Thougts on my 10th RWA Conference

I started mentioning this on Twitter but I have way too many thoughts running through my brain, I could never narrow it down to a limited number of characters so though I don't know how many people will see this, it's the best forum to use.

Before I go any further though, shout out to Wendy (and more about her later) for letting me use her laptop.

In some ways since my first conference in Dallas in 2007, somethings have remained the same and in others things are different as night and day.

The Differences
My health.  I was 12 years younger at 53 then I at 65. (I know! Can you believe it?  For those who have never met me, I don't look it or act like it).  Since my first one I've broken my left leg, done major tendon damage to my right leg, had a heart attack, worsening depression, loss of a good deal of bladder control - those keigal musscells (lost the ability to spell good :) ) ain't what they used to be, lost hair in my nether regions but gained it on my face, and a lot of other stuff.  So I don't have the stamina like I used to

Ebooks.  They were just in their infancy 12 years ago.  While Romancelandia was much more advanced, the rest of the reading world was just starting to use them.  I said at the time they aren't for me but today that's all that I read on.

Books.  This is a huge one.  When I ,first started coming, I'd be shipping box after box - usually up to 4 or 5 home.  This year I have six books, only because I was given them, and most of them I plan on giving away when I get home not because I don't want to read them but because I only read about .5% print books.

Author signings.  I don't plan on going to any this year.  It's NOT because I don't adore authors with every breath of my being; I still do, but I don't like standing in front of them while they are sitting looking up at me.  I get totally tongue tied, don't know what to say and up feeling stupid while there is a long line behind me waiting.   Talking with them one on one or in a small group is completely different and wonderful.  Plus, I'm not an autograph collector.  Even if I were standing in Front of Jason Mamoa - and which woman breathing wouldn't want to - it still wouldn't occur to me to ask for his autograph.  A hot and heavy and sexy as hell kiss is a different story, though I'm mindful ofthefact he's married to Lisa Bonet and seems to adore her so it would remain my thoughts only.....and would probably stay in my thoughts only for my remaining years.  But anyway you get the picture.  Not a collector.

Blogs vs Twitter.  I'm guilty of this myself.  While I want to blog a lot more than I used to, I just don't have the time or need materials to blog.  But I do use Twitter a lot.

Cell Phones.  Back 12 years ago they were very rare.  Now EVERYONE has them - including me, though as like ereaders, I said never me.  But thank goodness I'm adaptable and I'm now one of those who can be found sitting around on my cell phone.

I've gotten carried away so this will be a multiple posting run.

til later

Afterthoughts on RWA

Jessica wrote a Most Excellent Post on the economics of attending RWA.  There is no question it’s quite costly and I do wonder why I am willing to pay that much money when I’m not an author and at this point in time don’t have any plans to be one.  I do write though, I love to write.  That’s why I started blogging so many years ago.  I didn’t and still don’t have the talent, time or ambition to write a novel.  That’s one reason why I admire so many authors even if their works may not work for me.  They are driven to write and I appreciate that.

So again, why am I willing to spend so much money?  I spent years when my kids were small doing vacations I hated.  Camping.  After spending all those years doing what I didn’t like, I want to do what I do like, no, not like but love.  To be surrounded by romance people is like nirvana for me.  I have found going a very empowering experience.  While I once hid my passion for romance from everyone, now I’m proud romance reader and have no problems telling people where I go for that week in July.  I couldn’t have done that before.  But listening to speakers, talking to fellow romance fans and meeting authors has made me proud to be part of the community.  And a community it is.  My time at RWA proves that.  Not once in all the conferences I’ve gone to have I felt out of place.  It took a while to figure out what to say when someone I’d never met asked me what I wrote.  Then the answer came to me – I don’t write romance, I write about romance.  I AM what authors write for.  I completely realize that for many of them RWA is also a time for business and I think that’s part of the appeal.  There is a professionalism underlying the conference.  I’ve been to RT and it’s a different vibe.  For me, I like the RWA vibe better.

I am thrilled beyond belief when an author recognizes me.  I didn’t get to spend as much time with authors as previous years, but the interaction, brief as it was, was like a balm to my soul.  I didn’t talk to her, but Nalini Singh waved at me when I was checking in.  Julie James came to our table for a short while one night.  Tessa Dare was thrilled to see me when I went to her line at a signing.  Really, it’s the other way around.  And Lisa Kleypas is a very special person to me.  When I saw her, well, that moment alone made me glad I had spent the money and gone.

Reconnecting with friends again is so very, very special.  Wendy, my roomie, Rosie, LB Gregg, those are the people I hang out with the most and even though it’s a year that passes between spending time with them, it feels like only a few months.  Every time there is that instant connection.  Nath and Ames were there.  It’s been a couple of years since I’ve spent time with them, but within moments it was like that time wasn’t years, but only months.  Instant connection again.  I know I’ll forget if I start naming names, but I enjoyed each and every conversation I entered more than I do many normal conversations with my RL people.  For me that’s priceless.

At the beginning, I’m being honest, part of the appeal was all the books.  I would pick up so many books it would seem to offset much of the price I was paying but as I said earlier, I cut way back on the number of books I picked up this year.

