This and That

Just when the Olympics end and I figure life will get back to normal, I get the afternoon shift. Screws up my day at both ends - not enough time in the am and too tired in the pm.

I had another Kristie moment the other day. When I got into my car that night and turned it on, the dashboard lights were very dim. As I was driving home, I was trying everything to get them brighter; flipping the switch up and down, turning them off altogether and back on, turning on the inside car light, nothing worked! And I was thinking 'oh ma-an, somehow the car must be loosing power. Now I'm going to have to take it in since I don't want to go on my big adventure with a car loosing power. Good thing I have a car guy now'.
Then it dawned on me. When I drove to work, it was sunny and I wore my shades - prescription sunglasses. To make sure I didn't forget them at work, I put them on before I left the building. The reason the lights were so dim was because:

I wear my sunglasses at night.


I made a huge decision the other night!! I was tweeting up a storm and one of the other twitterers (or is that tweeters?) twitted (or is that tweeted) about the upcoming Australian RWA conference. And then someone else mentioned about the Readers convention in 2011. And I started pondering........
I have ALWAYS wanted to visit Australia - for as long as I can remember. Since the first time I heard Waltzing Matilda and it made me want to cry - even though the lyrics made absolutely not sense. They still make absolutely no sense, yet it still makes me want to cry.

Ever since I saw pictures of kangaroos, kwoala bears and duckbill platypuses. I mean how cool is that animal!! Imagine if you were to cross one with the Canadian Beaver - wouldn't that be an interesting animal!?!

When I realized when we had summer and they had winter I wanted to visit.

When I got older and started having lustful thoughts about a young Mel Gibson before he turned 'odd' I wanted to visit Australia.

When I realized they were a lot like us - only upside down and with an awesome accent (though I'm sure they will deny they have one) I've wanted to visit Australia. There was a coworker a couple of years ago - a young gorgeous coworker who I tried to set up with Ryan and failed miserably - last time I ever tried matchmaking with my sons - who went to school there for a year. When I heard about her plans, I whimpered that I wasn't that adventurous when I was young.
Well - damn it all!! I'm adventurous now and I decided that

I AM GOING TO GO TO AUSTRALIA IN 2011!

Now unless I find a a traveling partner, I'm going to have to do a lot of preparation! A LOT!!

• Quit smoking!
• Exercise!
• Loose weight!
• Dye my hair!
• Start doing more things on my own like going to movies and out to restaurants - not just the food court at the mall.
• All kinds of stuff!!!

Now New Zealand was a country I also wanted to visit - not with the longing I had for Australia - at least not until Lord of the Rings came out. Then I really wanted to visit. To walk the same ground that Frodo and his friends, Aragorn and Boromir and Legolas did.

So I figured since I would be on that side of the globe, I would also stop off and visit New Zealand Nalini Singh lives there. I'm pretty sure my newest author find, Karina Bliss lives there. Orannia lives there, as well as other wonderful bloggers I'm sure.
So, now I have *drum roll* A GOAL!!

I'm late - I'm very late - at the book giveaway - I haven't forgotten - but due to Olympic mania I haven't had time to look for doubles yet - but I do have 2 so far. Somehow I got two ARC of Ravishing in Red so that will be one. And I know I have at least two copies of Beloved Warrior, a book by Patricia Potter I loved. I will look for 2 more as soon as I can and announce the winner.

And finally - now that it's March - I got to turn my calendar at work. And this is March's pic I get to look at for the next 27 days!

An Article To Read And Ponder About

The Boston Globe has written an eye-popping article about, authors feeling the pressure to publish a book once a year.

I found it to be very interesting, seeing as in the past we would be lucky to see a book from our favorite authors in maybe a 2 or 3 year period, rather in some cases, less than a year.

Is this the case of being in a "Hamster Wheel" as top author Dennis Lehane states?

As a reader, do we expect too much from our authors? Should authors push themselves to keep writing a book a year? Is it expected?

And as an author, published or otherwise, we would love to hear your thoughts.

Katiebabs (KB)

Random Ramblings

It’s still busy and I really should be concentrating on what I’m getting paid to do, but I don’t think it will hurt if I take a few minutes here and there as what I’m doing is pretty routine and my mind is once again taking flight.

 

The snobby snob in me can’t help but chuckle at the flogging of the dead horse and the utter ridiculousness that is the FOURTH installment in the 50 Shades phenomenon.    For those who pay attention to such things, I haven’t read the books, will never read the books, haven’t seen the movie, will never see the movie.  I’m annoyed at the fact that so many have read these books and the buzz has been out of this world for, from what I’ve read, is poorly written fan fiction.  There are so many fabulous authors out there who write well written books that will pass by completely unnoticed by the general masses who then read garbage.  To me it’s not unlike Keeping up with the Kardasians winning a Golden Globe for  best acting.  It’s wrong, it’s just wrong.

So I couldn’t help but laugh at the indignation of so many who are discovering that book 1, from Christian Grey’s POV is just one of three and the author has 2 more of the exact same book planned.  Good grief - talk about flogging a dead horse!! 

