ktbuffy a-go-go!

We're Moving....

2009-09-21T13:26:00.003-04:00

I haven't been the very best blogger for a while, but I'm hoping that may change again in the near future. Well, no, actually, I should adjust that: I haven't been the very best PERSONAL blogger for a while -- I've been an excellent professional blogger for the past two years. If you doubt me, check out Ask Daphne!, which features daily business posts since February 1, 2008, when I started kt literary.

Anyway, this isn't a plug to get you to go to the kt literary site. Instead, I'm directing you to the BRAND NEW ktbuffy.com. Check it out! If you follow me on a newsreader, the new RSS feed is http://ktbuffy.com/feed.

Blogger's been good to me, but it's time to move on. Luckily, all the old posts moved with me, so you can still find your favorites -- if, you know, you have favorites.

Hope to see you on the flip side!

Just curious...

2009-08-30T12:40:00.001-04:00

Anyone out there still reading this? Please leave me a note in the comments if you are!

Literally, This Made Me Laugh Out Loud

2009-04-08T15:44:00.005-04:00

Click through to see it better.

Remember me? I used to blog here.

2009-04-07T20:16:00.003-04:00

Doyce and I got to talking the other day, since the editor of the anthologies where we sold a few short stories sent us an email, asking for contributions to upcoming titles. And we may do that again -- I liked writing with my sweetie! Anyway, that whole introduction was to say that the emails reminded me of ANOTHER place where we'd sold a story, and I don't think I ever linked to it, so here it is: Fishnet Mag.

Full caveat: it's kinda dirty. If you don't pick up on that from the header at the top of the Fishnet page, I think our story will set you straight pretty shortly thereafter. Don't read if you're... um... squeamish about talking about sex. Or shopping. Or if you're a member of my family.

Thanks!

I want to tell her to eat a cookie...

2009-02-24T19:17:00.003-05:00

But I honestly think she looks just about perfect. Check out Entertainment Weekly's gallery of other exclusive Oscar shots here. I'm a fan of the ones by Jennifer Rocholl.

Look for us on iTunes!

2009-02-23T18:17:00.003-05:00

Ok, no, not really. As Doyce says, it's a meme, but I like it.

The rulez:

CREATE YOUR BAND NAME & ALBUM COVER:

To Do This

1 - Go to Wikipedia. Hit “random” or click here. The first random Wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Quotations Page" and select "random quotations" or click here.
The last four or five words of the very last quote on the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to Flickr and click on “explore the last seven days” or click here.
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use Photoshop or similar to put it all together.

5 - Post it to Facebook or your blog, or wherever.

Jolly Ole Denver!

2009-02-10T21:49:00.002-05:00

After a work lunch downtown, I spent the afternoon in a cozy cafe with free wifi and a plethora of outlets, then met Doyce and had a few pints (of beer) with Tim & Kim at Pint's, a local British pub. Yummy food, delicious beers, and great conversation = fun!

Further technical note: phone photos that post sideways require some work (aka resaving in the correct vertical format) in order to look nice.

Hooray!

2009-02-09T12:42:00.003-05:00

Yay! It works!

Now I can send short text messages with or without photos to the blog, and I can email longer messages as well. Between this, and the ability to send frequent Facebook updates, I can be connected ANYWHERE! Woot!

Testing 3

2009-02-09T12:41:00.001-05:00

How about now?
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Testing 2

2009-02-09T12:36:00.002-05:00

Trying to blog from my phone again.

Ok, so I've fiddled around with the pinkberry as best as possible, and I can send text messages (as MMS) to my blog, which I'm assuming includes photos, but I can't EMAIL from my phone. Which is weird. I remember being able to... wait.

Just had a thought.

Let me try something else...

I think I've been tagged 25 times

2009-01-30T16:19:00.003-05:00

So, for everyone on Facebook or around the blogosphere who's interested, here's some random facts you may not know about me. (Yes, I know I'm *supposed* to do 25, but I don't wanna.) And because I like a little order in my randomness, each fact will be a response to someone else's random fact about themselves, so you can not only get to know ME a little better, but you'll get to know some of my friends. I'm tricksy like that.