I kind of think of it as a fantasy camp in some ways.  I get to interact with the stars and bright lights of a profession I get so much enjoyment from.  I’m not sure how much a fantasy camp costs but I imagine quite a bit.

And while I’m not an author and find the conference a way to renew my desire to write a book, I do find it my desire to renew my desire to blog is intensified.  I had so many great ideas for blog topics while I was there.

Despite all the good and wonderful things about attending the RWA conferences, there are a few things that, while I certainly won’t say bad, are a bit discombobulating for me.  I live by myself, me and my two cats Finn and Munch (who were less than excited when I was watching Law and Order and pointed out Finn and Much the police detectives to whom they were named after).  Being surrounded by so many people while WONDERFUL, is still a bit unsettling after a while for someone used to living with only 2 cats.  In order to remain sane, I have to take more down time than I would like.  I would like to be go, go, going all the time as the hours in a day when I can connect with others is limited, so even as I unwind I resent the fact that I have to.  But if I don’t, I’d be like a robot who goes into overload and just shuts down completely.  Claustrophobia is connected with this somewhat and it’s getting a bit worse each year.

In addition, I wasn’t in the physical shape I should have been.  One of the side effects that takes a loooong time and is one of the hardest to overcome for me when I’m in a depression is weight gain.  I’d lost over 50 lbs and sadly put it all back in my lost year last year.  But I’m going to go into training and plan to be much shapelier – in more ways than one – for the next conference I go to.  Again that limitation was very frustrating.  My back, my feet and other parts of me were breaking down by the end.

But despite these couple of issues, for me, attending RWA is worth every penny.  I’m fortunate as I have a nice disposable income, I make pretty good money, my house is all paid off and my husband left a very nice pension.  Plus I live rather frugally most of the year.  So for me to attend RWA is a time of empowerment, a time to connect again with people dear to me, to express appreciation to authors for the time they have entertained me and made me happy, to drink and talk books, to not have to go to my job every day, to mingle and absorb atmosphere and to truly appreciate the wonderful community I am a part of.

 

'til later

 

RWA Day 2, 3, 4, 5 and afterthoughts

Another post with no pictures.  I can't keep doing this!!!  I can't!

(had to do it - couldn't not do it)

I meant to blog a bit each day about what I did, but it didn’t quite turn out that way.  I find the conferences to be either Very High Energy during which times there is no time for blogging or, in my case, sprawled full out in a chair barely able to move, thus physically unable to blog.  My roomie Wendy could manage a couple but then she is years  younger than I am.  So the first few days will be from memory and that’s pretty faulty these days.

Day 2 – so it was a calm day for the most part.  Wendy was in Librarians Day all day – being the SuperLibrarian that she is.  I kind of wandered for the most part.  Wandered across the street for brunch, wandered around the hotel, wandered, wandered, wandered.  It would have been a good time to do a blog post except I didn’t really have anything to say.

Then it was time for the literacy signing.  I always find these very difficult.  First off, as I find authors above me in the pecking order of the romance world, it’s very strange to be looking down as they are sitting in their chairs and I’m standing.  It just doesn’t seem natural to me.  I very rarely know what to say.  I’m not an autograph collector AT ALL so their autograph, while appreciated, doesn’t mean as much to me as to many others.  I doubt I would even ask Richard Armitage for an autograph.  A wet, slow, French kiss maybe – but not an autograph.  I’m semi-claustrophobic, meaning I’m OK for a certain length of time, then I MUST get out – as soon as I can.  If I have books to pay for and there’s a long line to pay it can be a tough one.  And the noise!!!  You get a crowed ballroom size room with so much talking, I’m lucky I can hear a single thing.

I was in the room for 10 minutes before the claustrophobia hit this time, not long enough to pick up any books.  I had to leave for a while.  I did go back and picked up a few books.  But every year I think I will skip it this year – but so far haven’t followed through.

But if the Literacy signing was tough, what came after was the opposite.  A bunch of us met in the bar.  Now if I forget someone – it’s not intentional, it’s my faulty memory.  But there was Blythe and Lynn from AAR, of course my roomie Wendy.  There were the other two of the main quartet of us, LB Gregg and Rosie.  Then we had Nath, Ames, Kim (from Hawaii though now she’s back on the mainland) a few other people who I hadn’t met before and Jessica sat at a table close by.  I cant remember if Limecello was there that night or not but I did have some chat time with her too.  We are both fans of So You Think You Can Dance and tweet during the playing of.  It was ever so nice to see her in person.  I just adore her and was so glad to run into her a number of times.  Talk of books and all things romance related was wonderful.  Being surrounded by like-minded people is almost like something out of a dream.  I got to bed late that night with a wee bit of an alcohol induced glow.


ETA:
Hilcia!!  How could I forget Hilcia.  Old age is my only excuse.  To see what I'm talking about you must keep reading.  I'm doing this edit on my IPad and it won't let me go to the bottom of the page.  Neither can I figure out how to do links.  But I will fix this when I get to work tomorrow.