 

I read some reviews on GoodReads and word is – it’s garbage.  I can’t help but hope the author plummets down to earth where she never should have risen anyway.  I tell you, I am such a bitch some days.

 

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I’ve been designing – sort of – my own calendars for a number of years now through Vista Print.  Every month was a different scene from North and South each and every time the calendar ended in August with “The Train Scene Kiss”.  I brought it into work and as more and more people from work watched and loved it, I began to order more calendars for coworkers – just to share the love.

 

Well people, we have come to the end of an era I’m afraid.  For the first time since 2011, North and South screen caps no longer grace the months.  Nope, I’m figuratively doffing my cap and passing the calendar torch onto Outlander. 

 

 These are a different kind of calendars.  Instead of starting in January, as most do, mine start in September so it’s getting really close to time to order them.  Because we often plan schedules 2 weeks to even a month ahead of the current date, I have 2 of them on my desk, the current month and the next month.  So I’m needing September soon.  A few other people do the same thing and some of these happen to be fellow fans of Outlander.  So I’ve designed the calendar – just have to hit that pay button and the order will be winging its way to VistaPrint.  I just hope Richard/John will forgive for leaving him behind as I move on to Sam/Jamie.  I will love you always John Thornton and at least we have 2013.

 

Bet you all thought you'd never seen the day.

 

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I know I’ve bitched about this before but I will continue to do so until JUSTICE IS SERVED!!  They have a thread again at AAR for freebie or ebook sales.  There are a couple lately for books I would love to get and they are on for a great price at Amazon.  Amazon –dot COM that is!  It’s an entirely different story at Amazon.ca.  And of course it’s through my favourite publisher (not) Harper Collins/Avon. 

Sex, Lies and Online Dating by Rachel Gibson (love her books)

Amazon.com - $1.99

Amazon.ca $8.99

Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas

Amazon.com - $1.99

Amazon.ca $8.99

Your Scandalous Ways by Loretta Chase

Amazon.com - $1.99

Amazon.ca - $7.99 (squeal of a deal there she said sarcastically)

GRRRrrrrrr

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I received a mood calendar as a gift a while ago and I brought it to work.  I love this calendar and changed it every day to reflect my mood.  Coworkers are starting to check my mood before checking how I am.  Lately it’s mostly been on the negative side of things, but starting Thursday, July 2 (Wednesday is a holiday here in Canada) the calendar mood will be starting to change.  Why you ask?  Well, it’s cause then we will be into the actual month I head once again to RWA – this years in New York, to meet up with my people again.  I think anticipation is even higher this year as I missed last year, mostly because of the depression but also because I had another big project, new bathroom that I had to pay for.  This year I’m getting new siding but that’s not going to stop me from RWA.  There are SO many people I’m looking forward to seeing, but a special shout out to Wendy,SuperLibrarian.  We will be roomies again after several years apart and my first question will be “Wendy, Wendy, Wendy, what do you have against Jon Snow that you are glad he’s dead????” 

 

Mind you I haven’t watched Game of Thrones for a few seasons now, it became just to bloody bloody.  I have tried a couple of times over the other seasons since and then there would come a scene where someone got stabbed in the eye and that was all she wrote.  But from the first season that I was an AVID watcher, Jon and Daenerys and Tyrion were my favourite characters with Jon being #1.  AND THEY KILLED HIM OFF!  As if Ned and Robb and Catelyn all dying wasn’t enough.  As if what’s happened to Sansa and Arya isn’t enough?  I’ve lost track of the little boys.  So did they then have to go and kill of Jon??? Why, Why, Why?

 

 Then I can hardly wait to see Lisabea and Rosie – I hope Rose is going again!!  Of course there are so many other too, but the four of us seem to hang out the most.

Now back to the point – see how I ramble and get off topic?  So now that I will be in countdown mode, my mood will be picking up until I’m up to daily bouncy

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 This has nothing to do with anything to do with romance but it is a real bug-a-boo I have.  I’m on the phone a lot anymore at work.  And I can tell when the person is speaking on a cell phone.  Cell phone reception/quality is TERRIBLE a lot of the times.  I’m constantly adjusting my phone’s volume, calls cut out, they are mumbled and I can’t hear what they are saying, they are calling while in traffic and all I hear is background noise.  A lot of the nurses who call in have been issued cell phones and I think the company they worked for must have ordered the cheapest cell phones they could get.  It makes me so cranky (and then I have to change my mood calendar) whenever I get one of these calls and chance are when I’ve had to ask for the fourth time for them to repeat something that I can’t hear, an impatient tone in my voice may come through – not at the person I’m talking to, but the cheap piece of equipment they are using.  I’m cranky enough as it is since I don’t like talking on the phone, but talking on the phone and not hearing what the other person is saying, well, many of those kinds of calls a day and I really need to de-stress at the end of the day.

Anyway - that's all I have for now

'til later