1. The first live concert I ever saw was Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. My older sisters asked me to wait on line with them to get as many tickets as possible, and after I did all that, my dad made them include me. (via Kiki)
2. I was named after my mom, who had three girls before me and refused to name them after herself, but I suspect she ran out of names by the time she got to me. My confirmation name is the feminine form of my brother's name, and I had to have a little conversation with the nuns in order to take in. (via Jenna)
3. I'm really bad at cursing. I was playing an RPG once with friends and my character was supposed to be cursing up a blue streak, and all I could come up with was "Gimme another plate of this sh***y food." Yeah, they still make fun of me for that. (via Jen)
4. I prefer beer to wine, and though I like Guinness, I only drink it in Ireland (via Jeanine)
5. I loved living in a foreign country after college, and would love to do it again sometime -- a small cottage on the west coast of Ireland with wifi sounds divine. Something near Galway or Doolin. (via Stefania)
6. I performed off-Broadway in a pirate show. I was Anne Bonny and got to swing a cutlass. I miss stage combat A LOT. (via Lionel)
7. I think I wasted almost $200 on plants this year for the garden. I'm not used to planting things in the ground, and I;m horrible about watering things in pots. i can promise to be better about it next year, but is it worth it? (via Misa)
8. I always cry when I watch "White Christmas." (via Rachel)
9. I used to sneak trashy romance novels into my textbooks in middle school, and totally got caught in math class. (via Teresa)
10. I once had a dream and woke up knowing exactly what tattoo I would get if I ever got one, but I don't know if I ever would. I'm too indecisive and changeable to commit to one design on my body for the rest of my life. I love wearing temporary tattoos though, and getting henna. (via Janice)

For all that I love shoes...

2009-01-20T17:23:00.000-05:00

Guess who's the one who leaves his all around our room?

Still here!

2009-01-20T14:08:00.004-05:00

It's a funny thing about this blog. Before, I couldn't use it to write work-related posts, or had to hide work news in vague details. So, I was more personal, and blogged regularly.

And now, when I have an official work blog (http://www.ktliterary.com/daphne.html, or you can subscribe here), this blog languishes, as I spill all my words on work stuff! Wacky!

I'm not giving up here, though. I'm sure that the time will come again when I want to post more personally, and share details about my life that remain vague on my work site. So ktbuffy a-go-go continues to go-go -- although my posts here continue to be cross-posted to Facebook, so there remains some sense of keeping things a little private. I have to see if I can pick and choose which notes from here get posted there -- I think it's possible. I will explore.

Because, clearly, I just can't quit you, internets.

A Day in the Life of ktbuffy

2008-12-17T11:23:00.003-05:00

According to Flickr, this Saturday December 21st will be their 18th "DILO" day! I'll be in a car with Doyce and Kaylee, driving from Denver to South Dakota, but I think I could be persuaded to take a few pictures. If I do it on my phone, I can post pics directly here, but they'll probably come out better if I use the camera. We shall see!!

A stunning list of fake names

2008-11-22T23:31:00.004-05:00

From a fab author:

1. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names)
Anne Arthur

2. NASCAR NAME: (first name of your mother's dad, father's dad)
Thomas Sandor

3. STAR WARS NAME: (the first 2 letters of your last name, first 4 letters of your first name)
TeKate

4. DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Purple Pony

5. SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you live)
Elizabeth Highlands Ranch

6. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite alcoholic drink, optionally add "THE" to the beginning)
The Blue Blue Moon

7. FLY NAME: (first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name)
Kaan

8. GANGSTA NAME: (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite cookie):
Mint Chip Snickerdoodle

9. ROCK STAR NAME: (current pet's name, current street name)
Dizzy Northridge

10. PORN NAME: (1st pet, street you grew up on)
Whiskers Bell

Funny Movies

2008-11-14T22:22:00.004-05:00

Zack and Miri Make a Porno and Role Models. Both very entertaining. Also, you must catch the trailer for Fanboys. Hi-larious!

Out of touch, Out of touch, Out of toooooooouch

2008-10-17T22:09:00.003-04:00

So Doyce and I went to see Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist this evening (go see it! Read the book, too!) and as I stayed through the credits, as is my wont, I saw only two band names I recognized in a HUGE list of music that appears in the film (not counting the composer, who did incidental music and a song or two, and also did the tunes for Rushmore). Two names! And one of them was the Spice Girls!

So I have to ask -- am I completely out of touch in terms of contemporary music, or is this movie, which is about the underground rock scene, supposed to make me feel old and out-of-it?

I think I'm in a Slump

2008-10-15T13:48:00.004-04:00

Not a housing slump or a market slump, at least not personally, thank god, just a sort of non-specific activity slump. I was so excited to find a Nia class out here when I moved, but the 9am time is killing me -- if I'm out of bed already, I'm working, and if I'm just getting out of bed -- well, I just don't move that quickly in the mornings. I think I need to just drive my boxed bike to the bike store and ask them to reassemble it. Each time I think we're going to do it, it doesn't get done.

And I'm out here in beautiful Colorado, bike trails all around, and I haven't been on my bike in months. Unacceptable!

I need to make time for myself during the work day, I think, and take my lunch break at the gym, swimming or something. Something. Anything.

Else how am I going to be fit enough to tromp around NYC next month in heels?