And Christine.  I'm going to be doing this all night, I just know it.
 

Day 3 started off early!  Instead of lunches now, RWA has breakfasts with speakers, the speaker of this one was Barbara Freethy.  So we had to be up and out of the room early as it started around 7:30.  Amazingly we found Nath and sat with her.  Breakfast was buffet style and pretty good and I quite enjoyed the speech Ms. Freethy gave.  I’ve read some of her books but none for a while.  An author back on my radar – always love that.  She self-publishes now which makes the books somewhat less expensive.  One thing they always have at the RWA speaker meals is free books from whichever particular speaker there is so I got a free book to try.

Then it was off to a workshop.  They have a plethora of workshops – something for everyone.  The one I chose was how to get a blogger to help an author.  Now that won’t work in my case.  I don’t take or do requested reviews, never have, never will, but that is my own personal choice and I do think that reader blogs can be great for authors.  But I did enjoy the workshop and agree with much of what was said.

Then after that the publisher signings got under way.  I’ve since lost track of what publisher when but this year was going to be different!  I wasn’t planning on getting any books except for a few for close friends as I read mostly ebooks now.  And while I did cut down CONSIDERABLY, I couldn’t resist a few more than I planned for myself.  I’ll have to get out my reading glasses as I need them for print books now.

And at this time I simply must give Avon a huge shout out.  Any who follows this blog at all knows by now that they are my favourite whipping publisher from their covers, to their limited genres to the prices they charge for ebooks.  I am very hard on them and deservedly so I reckon.  But here’s where I give them high fives and wish all publishers would catch up with them.  For every print book they had there for attendees, they also had a card to download a free e-book.  I stopped at a few authors tables and they almost apologetically said they had no books left, only ebook cards at which point I told them, no, that is exactly what I want!!  I didn’t want their print books so I was fine that they had run out.  I ended up picking up a large number of ebook cards and they barely weigh a thing.  Of course the next challenge with be to see if I can actually download them and make sure I do it before they expire.

So huge KUDO’S to Avon, I’m very grateful.

They had two signings in the mornings and two in the afternoon so much time was spent in line ups.

Now my memory begins to mist as I think I didn’t do anything in the evening, just a later dinner and then stayed in the room.

Day 4 was pretty much a repeat of Day 3.  The speaker on Day 4 was Julia Quinn.  She also did a fine job.  I did go to one workshop that was the best one I’ve been to in all the workshops I’ve attended.  And it wasn’t so much about the art or craft of writing, but more writing through depression.  That workshop wasn’t taped like any of the others so I’m not going to say anything about it other than I found it very moving and helpful.

I think we are at Friday now and if so, a group of us went out for dinner.  We had planned on going to Hard Rock Café but it was up to an hour and a half waiting time so we went to Guy Fierro’s instead.  Since I’m a big food channel fan, I liked going there better anyway.

Then again many of us met up at the bar.  There are so many good talks that go on at RWA it’s hard to pick favourites but this night was one of mine.  We were chatting about how the blogging world has changed over the years, that many individual voices have left blogging and how we as a community are missing them.  I’ve seen a number of new blogs spring up, but many are more dedicated to promoting authors with either book giveaways or author ‘tours’ and I’m not saying there is anything wrong with them.  But I am saying that the individual voices of bloggers who are in just for the sheer love of blogging and romance as a whole has declined and those who remain miss them.  I can’t say much as I was one who disappeared myself for a while but it wasn’t until I saw how many others were also gone that I realized how vital they are.  We debated on the reasons why.  Could it be Facebook or Twitter that have replaced them?  Has the drama that comes and goes discouraged some from continuing on?  Has RL got in the way?  I don’t know what it is exactly, but I know I miss them dreadfully and hope they come back to the rest of us.  Knowing how I feel without their voices makes me more determined to keep going myself.  If I got nothing else out of the week, I got the renewed vow to keep on blogging.

It was another late night and planned early breakfast

Day 5 was Saturday, the final day.  The morning speaker was Nalini Singh.  Earlier in the week I walked past her and she waved at me.  I was thrilled she remembered me from previous RWA’s.  And as with the others, I really enjoyed her talk. 

By Day 5 I was almost dying of exhaustion – I’m not as young as I was when I first started going and I confess, not in the best of shape.  I’m starting to train tomorrow night for next year.  I was telling people my feet broke on Thursday and by Saturday it felt like my back was breaking too!  But at least I made breakfast.  Roomie Wendy didn’t.  Her Super powers deserted her.

I was too tired to make it to the morning signing.  Right after breakfast was over I’d headed back to bed for a morning nap.  But I did eventually get up and started moving even if it wasn’t as quickly as I was moving at the beginning of the day.

All along I had planned on attending the RITA’s.  I had a never been worn fancy black dress, I’d just purchased an adorable wrist bracelet and I had even brought good shoes to wear.  But between being tired to the max and having to be up early on Sunday morning for a very long day, I decided to skip them this year.  Very reluctantly did I skip them.  The good thing was the live streamed then this year so I did watch as I packed.  But then the live stream gave up part way through Jill Shalvis’s speech.  I thought it was me that broke things but found out later that it went down for everyone.  I debated heading down to the bar for a final goodbye – and fell asleep while debating.  Since I didn’t have a cell phone (see previous post) and the wifi was down, I missed Wendy tweeting me that they were meeting up.  But as I was asleep then anyway, I still would have missed it.

