them as it went. I couldn't help sensing that it lacked the depth of emotion that could, and should, have been conveyed, given the material it had to draw from.
What I Liked:
Ron! Considering fans missed out on the "Weasley Is Our King" bit that would have come up in the last movie (no Quidditch, no WIOK - bummer!), we are given our due here in this film. We get to see Ron in his Quidditch-playing glory. Yay! The Quidditch game, by the way, is maybe my favorite of all the movies. Seeing Ron navigate the perils of romance was fun, too.
I also liked the interaction between Harry and Hermione. Very nicely done, very sweet. Perfect. In fact, all the interactions between Harry, Ron, and Hermione were well done.
They trimmed down the memory lessons with Dumbledore to the two most essential. These were the slowest parts of the book for me, so I was glad to see the director minimize them.
Harry hopped-up on Felix Felicis. Really. Flipping. Hilarious. The movie had to tread very delicately with its comedy, and where they placed it, they did so perfectly. Genius.
What I Disliked:
They changed several things that I thought should have been left as they were in the book.
One, they changed when, where, and how Ginny and Harry have their first kiss. I loved that part of the book, and I feel that, while what they did is nice, it's missing something compared to the book's portrayal.
Two, they changed where Harry is at the time of Dumbledore's death. Instead of being Petrified under his Invisible Cloak, Harry is underneath the platform where Dumbledore is standing, and able to move around and watch what's happening, though Dumbledore has made him promise not to interfere. I think it lacks the dramatic irony of Harry wanting to act, but not being able to.
Three, I was really hoping for the standoff between Harry and Snape at the end to be larger than it was. Harry accuses him twice of cowardice, and Snape doesn't react at all. I wanted this to be a much more hotheaded interchange.
Four, if I remember correctly, the children face off with the Death Eaters in the castle grounds at the end of this book. None of that happens here. A huge shame, and I imagine they must have cut it for time reasons - but it left me hanging.
Finally, there was no funeral for Dumbledore in the movie. That, I think, might have been the most grievous omission, because it's such an important part of the book. Dumbledore was the greatest wizard anyone ever knew, and we should have seen the funeral because of the impact of his death on the wizarding community.
Overall:
I will probably go see it again, but this movie is more of a play-by-play than an emotional journey through the events of the book. Viewers who have never read the series might feel like they're missing something ... and they are. (Read the book for the full impact - it's better!) "Order of the Phoenix" still stands as my favorite film. It'll be hard for them to knock that one out of the top spot. "Half-Blood Prince" sure didn't.
But still, go see it. Just to see Ron win at something besides chess ... and get the girl to boot. :)
Now that we got the warning out of the way, on with the movie review. My first impression was that, while this was a good movie, it wasn't a great one. Granted, my expectations were insanely high, considering this is my favorite book of the Harry Potter series. But I couldn't help feeling that this was the Cliff Notes version of the book. It touched on all the high points of the book, bip-bip-bip, but never stopped long enough to examine and feel them as it went. I couldn't help sensing that it lacked the depth of emotion that could, and should, have been conveyed, given the material it had to draw from.
What I Liked:
Ron! Considering fans missed out on the "Weasley Is Our King" bit that would have come up in the last movie (no Quidditch, no WIOK - bummer!), we are given our due here in this film. We get to see Ron in his Quidditch-playing glory. Yay! The Quidditch game, by the way, is maybe my favorite of all the movies. Seeing Ron navigate the perils of romance was fun, too.
I also liked the interaction between Harry and Hermione. Very nicely done, very sweet. Perfect. In fact, all the interactions between Harry, Ron, and Hermione were well done.
They trimmed down the memory lessons with Dumbledore to the two most essential. These were the slowest parts of the book for me, so I was glad to see the director minimize them.
Harry hopped-up on Felix Felicis. Really. Flipping. Hilarious. The movie had to tread very delicately with its comedy, and where they placed it, they did so perfectly. Genius.
What I Disliked:
They changed several things that I thought should have been left as they were in the book.
One, they changed when, where, and how Ginny and Harry have their first kiss. I loved that part of the book, and I feel that, while what they did is nice, it's missing something compared to the book's portrayal.
Two, they changed where Harry is at the time of Dumbledore's death. Instead of being Petrified under his Invisible Cloak, Harry is underneath the platform where Dumbledore is standing, and able to move around and watch what's happening, though Dumbledore has made him promise not to interfere. I think it lacks the dramatic irony of Harry wanting to act, but not being able to.
Three, I was really hoping for the standoff between Harry and Snape at the end to be larger than it was. Harry accuses him twice of cowardice, and Snape doesn't react at all. I wanted this to be a much more hotheaded interchange.
Four, if I remember correctly, the children face off with the Death Eaters in the castle grounds at the end of this book. None of that happens here. A huge shame, and I imagine they must have cut it for time reasons - but it left me hanging.
Finally, there was no funeral for Dumbledore in the movie. That, I think, might have been the most grievous omission, because it's such an important part of the book. Dumbledore was the greatest wizard anyone ever knew, and we should have seen the funeral because of the impact of his death on the wizarding community.
Overall:
I will probably go see it again, but this movie is more of a play-by-play than an emotional journey through the events of the book. Viewers who have never read the series might feel like they're missing something ... and they are. (Read the book for the full impact - it's better!) "Order of the Phoenix" still stands as my favorite film. It'll be hard for them to knock that one out of the top spot. "Half-Blood Prince" sure didn't.
But still, go see it. Just to see Ron win at something besides chess ... and get the girl to boot. :)
Thursday, July 16, 2009
FYI - I Am No Longer On Facebook
I have removed my Facebook account, as it's too time-consuming to maintain. From now on, the only place you will find me online is on my blog, or my website - so if you want to know all the news, this is the best place to do that. You're still free to contact me if you want to chat, and here is where I'll post any upcoming news on my current or future projects. Thanks, and have a good evening!
Skaneateles - A Perfect Summer Getaway
I mentioned a couple of posts back that I stayed recently at a B&B. That was the Sherwood Inn in Skaneateles (pronounced "skinny-atlas," for you non-native folk). Talk about a summer getaway! Skaneateles is beautiful at any time of year, but the weekend I stayed there was simply amazing. Not too hot, no rain, and enough cloud cover to prevent me from burning to a crisp. How I love Skaneateles!If you get the chance to come to upstate New York, you should check it out. It's a lovely historic town with some amazing food to be had, as well as boats galore for those of you who enjoy that. For the landlubbers, there are scads of quaint shops (including a chocolatier whose biscotti could make your eyes cross, they're so good).
I'll be living off this ultra-relaxing weekend for the rest of the summer. I'm already trying to work out the next time I'll be able to stay there. Siiiigh!
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