YA for Obama

2008-09-23T17:12:00.003-04:00

Are you a member yet? Join if for nothing else than to read some of your favorite authors' (Judy Blume! Meg Cabot! John Green!) thoughts on the candidates. Look for me as Daphne Unfeasible.

I'm also thinking if this works -- keeping up with friend requests, etc. -- I may reconsider Facebook. We'll see.

I may live in Denver now

2008-09-11T18:39:00.001-04:00

But this will always be MY city.

Another update from the cult

2008-09-09T13:22:00.002-04:00

Considering last week included the Brew at the Zoo, and some of the most amazing food stuffs I've ever had the pleasure to eat (Shrimpbombs! from Golden Toad), I'm pretty happy with having lost .6 lbs, which brings my total for two weeks up to 4.8lbs. Which is right on target for healthy, long-term weight loss. If you're curious what .6lbs looks like, may I share this adorable little Oaxacan panda bear with you? Only $860!

Cult Update

2008-09-03T14:12:00.003-04:00

Went to a meeting on Tuesday instead of my usual Monday, what with the holiday and all that. I may like the Tuesday leader better than the Monday one, but more evidence is needed before I make a decision. Still -- good news! I lost this:4.2 lbs of tiny adorable dinosaur-ness.

The nice thing about a cult...

2008-08-25T16:29:00.003-04:00

... Is that even if you leave, you're always welcome to come back. Or maybe that was about "family". Ah well, no matter!

The gist of it is after falling off the Weight Watchers wagon about a year ago, due to wedding planning and moving anxiety, along with financial woes, I went back to a meeting today. I've been reading my friend Rob's continuing adventures in the cult, and I wanted back in! I also didn't want to be that stereotypical female who got married and suddenly felt free to put back on the weight she lost to fit into a wedding gown. That wasn't why I'd done it in the first place. Also, while there's some freedom in being able to wear yoga pants to work now that my office is in the basement, I don't want them to be the only thing that fits!

So -- the details. At my best, I was down 52.2 lbs. I've put about half of that back on. Ultimately, I want to get back down to where I was, plus a little. My goal is to lose 33 lbs. In other words, I want to lose this:So, welcome back to the continuing adventures of ktbuffy in cult-land. Any and all suggestions, helpful hints, commiseration, or recommendations of low-in-points food gratefully received!

Let's Boooooooooooooooooowl!

2008-08-19T11:43:00.003-04:00

So last night was our first official league game in bowling, although I'm told that the first two or so weeks don't really count -- they just help set up your handicap. In which case -- my handicap is about 99, seeing as I averaged 90 points (pins? "a 90"?) a game last night. Which breaks down into one very good game, one sucky game, and one ok game.

Still, much fun was had, and there was much cheering and slapping of hands and shouting of "Thunderrrrrrr!" And now I kinda want new shoes. I mean, it's a sport that revolves around footwear. How cool is that?

Olympic Stud of The Day

2008-08-12T00:07:00.015-04:00

I'm having my Olympic moment watching the games -- working at home allows me all sorts of time to catch the events. Anyway, Entertainment Weekly's Popwatch blog is posting a daily Stud of the games -- mostly chosen on account of performance. I'm linking here so as I can remember some of the moments myself:

Friday, 8/8/08 -- Antonio Rossi (flagbearer)
Saturday, 8/9/08 -- Plavins and Samoilovs (beach volleyball)
Sunday, 8/10/08 -- Jason Lezak (swimming)
Monday, 8/11/08 -- I'm going to vote for Aaron Piersal, but we'll see what Popwatch comes up with! Update: And they go with Jonathan Horton (gymnastics), who, considering I hadn't yet watched the rousing finish to the Men's Gymnastics Final when I typed the above, I heartily agree with. Go team USA!
Tuesday, 8/12/08 -- Federica Pellegrini (swimming)
Wednesday, 8/13/08 -- Yang Wei (gymnastics)
Thursday, 8/14/08 -- Nastia Liukin (gymnastics), of course!! USA! USA! USA!

And then I fell a little behind what with traveling and all, but here's the next few links.
Friday, 8/15/08 -- Michael Phelps (swimming, duh)
Saturday, 8/16/08 -- Usian Bolt (track and field)
Sunday, 8/17/08 -- Shelly-Ann Fraser (track and field)
Monday, 8/18/08 -- Yelena Isinbayeva (track and field) Although what was up with that annoying tie-breaker procedure for gymnastics? It made sense in the men's vault final, but much less so in women's high bar. Grumble, grumble.
Tuesday, 8/19/08 -- Yay! Shawn Johnson (gymnastics). Also someone else, too. Go Shawn!!
Wednesday, 8/20/08 -- Walter Dix (track and field)
Thursday, 8/21/08 -- Phil Dalhausser (beach volleyball)
Friday, 8/22/08 -- Bryan Clay (decathlon)
Saturday, 8/23/08 -- Matthew Mitcham (diving)

A YouTube Scavenger hunt

2008-08-10T15:27:00.005-04:00

So Doyce and Kaylee and I went bowling this morning, in order to get ready for league play which starts next week. Yes, I know. But it should be fun, and we'll be out of the house and meeting people. But as I was getting ready this morning, I had a sudden blinding flash of insight -- I must post a YouTube clip to appropriately remember this event.