Sunday I was up at 7:00 am, on my way to the train station for a few hours train trip and then the real killer of the day – the six hour drive home.  I walked in my back door around 9:00 PM.

And now I’m finished.  Part 2, my afterthoughts coming up when my brain is all rested too.

'til later

I Made It - Day 1 at RWA

So I made it here to New York City.  My goodness but it's a big city with lots and lots of traffic.  I took the train from Albany, a train trip I HIGHLY recommend.  It's ever so much more relaxed than flying.  And the scenery!!  Most of the trip is along the Hudson river.  I wanted to put on the soundtrack from Last of the Mohicans and go back in time, but alas, my earbuds were packed away.

But when the train arrived at Penn Station, what a different vibe. The hotel is maybe 8 blocks or so away but I still took a cab since I didn't know where it was.  Took about 1/2 hour & cost $13!  Yikes.

I was thrilled that Wendy was in the room when I got here.  Right away talk turned to romance and it was like I just saw her a few weeks ago.

I did see Nath, Ames, Rosie & Naths sister who is here more to site see but they were headed to the Jimmy Fallon taping so we didn't get a chance to chat.

But the hotel is starting to fill up with romance people as we start trickling in from all over the place for this time I love to spend with my people.

Well, that's it for now but I'll be back.  Picturless I'm afraid, I'm doing this on my iPad and don't know how to do pics.  And I'm phone less so I kind of have to rely on Twitter.  But still, I'm here.



'til later

The Saga of the Cell Phone and Other Stuff Complicating my Life

I’m not a cell phone user.  I have one but it crapped out months ago and wouldn’t charge up again.  And I can’t say I really cared or noticed.  I had taken a few pictures and was just learning how to text, but for the rest – well, I couldn’t even really figure out how it worked.  But since I’m headed off to NY next week for RWA *happy dance* I need it again for its texting abilities and I decided I’d best start looking on how to get it fixed.  I scoured the internet – at work – for someplace that could fix it, tried a few numbers but they were asking an arm and a leg.  I finally got hold of one place that was reasonable and had been around for a while.  I drove quite a distance after work to take it there.  They took one quick look and told me it was obsolete and they didn’t have any parts for it.  Come On!!  I’ve only had the phone for about 3 years.  How can it be obsolete this soon!!

So I drove a long ways once again to my local Rogers thinking ‘the heck with it, if my phone is outdated, I may as well get another one and Rogers is the provider.

 

Well, I hit another nasty snag there.  I’ve had this plan I’m on for so long now, that I would have to get a new one if I were to get a new phone.  At present I pay $15/month, which for me is too much since I’ve gone months and months now without using my phone.  But if I were to get a new phone the monthly cost would jump to $80/month!!  And that’s not even with internet capabilities.  Well dang straight if I’m not getting my money’s worth at $15/month, I’m sure not going to pay $80!  So then he said the only other alternative was to buy a phone outright and transfer the info.  The lowest priced phone they had was $300.  I hate Rogers, hate them hate them.  I know they are in to make a profit and I don't begrudge them that. But what they do is highway robbery!!  

I looked at him, blinked a couple of times and then said “well, I don’t like either of those options”  I think I rather stumped him.  I was on my way out of the store thinking to myself ”shit! Shit, Shit!” when a young mother stopped me and said she overheard the conversation and said she had gone through the same thing and ended up getting a real good phone for a real good price on Amazon.  I thanked her but inside was thinking (I do a lot of thinking inside my head – and cursing too) “but I need it by Friday.”  I looked on Kijiji and Amazon last night but as for the most part I can’t even figure out how to answer my phone, knowing what to look for was beyond me so I quit in frustration and went on to watch So You Think You Can Dance.  It was rather funny as one of the peeps I tweet with sent me a private tweet asking if my phone number was the same as she’s going to RWA also and that’s the best way to connect.  So I’d hit the wall on the phone issue.

 

BUT

I was telling one of my co-workers yesterday about the problems I was having with the cell phone and she looked at mine and said she thought her son had almost the same one on his desk – several cell phones before.  And lo and behold didn’t she bring it in this morning for me just in case I needed it.  Bless her heart!!  I took out the charger to plug it in and get it charged up after changing SIM cards so all my info on the other phone would be in this one – including the phone number so she said and wasn’t it so not the right phone charger.  I don’t even know where I got the one I was carrying around.  And since I thought it was the right one for the phone, which means I’ve no idea where the correct charger is!  So I have a feeling my next hunt will be for a phone charger.  

*sigh*

Last time I went to the States to visit my sister, I somehow managed to get pulled over by New York States finest somewhere around Buffalo.  While I’m a very law abiding citizen in general, I do seem to have a need for speed when I’ve been a way for a while and I can almost smell the American/Canadian border and home.  I saw the flashing light and moved over the outside lane so he could pass me to get to the real criminal, only he didn’t pass me.