But I couldn't find what I was looking for!

So -- first person who comments with a video clip link to the scene from Grease 2 when they're all going bowling wins a pony!¹

1 - Prize subject to my own definition of "pony".

At the airport

2008-07-24T22:02:00.000-04:00

And this is one of the few so-called "mobile charging stations" in the waiting area. There are nowhere near enough of these. One must be very sneaky to find an outlet. Luckily, I am.

Wow - I feel so welcomed

2008-07-10T14:34:00.003-04:00

You know what would REALLY help make this transition from the city where I've lived my entire life to the new town where I know about ten people a LOT easier? If the people who ran the local Newcomers Club -- a national organization, mind you, "created to help you locate clubs and organizations designed to give people new to the area or parents the opportunity to meet and develop friendships with others who live in the area" -- would actually RETURN my multiple phone calls asking for information, or just, I don't know, SEND me some of the requested information.

That would be great.

Thanks.

Also, today we had waffles!

2008-06-29T13:07:00.002-04:00

Doyce and Kaylee made them. De-licious!

100 Books

2008-06-29T12:57:00.004-04:00

Via De:

The Big Read, an initiative by the National Endowment for the Arts, has estimated that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they’ve printed. How do you do?

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
~~3) Underline the books you LOVE.~~ (Eh. I'm not bothering with this step)

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince- Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

A lot more than 6, that's for sure. I always knew I was above average.

I need to be working, but...

2008-06-16T14:07:00.004-04:00

UPDATED. I also need to put up a list of things I need to get done in the next few days before Doyce's folks arrive. To whit:

~~Hang up roman shade in guest bedroom~~
~~Pack up extra knicknacks for storage~~
Prep guest basket
Buy ~~tile for guest bathroom and~~ paint for small projects
Sew valences for family room
~~Laundry, laundry, laundry~~
Drop off dry cleaning
~~Buy guest towels~~
~~Hide extra packing materials~~
Order more photos
~~Frame and hang photos~~
Grocery shopping

I think that'll do as a start. Back to my reading!

Someone remind me of this next Spring, please?

2008-06-10T22:02:00.003-04:00

I could be tempted to dust off my corset and rapier!

Thanks to Randy for the link.

Is it just me, or does this remind you of "The Handmaid's Tale"?

2008-06-05T13:45:00.002-04:00

Via ***Dave, I followed a link to this fantastic blog commenting on a truly horrible NY Times story. Like Dave, I had this tab open in my browser for days -- weeks, even -- as I tried to figure out a way to comment on this that wasn't just me pointing and gagging in horror and disgust. I'm not sure now if I really am doing anything other than that, but at least it's here on my personal blog, and not on my work site. Anyway, read it.

(Lady) Optimism for teh win!

2008-06-05T13:35:00.002-04:00

From Matthew Yglesias in The Atlantic on Obama's win of the Democratic nomination:

Sometimes the pessimists are right, but unless you sometimes assume they're wrong then nothing's ever going to happen.

We made it back!

2008-05-21T14:54:00.003-04:00

And lest you think that's the easiest thing to say, allow me to submit photographic proof..."I don't want to alarm anyone, but I think we're being followed by PIRATES!"

Ready to go!

2008-05-14T22:25:00.003-04:00

Bags -- and more importantly, books -- are packed, and we're ready to go! Cabo, here we come!

Denver weather

2008-05-07T14:02:00.002-04:00

Perhaps I mentioned the other day when it snowed? In May? The blossoming trees in our backyard got a pretty heavy dusting. But then, like most of Denver's snow, it was gone.Anyway, it rained last night. A heavy downpour with thunder and lightning which continued into a pretty heavy shower this morning. The puppies, though their ears perked up when I said "outside," took one step out into the rain and came back inside. I don't blame them.

Now, the sun is out again (well, trying to get out) and the rain is drying on the back deck. What's the joke about weather? If you don't like it, just wait five minutes and it'll change. That's not Denver though -- where is it? Internets? help me out here.

Also, not exactly weather related, but cool full moon last night. I didn't see it, but I feel asleep to the cool blue glow coming in our bedroom window.

Music I Like

2008-04-30T11:41:00.004-04:00

Watching an episode of Bones last night with Doyce, and heard a hauntingly beautiful song. One short Google later, and I had it: "Bring on the Wonder" by Susan Enan. Only problem? She's got that song and two others available to play on her myspace page, but I can't download them! Not on iTunes, not on Amazon, not on her not-yet-set-up website. Grr! Linking here so I don't forget to check back later and hope to be able to get a legal copy. It's very pretty.

Oh hey! I found a YouTube viedo that uses it with scenes from Buffy and Angel. Enjoy!

There was dancing

2008-04-21T23:07:00.000-04:00

Did I mention that?

I got MARRIED!

2008-04-13T15:26:00.002-04:00

One Week

2008-04-05T09:18:00.002-04:00

Seven tiny little days left until The Big Day. Woot! I've been running all over NYC the last week or so, having meetings and getting ready. Am I ready? No, but I'm getting closer. Also, I learned I am a TOTAL trendsetter. I haven't even WORN my purple shoes in public yet, but people heard about them, and suddenly, every great shoe designer out there is bringing out purple shoes. It's totally crazy! And, of course, very flattering.

Countdown

2008-03-18T11:16:00.001-04:00

Ok, not really

2008-03-13T12:24:00.004-04:00

The creek isn't exactly on our property, but is in the nearby park where I take Dizzy for a walk every other day (on the other days, I take Jake for a walk, but he's got a sore leg, and he can't go as far). There's also some pretty awesome looking trees, like this one:

That was last December/January, after a blizzard. This is the same tree the other day:

I'm sure you can also guess which pic was taken with a real camera, and which with my phone. I'm hoping to get out and take a few more shots, now that I have new batteries in my camera, to show people where I live. Well, ok, not exactly. I don't need any stalkers!

This is our creek!

2008-03-11T16:18:00.000-04:00

View down my street

2008-03-07T13:31:00.001-05:00

I'm still getting used to the idea that that's my view. Where's the skyscrapers? Oh yeah -- out here they call them "mountains".

Quote of the Day

2008-02-26T10:32:00.001-05:00

I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.
- EB White

Swooooon

2008-02-20T13:48:00.003-05:00

I still haven't unpacked all my books, but this article has me wishing I had as cool a place to put them as these lucky Londoners.

Via ***Dave's shared items in Google Reader.

Quiet on the Blogosphere

2008-02-15T11:15:00.003-05:00

Ok, not really. But I've had to make blogging on my new site a priority, and that means poor little ktbuffy-a-go-go suffers in comparison. Doyce and I are contemplating a move to a join blogging site for several purposes, but until that happens, I really should be better about keeping at least SOMEWHAT up to date over here.

So! Unpacking: mostly done. What's left to unpack are more books, which need to be organized and shelved -- very possibly a project for this weekend, as well as lots of little knickknacks, which need places to put them. We picked out a dresser for the bedroom, which should help somewhat, but there's stuff I'd otherwise use to accessorize the living room and dining room which may have to stay boxed up, at least for now.

Setting up of the business: accomplished! I have a couple of new manuscripts out on submissions, as well as several of my authors' next projects out with their previous publishers. The office still needs a big desk, and I have to get some little wheeled drawer system things, but it's all coming together. I'll admit to looking forward to being able to put away my files, but for now that's waiting until the desk comes in, so we don't have to move the big filing cabinet twice.

Birthdays: enjoyed! A little snafu on the traveling front on Tuesday, but I'm putting it behind me. We had fun at our dance class, then Wednesday I made a cake, and last night we went out for dinner and a movie. It's been a good birthday week.

Secret Ten List: still somewhat unfinished, but not forgotten. Maybe this weekend I'll be able to reveal the final contestants somehow. Stay tuned!

All my stuff is here!

2008-02-05T14:30:00.000-05:00

I have officially arrived in Colorado. Let the great unpacking of '08 begin!

End of an Era

2008-01-25T10:58:00.000-05:00

Your game account for City of Villains has expired due to payment failure or cancellation.

Still, we'll always have Paragon City.

So much to do!

2008-01-17T20:19:00.000-05:00

Feeling a little overwhelmed here, folks, with the shear amount of work I need to do in the next few weeks. Actual Work work aside, there's still the seemingly endless task of packing. How it is even remotely possibly that I need more boxes? How can I have filled what I have already, and where the heck am I going to put all these boxes while I'm still living in this apartment?

Sigh.

Too much to do and not enough time to do it. At this point, I'm resigning myself to a certain high percentage of items broken in the move -- as long as it doesn't cost more to replace them then it does to move them, I should be fine. I hope.