*sigh*

I was being pulled over for speeding.  Now this is where it gets strange.  He gave me a ticket but the ticket didn’t say how much I owed.  I was to enter my plea and sent it back.  Being a mostly law abiding citizen – except for my need for speed – I pleaded guilty and mailed it back.  And I’ve never heard from them since.  That was months and months ago.  Now I’m crossing the border again and in the back of my mind I’m terrified I’ll get stopped at the border for the criminal I am.  I tried calling yesterday so get it sorted out but talk about voice mail hell!!  Yikes!  By the time (20 minutes later) I got through to the proper place, the office had closed.  I did learn though that they closed the DMV in Buffalo which is where I would have gone.  And that you can pay on line with Master Card but I have Visa.  I’m just keeping my fingers crossed now that they are busy at the border and backed up and they’ll just waive me through.

 

I have On Star.  I love On Star – one of the reasons I haven’t worried too much about not having a cell phone.  In case of emergency I can phone them through my car and if my car crashes and air bag deploys, they call me.  But the last couple of times when I’ve headed home, for some reason they can’t download directions home.  And I don’t remember exactly the route – it’s an 8 hour drive to my sister’s place.  The last time it was almost funny if it wasn’t so nerve racking.  I had a live OnStar person talking me through Troy New York while at the same time I had happened to have an old GPS that I ended up using too.

 

The live On Star person could hear the Garmin and was saying “yes that’s the way you go,” or “no, don’t turn that way” 

 

 

By the time I got onto the I95, it’s no wonder I was stressed and started to speed.  I just wanted to, like ET, go home.

 

 

'til later

Yep - believe it or not - I'm back again!

“Wowzers!” anyone still visiting here will be thinking.  “Wait a minute, didn’t you just do a post yesterday?”

Yes, yes I did and I’m doing another one today.  Work has slowed down considerably and I’m one of the few ones with stuff to do and I’m bombarded with other Assistants wanting to know if I need help.  I don’t really – but they want to do something and if I have them help me with my work, it gives me time to do this – win/win

I was brief yesterday but I’ll get more wordy today – something I’m always on board with.  What’s going on my life?  Let’s see.  Just got through a very tough time.  I’ve never named where I work here and don’t plan on doing it today.  But I will say I work in health care.  I work as an assistant to what we call Care Coordinators, most of them nurses.  They help arrange for home care for clients getting out of the hospitals, going to nursing homes (though I’ve nothing to do with that special focus) and kinds of other interesting things.  I have two Care Coordinators myself that I do administrative work for but I work on a team within a team with 16 in total and I love them.  I know people complain about the health care system in Ontario – and a lot of it with good reason.  But daily I see these people are dedicated to helping others and often go that extra mile.

Now they went on strike a few weeks ago.  Again, I’m not going into the issues, but what they were asking for was completely reasonable and all of their assistants all across the province were behind them 100%, encouraging them and offering all the support we could. 

  
But we are in a different union so we still had to go into work.  And because they were out and upper management were spread very thin, we assistants had to step up and take on a lot of the responsibilities that we are normally expected or trained to do.  We aren’t nurses and we don’t have the expertise we needed to handle a lot of the calls.  Some of the ones I took were SO difficult because they needed to speak to their coordinator and their Coordinator wasn’t there.  They are back at work now thank goodness, but it really did upset my depression apple cart.  I felt the same way as I did back in September when it was so bad.  But thankfully the meds I’m taking are good and our very dear Care Coordinators are back and my work world isn’t so topsy turvy again.

 In other news, I’m headed to RWA again year.  And me and Wendy are going to be roomies again – yea!!  We weren’t for a couple of years – she was Librarian of the Year – and most deservedly so – and last year I skipped it as the money was allocated to a total redo of my bathroom.  I’m so excited for that.  It’s tradition now *grin*

I’m also a grandma – not sure if I’ve blogged about that.  Yes, my youngest son and his wife whom I love to bits and bits had a little boy last October.  And Jace is his name.  He’s cute as a bug – as I imagine all grannies say about their granbabies.  It’s amazing how much I’d forgotten over the years about taking care of a newborn.  The holding the head thing freaked me out.  I’m glad he can hold his own head now.  Right now he’s in Mexico with his mama and papa.  Two weeks after that he’s headed to Florida with his mom and his other grandparents and in May he’s headed to Italy.  It’s very strange when six month old baby has done way more traveling than his granny.

While I haven’t been blogging lately – a long lately – I have been doing reviews on GoodReads.  I signed up there for a Challenge and gave myself 60 books to read this year.  Astonishingly I’m up to 30 all ready.  That’s what happens when you need a new cable box because the sound has gone on the one you have now.  And the only station where the sound is normal is CNN.  And as anyone who has tried to do it, watching CNN can be depressing!!!!! And – why is everything “
Breaking News” there??

I’d watch a story at say 5:00 pm and then again at 11:00 and it’s the same story and it’s still breaking.  Breaks don’t take that long.  I know.  I had a break in my leg and it only takes seconds.