I think I would feel more energetic about the whole thing if I had some help. Luckily, mom and my sister B are driving in on Sunday to pick me up, and I think I've managed to finagle it so that they'll bring me more boxes, help me pack some of them up, and THEN we'll head back up to Westchester. I think.

Ok. Back to work!

Secret Ten List: Love Boat Edition

2008-01-11T19:05:00.000-05:00

Rob S., who got this whole thing started for me, asks:

All the even numbers are guest-stars on the Love Boat. Who hooks up? Who breaks up? Who has gets involved with the antics of the crew?

Man, this is a good one! So who's coming abroad for adventure, their mind on a new romance? Quite the motley crew: #2 Starbuck and #8 Alanna seem to have settled their problems after the dance off, and we all know what trouble Kara can get into on a cruise ship, so I've got her pegged for some serious hooking up. Very possibly with a politician. Alanna takes a while to get her sea legs, but I think she uses her time to realize that being a soldier doesn't mean losing her femininity, and shares a special, almost fatherly dance with Captain Stubing.

Now, #4 Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor are sailing to Acapulco on a vacation, soon I'm sure to be interrupted by some worldwide crisis, so let's give them the benefit of the doubt and a nice cabin with an ocean view, and let them do some hooking up with each other.

#6 is a crafty one, she is. One minute she's sitting with her fellow octogenarians, and the next thing you know, she's bashing Doc over the head with her broomstick. I tell ya, Granny Weatherwax doesn't brook with that "medicine" stuff.

So that leaves #10. He just spends most of the cruise enjoying the buffet, staying up late, and playing race car video games in the onboard entertainment center.

Brain fart

2008-01-10T11:50:00.001-05:00

Like you, no doubt, I do a lot of my blog reading on Google Reader. All hail Google! So I catch up with my friends, with design blogs, with the entertainment news, and with wedding planning stuff all in the same place.

So my little head, slightly overwhelmed with the amount of information percolating around in it right now, decided to combine two posts -- one on Weddingbee about cake toppers, and another from a friends about epic mounts in World of Warcraft. Doyce, don't get any ideas, but yes, I totally just pictured a three-tiered wedding cake topped with a lizard and a cat wearing saddles.

Sigh.

Who decided Christmas was disposable?

2008-01-10T10:32:00.001-05:00

I mean, Christmas trees I understand. Most of them are cut when you buy them, so they have a limited shelf life and must be disposed of eventually. But tree stands? And lights? People, if you're too lazy to walk around your tree a few times and unwrap the strand of lights you hung up there a few weeks ago, you've got a problem. And it's not just that you're wasting money.

/rant.

100 Days

2008-01-03T15:24:00.000-05:00

We interrupt the reveal of my Secret Ten to bring you this countdown update:

Thank you. As you were.

Secret Ten: Trapped!

2008-01-03T12:07:00.000-05:00

***Dave asks:

If #4 and #7 are trapped in a building taken over by terrorists, who gets out alive?

Well, now, that depends on your kind of terrorists. If they were akin to the folks who routinely show up on network tv shows, ie, your generic European or Middle Eastern terrorists, then I think #4, Wonder Woman, would not only get out alive, but she'd lasso the head bad guy, learn all his secrets, and then turn him and all his cohorts over to her boyfriend, Steve Trevor.

However!! If by some small chance the terrorists were truly old school, and by that I mean ancient minions of terror, say, perhaps, an undying Witch King with a geas that no man can kill him, well then #7, Eowyn's the champ. As long as there are a few Houses of Healing nearby. Hotties like Faramir (one of my minions of the Power of Optimism) are optional.

Secret Ten: This is an easy one!!

2008-01-02T20:35:00.000-05:00

De asks:

Which character is the pickiest about shoes?

There is only one possible answer.Whose famous feet are those? The one and only Carrie Bradshaw. Do NOT get between her and a sale at Manolo Blahnik. In a scene from an episode of "Sex and the City" I rather envy, she registered for shoes. REGISTERED. FOR. SHOES.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to update our registry list.

Secret Ten, Question #1

2008-01-02T15:46:00.000-05:00

Woot! Doyce has taken up my challenge. He asks:

If #2 and #8 on your list have a dance-off, who wins?

Wow. These are two women not known for dance-offs. On the one hand, you have the terror of the Colonial Fleet -- is she a Cylon, or is she not? -- Kara Thrace, aka Starbuck.

On the other hand, yet another warrior, Alanna, from the eponymous series of YA adventure books by Tamora Pierce. For those of you not in the know, Alanna disguises herself as a boy in order to train to be a knight. Many adventures ensure -- four books worth in the first series, although I think she reappears in some of Pierce's other titles.

Now both of these women know from fighting, and in a space battle or jousting arena, my answer would be clear. In a dance-off, however? I think the edge goes to Starbuck, who's proved she's got some fancy footwork as a boxer. Alanna may try to take advantage of Starbuck's bad knee, but in the end, Starbuck will just show up in that cool dress from the Vice-Presidential election episode, and Alanna will crumble. And if she doesn't, I think Starbuck might shoot her. So there.

Secret Fun List

2008-01-02T01:34:00.000-05:00

I don't know how often my devoted readers check out by blogroll over there on the sidebar, but one link I highly recommend for my geeky, nerdfighter-tastic friends Is Laughing at the Pieces, where Rob is well on his way revealing his secret list. Huh, you ask? I quote:

I'm gonna make a list of 10 characters, it is a secret list. If you want, comment to this post with a question like, "2 and 8 have a dance off, who wins?" and then I answer them in a seperate post and it is the most fun meme ever. And you can ask as many questions as you like.

I am so ON for the most fun meme EVER. So, ask away! Make your own lists. Let's get this meme all around tha interwebs!!

New Year, New Start

2008-01-01T23:30:00.000-05:00

All sorts of new things going on! There's the wedding, of course, which is a big new thing that's going to happen, and includes with it the joy of a new husband (not that I had one before), a new roommate (the aforementioned husband, though I shall miss my current roomie dreadfully, particularly when I require someone to be funny on command, or, alternatively, want to sic new horrible movies on), new pets, and a new home with fresh newly painted walls and cabinets (some still in progress, with lots more progress on the whole home improvement kick yet to be made). Also new for the new year -- a new JOB, a new boss (ME!), and a NEW WEBSITE!

Yes, fans of ktbuffy, I'm going to be migrating my bloggy wisdom (such as it is) as it relates to books and agentry to a new and exciting blog, Ask Daphne! There's lots of work yet to do over there, but feel free to poke around and comment. We'll be officially open for business on February 1st, but I'm going to start blogging over there as much as I can in the meantime. If you have any pressing questions about publishing or agentry, send Daphne an email.

In other new news, Doyce and I rang in the New Year last night in a manner most befitting of how we hope to go on in 2008: together, curled up on the couch, watching a geeky movie. In this case, the extended edition of "The Return of the King."

For old times' sake, Oh Viggo! Viggo, Viggo, Viggo!! It's a little trip down memory lane to the very start of my blog. Enjoy.

Dave Barry Continues to be Funny

2007-12-30T13:46:00.000-05:00

In his annual round-up of the year's events. A book-related excerpt:

In the arts, July is dominated by the release of the seventh and last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter Spends Half the Book Camping, which enthralls the nation as nothing has enthralled it since the release of the iPhone. The book is generally well-received, although some fans are troubled by the ending, which culminates in the death of Harry's longtime nemesis, Tony Soprano.

Thanks to Lela for the link, and apologies to Doyce for laughing out loud continually while reading it, and not reading the whole thing out loud. It's long!

How is this POSSIBLE?

2007-12-29T11:58:00.000-05:00

Went to see "Sweeney Todd" last night with Doyce, and was very amused about ten minutes into the movie to see a couple sitting a few rows in front of us grab their stuff and walk out. How, in the world of the internet and television, is it possible to chose to see a movie at your local multiplex and NOT KNOW it's a musical? I mean, ok, sure, they might have walked out for a different reason, but I'm putting my money on the musical part. It was on about the third song, at which point one might safely assume that the singing heretofore is not just a little quirk of the film, but is to be throughout. I mean, I'm not expecting everyone to be fully aware of the history of the show, dating back to Sondheim's original 1979 production starring a fabulously evil Angela Landsbury as Mrs. Lovett, or the most recent, widely lauded Broadway production with Patti LuPone and Michael Cerveris, where the action of the play was staged as if my inmates in an asylum, but to not know it's a musical? Crazy!!

Good movie, though. It is bloody, certainly, but it felt very much like fake blood to me, and I thought there were some really great parts. Mrs. Lovett's song about a holiday at the sea (I don't remember the exact name of the song) was laugh-out-loud funny. Even without knowing the musical, I groked onto the big surprise that is revealed in the final scene, and I had a true moment of fear for one of the characters.

Also, I enjoyed hearing the song "No One's Going to Harm You" in the movie, which I had heard before but out of context. What sounds like a beautiful little love song turns out to be something quite different. But that, I think, is one of the best parts about Sondheim. You can hear a song hundreds of times, but finally seeing it in the context of the show, it can be devastating. Years ago, I had a similar experience with "Into The Woods." I'd gotten a tape (that's how long ago -- not even a CD) of the Broadway soundtrack for Christmas, along with tickets to see the show. I listened to that tape practically every day until I got to see the performance, and I still bawled my eyes out during the show. I'd never picked up on what happened during a certain song, even though the line was quite clear, "It's because of you there's a giant in our midst and my wife is dead." Which I think means there's a special art to MAKING a soundtrack, as well: choosing which songs to include, and what dialogue.