Now, one might ask “But why doesn’t she just take the box back and get a new one instead of watching Wolf Blitzer every day.”  And that would be a real good question, I don’t like Wolf Blitzer.  I do like Anderson Cooper though.  I think everyone likes Anderson Cooper – how can you not?   The answer as to why I haven’t got a new box is I don’t really have an answer for that – except it’s electronicky and I don’t like electronicky.  I don’t watch much TV except for Face Off every Tuesday.  And I’ve gotten pretty fast at reading the captions.   I will have to before April though when the next season of Outlander comes on.  We have to have good sound for that – it’s imperative. 

But, I’ve read a lot more books than usual.  And I’ve done reviews for all of them at Goodreads and it seems easy as anything to copy and paste them on the blog.  So that’s what I plan to do – that along with my ramblings about all kinds of stuff.

And my final rambling of today……  This was who I saw last night and he was WONDERFUL!!!

I saw him 30 years ago on his Reckless tour the first time around and now I saw him again last night.  He's looking much older.  Of course when I saw him the first time it was The Palace of Auborn Hills and he was at the front and we were at the very back so he was about 1/2 inch tall.  And while our tickets last night were very good, I have, I think, 5 pairs of glasses for me near sightedness - I think that's when you can't see things far away - which makes no sense - and I couldn't find a one of them.  So while he was much bigger last night, he was also quite fuzzy.





OK, OK, OK - since his Mama pastes his pics on Facebook all the time - is he not just cute as a button?  Was I right or was I right!

and what does it say about me that I make the picture of Bryan Adams bigger than the one of my grandson????  I think it's maybe because I'm still not 100% on board posting pics of him - granbaby that is - not Bryan.

Once again I`ve been so bad

at blogging *unhappy sigh*

Right now I`m here in the big city of New York at RWA. As usual I`m having an amazing time. There is so much stuff going on, I think I`ll just do point form

I had a melt down when I first got to the hotel. I`d stayed the night before at the Algonquin Hotel and was NOT impressed. It had to be the smallest hotel room I`ve ever seen and even worse, the air conditioning didn`t work. I suffered through though and then took a 45 minute cab ride for what was pretty much a 15 minute walk.

I have never seen traffic like it is here. Never. Ever, never, ever. I could not live in this city or I`d go nuts though it interesting to visit.

Once I got past my meltdown - thankfully Rosie showed up to rescue me, things started getting much better. I met up with Lisabea and Nath and her sister Emily. Wendy was a late arrival since she, the RWA Librarian of the year, had Librarian duties that kept her occupied for a while.

I don`t really know how to explain it, but all these people I see once a year at RWA and when we get together, it`s like we last saw each other only a few weeks ago. At the risk of mush overload, I am just so damn happy to see them all. There is this bond that is indescribable. OK - mush over.

If I start naming people, I`m sure I will forget half the names, but a few standout meetings. It was wonderful sitting with and talking with Susanna Kearsley at the bar. I was so excited to hear she would be going and was looking forward to meeting her. Christine was another person I was pumped to meet. It`s funny - it seems you get to know these people so well through blogging and or twitter and then when you meet in person, there is already a well established friendship base (oops - lapsed into mushy again)

Today I went to lunch with some Carina Press people. I was quite excited about this as I have really gotten on board the digital book band wagon and I`ve found some great books at Carina Press.

Angela James is a great speaker. I sat in on a spotlight she did for Carina and she`s charming, friendly and funny.

Getting a chance to chat with Blythe and Lynne from All About Romance was great. I love that site. It was there that I first realized I was not alone and was the first step on my journey that helped lead to where I am today. So meeting up with them is especially meaningful.

Back to yesterday. I went to the literacy signing, but as you may have heard, it was crowded. Beyond crowded. I knew as soon as I went in that I wouldn`t be able to last long - and I didn`t. I could only make it as far as K as far as author rows go so any author I wanted to see with the last name of L and higher was out of luck. Of course, I`m not comfortable at author signings at the best of times. I`m not really an autograph collector unless the author is special for a reason (such as having a cover where the hero resembles Richard Armitage - Michelle Styles I`m talking to you *g*) And I was real excited to get the first book by Ellen Connell. And I picked up one more, a book by Eileen Dreyer I was curious to try. Then I reached my limit. *sigh*

I bought a pair of sandals at Walmart that have turned out to be surprisingly comfortable. That`s always a good thing when walking or standing a lot.

I took the train from Albany to Penn Station and much of the journey was along the Hudson River. As I was looking out the train window, I kept imagining the early settlers and the native people traveling up and down it; the colonial soldiers, this history and damn it all - I want more Colonial Romance!! Thank Goodness we have Pamela Clare, but gosh darn it, we need more authors to write in that genre and for scads and scads of readers to read them. Berkley is reprinting some of Pamela Clare`s historicals and at leas the first one has one heck of a gorgeous cover, so listen to what I say and BUY IT. I need you to help me so we can get more books in this genre. Not to mention she is one of m favourite authors.

I resolve when I get back to not be such a lackadasical blogger as I seem to have become recently.

So,

`til later

This and That

Thanks for all your well wishes on the new job!! I do know all the people in that department as in the Intake department, we get all the faxes and deliver them throughout the day. So when I'm on faxing, that's one of the departments I deliver too. When I went down on Friday afternoon, they were all very excited that I was moving to their department. I told one girl who doesn't get by my desk that while you may like having me in the department, you are going to LOVE my calendar (heh heh heh). And a few people in the department I'm leaving asked that when I send emails, I also include them - even if it has nothing to do with that department. They didn't want to miss them :-)

I week or so ago I got an email from the Kobo people that there was a 'fix' to my biggest issue; the diminutive size of the font from downloaded third party publishers and the inability to make it any larger. I took it into Chapters yesterday to have it upgraded. I could have done it myself apparently, but then this is a small electronic devise and - hello - if there's an option someone else will do it I'll take that one every time! The guy said it would take about 10 or 15 minutes so he would come and find me when it was done. I said I'd probably be in the romance section (no probably about it really though). He came by a couple of minutes later and gave me a coupon for downloading a free ebook and a $10 gift certificate for an in store purchase. Do you have any idea how hard it was not to pick up a book?!?!?!? Whenever I had one in my hands I put it back, telling myself I would be in a world of books in just TWO DAYS and to wait until I got back! He made it back with my improved Kobo before I broke down thank goodness - it was a close thing!

So of course when I got home I had to try it out. And of course I needed new books in order to do so. I'd read on DA that the whole series of books by P.B. Ryan were available for an incredibly excellent price at Smashwords. I've read her Patricia Ryan medievals and really enjoyed them, so I went and ordered all the P.B. Ryan series for the incredibly low price of just under $14.00 - amazing! I first heard about Smashwords from Monkey Bear Reviews when she did a review for a new book by Alexis Harrington, an author I loved who seemed to disappear. So I also picked that book up as well as a couple others by Ms. Harrington.

And wonder of wonders - it worked!! I can now adjust the font size on third party ebooks. Ebook publishers - here I come!

Lastly - I should not be here blogging!! No I should not. I thought I'd learned my lesson when I did my last minute packing for Denver. I said then and there that I wouldn't go through that again and figured to have my packing down for RWA 90% done by the Saturday before I left. The best laid plans and all that though. It seems procrastination trumps all as once again, I haven't really started. I've written down what I need to pack - but that's about as far as I've gotten. *sigh* So right now I'm off to do laundry. So when next I report in, it should be from Orlando (should being a key word!)

A final wrap up and a little bit of this and a little bit of that

Now what would a conference be without lots of free books? Not quite so good is what I think. And luckily there were lots of books. I didn't get as many this time as in times past. I didn't want to ship them home so I tried not to buy to many at the book fair, though of course I did buy some. A number were on the list I had and the ones I didn't get, hopefully will be in my hands in a couple of weeks. But this is the list of the books I did get!!

Ashley, Jennifer	Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage
Boyle, Elizabeth	Confessions Of A Little Black Gown
Butcher, Shannon	Running Scared
Butcher, Shannon	Finding The Lost
Dare, Lydia	A Certain Wolfish Charm
Estep, Jennifer	Spider's Bite
Freethy, Barbara	In Shelter Cove
Harlow, Karin	Enemy Lover
Kinsale, Laura	Seize The Fire
Mayhue, Melissa	A Highlander's Homecoming
Novak, Brenda	The Perfect Murder
Parrish, Leslie	Cold Sight
Quinn, Julia	What Happens In London
Quinn, Julia	The Secret Diaries Of Miranda Cheever
Singh, Nalini	Bonds Of Justice
Walker, Shiloh	The Missing
Wilde, Lori	The True Love Quilting Club

I got some good ones didn't I?

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A Little Bit of This

There is a new blogger in town!! Marcella of Marcella's Minis is such a brand new baby blogger that she only has 3 posts so far. But they are 3 very good books so drop in and say hey

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And a Little Bit of That

I'm headed for the country shortly. My sister from Massachusettes is down for a few days. I wasn't sure I could get the time off work - I mean I just had last Friday and Monday off, but I thought it didn't hurt to ask. And low and behold, they found a casual employee who was looking for hours - and she's worked in our department. So (YES!) I'm off tomorrow and Friday. So the 3 of us are going to hang in the country until Monday. Hopefully I'll get some internet time.

So is the month of July turning out to be a good month or what?!?!?!? First off there was RomCon where I saw some old and new friends, then some nice sister time and rounding off the month, the trip to Orlando where I'll get to see more old friends, new friends and hopefully even newer friends. And of course authors - glorious authors.

So I'll be around - just not sure how much

A Tough Time of Year

With two conventions/conferences coming up in the month of July, the first one starting (YIKES!) a week from today, I try my very best to curb my book buying as I never know which ones I might get. But with SO MANY books out in June, July and August, these are just some of the books I'm wanting to get.



As you can see, it's quite a list! And these are just the ones I want RIGHT NOW. As the month goes on and others post about books they've read and really enjoyed, the list gets longer and longer and longer. And when it comes to books I want, I'm not used to waiting; to seeing them on the shelves and telling myself no!!

And not only that, but Chapters just had to have a buy three, get one free promotion on. It has been tough, real tough I tell you, not to give into the seductive lure they have thrown out there. But I've been checking the authors who are going to be at either RomCon or RWA or both and there are quite a number who have the books I want.

So all I need to do for the next month is to make sure I don't drive the Chapters route on the way home from work and try not to check out their on line site to see if the books are in stock and I might make it. Maybe. If I stand firm.

I can do it!! I mean, it's not like I don't have books to read. There have been a few I couldn't resist getting, like Joanna Bourne's The Forbidden Rose. And of course when I saw Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas at Walmart - with a 25% discount - I just couldn't walk on by now could I??

But now I'm making if official. NO MORE BOOKS!!


Now I'll just have to see if I stick to it. It's going to be painful.

D'oh!!

I did not realize until yesterday when I was printing up my itinerary that you could choose your own seats on airplanes!! It's no wonder every trip I've taken so far that I've had the rotten middle seat and had strangers to the right of me, strangers to the left of me and I was stuck in the middle with me. I've been booking far in advance of when you could do that and then not bothering to check until just a couple of days before I left. And I never noticed that button at the bottom where you can pick your seat.
Unfortunately, I was much to late for the trip to RomCon and will be stuck in the middle seat every flight. On one of the flights, the seat I had to go with was the very last one still open!! But thankfully I checked in time for the flight to Orlando and have window seats both there and back. But it figures the longest flight I'll be squished.

So - why am I up at 2:00 am on a Friday Night?

It's not because I had a hot date.

It's not because I'm watching "those" movies :-0

It's not because I drank coffee to late in the evening.

Part of it is because tomorrow is Saturday and I can sleep in.

But the MAIN reason is I've been doing some heavy duty thinking the past day or two. And here is what I've been pondering.

I'm pondering on going to BOTH the RT Convention in Columbus Ohio and the RWA Conference in Nashville next year!!

For those who don't know, I went to an RT Convention a number of years ago and it was a good time/bad time experience. I went by myself and didn't know a soul. In order to save money, I signed up to share a room with 3 other people and while I'm compatible with just about everyone under the sun, that particular weekend I think I got matched with 3 other totally imcompatable room mates. Although we were all at a romance convention, amazingly enough we didn't have anything in common and I spent the majority of the convention on my own - which was a bit lonely at times. On top of that, for some peculiar reason, I didn't budget for food so I was a bit on the hungry side for a good deal of the time - not to mention I didn't have anyone to eat with anyway.

But there were enough good times that I'm very glad I went even though parts of it - the cover model contest - made me a bit squirmy for some reason. I like good looking men as much as the next red blooded woman - but I dunno - maybe there was too much focus on it or a group of women get a bit to undignified when faced with half naked hunks or something.

Fast forward a number of years. By this time I 'knew' fellow romance readers who were going to the RWA conference in Dallas. I had The Best Roomies in the world in Wendy, Sybil and Jane and the whole conference was probably one of the best times I'd ever had.
It was the same in San Francisco and in Washington DC.

So when it came down to choosing which one to go to, choosing the RWA Conference was a given.
But I was talking to Ryan at Thanksgiving and his attitude was 'if you want to go to both - then go to both!!' That got me to thinking 'hmmmmm'. But the real clincher is I got an email at work that I still have five days left of my 2009 vacation. We are supposed to use it up by the end of March but with permission, we can carry over up to 35 hours. That means I can carry 5 days over until April 28, if I take an early flight to Columbus on the Wednesday, take a later flight out on Sunday, this is the way I figure I can work it - Tuesday off to get ready, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday for the convention, take a later flight home on Sunday and then take Monday off to 'recuperate'. That way I still have all my 2010 vacation time left!

And the more I think about it - the more interesting I think it would be to compare the two. If I go to the RT convention, I will already 'know' some people. I know Jill has made it official that she's going.

Jane, Sarah and Angela are putting on a workshop.

READER: DEMYSITIFYING E-BOOKS & E-READERS

FRIDAY: Discuss e-readers, trends and where to buy the best e-book.
Hosted by: Angela James (Quartet Press) and bloggers Jane Litte from Dear Author and Sarah Wendell for Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

So they will be there. If I get lonely, I can throw myself on their mercy.

And there is a Trivia Pursuit event. Do you know how much I enjoy Trivia Pursuit???

READER: TRIVIAL PURSUIT

WEDNESDAY: Join us in a jumping Trivial Pursuit game and prizes
Hosted by: Jessica Andersen, Patricia Grasso and Hannah Howell

So I have a lot to think about. The money it costs terrifies me. My sisters tell me when I open my wallet, moths fly out of it.

But then again - the thought of going to both is almost irresistable!!

But it will cost so much!!

But to get to meet more readers in person!!

But it will cost so much!!

But think how interesting it would be to compare the two .

But it costs so much!!

But I can take my laptop to both.

So the thinking - that's what's keeping me up so late.