Anyway, Sweeney Todd: good movie. Knowing that it's a musical: nice. Not knowing EXACTLY what's going to happen: even better.

Neil Gaiman Gets Taken to Task

2007-12-28T15:00:00.000-05:00

My 12-year old daughter chose Stardust for a school book report. We purchased it in paperback at Barnes and Noble. From the packaging, it looked like an appropriate fantasy story for her age and her 6th grade teacher approved it. We were very offended to find that it had an explicit sex scene and the word "fuck" in it. The marketing of this book was misleading. Were you intending to mislead children into reading it? Why would you do this?

And responds quite appropriately. Read the whole thing, and pay special attention to this brilliant part:

While I'm sure there are many twelve year-olds who would qualify as Young Adults and who can happily read books intended for and marketed for teenagers, just as obviously many of them wouldn't and can't, and if you feel yours doesn't I'm sure you're right.

That right there is always the best response to the "how could you"s and any form of censorship. If you don't want your children to read a book, then that's a choice you make within your family and within your house. You don't go to the school and plot to ban the book, as others might have done.

Another great thing to do? Read your kids' books. Chances are, most of them that they've been recommended, like Stardust, are pretty damn awesome, but if you have an objection to a word they might otherwise not hear in your house, then make an informed decision to pick another book. There's lots of them out there. Loads!

With great power comes great responsibility

2007-12-27T10:04:00.000-05:00

Doyce woke me this morning with a stern warning about using my powers for good, or, alternatively, using a little less of them. That White Christmas I was enjoying? Biggest Christmas snowfall on record in the Denver area. Two days later? Another seven or so inches expected.

The best part of all this? Silly Doyce only has one shovel, so I can't help shovel the driveway, even if I wanted to! Which I might -- after a couple of days in the house, I might want to get some fresh air. I'll let you know.

Today we Prime!

2007-12-26T21:55:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow we paint! But the family room is looking nice and bright under a fresh coat of primer, although we had to open up some windows to the cold air to keep from sniffing too many fumes. We also had our new mattress delivered, and I bought a new mattress pad and some bathroom cabinet organizers at Bed Bath & Beyond. Yes, I'm rather domestic. Didn't you hear? I'm going to be a suburban stepmom! It's practically required!

Christmas Wrap-Up

2007-12-25T21:38:00.000-05:00

With plans for a trip down to Colorado Springs to spend the day with lots of friends curtailed by a snowstorm that seemed directly centered on our route, we spent a lovely Christmas at home, the little munchkin gleefully enjoying all her Christmas presents, with one of Doyce's friends over to help us enjoy some leftovers, play a newly expanded version of Catan, and watch the snowfall outside.

It was my first Christmas -- not without my family, exactly, but with my NEW family -- and though I missed some of the tradition of the day, it was nice to have the frredom to make our own way. To pick those parts of the traditions I love and find a way to integrate them into our own celebration.

The world is white outside right now, aside from red and green and blue and white lights decorating the houses, and from the next room, I can hear Doyce reading Kaylee one of her favorite bedtime stories. I'm already in my flannel pajama pants, looking forward to snuggling together on the couch with my sweetie to watch a movie.

It was a good day.

Merry Christmas, all.

Holiday Cheer

2007-12-25T17:36:00.000-05:00

You can try, but it is impossible to watch this and not be happy.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T12:35:00.000-05:00

Love to all my friends and family from snowy Denver!

Take it away, Bing!

Now THIS is funny

2007-12-21T18:04:00.001-05:00

Often Gawker's too much about in jokes that even native New Yorkers don't get, or over the top snarkiness. But THIS article on "Six Ways to Avoid Holiday Sobriety" is funny. An excerpt:

Considerate Gifting Don't bring a bottle of wine or Scotch to a party unless you're asked to. It's their job to get you drunk. Grab a sixpack on the way up if you're worried they'll run out of the good stuff. Then hide it!

Things I want to do in the New Year

2007-12-21T14:18:00.000-05:00

And links for useful stuff to remember.

Join the Newcomers Club in my soon-to-be-new-neighborhood. My sister's met a ton of people in her local Newcomers Group, and highly recommends it for meeting people -- something I'm very much looking forward to doing. Also, they play Bunco!
Take a class in Photoshop or something similar. I have Gimp on my computer at home now, but I haven't used it much at all. I want to really get in there and do some photo manipulating. I'm a little interested in learning how to do Flash animation as well.
Sharpen my ice skates and go skating!
Go swimming more often. Bike more. Run (at all). You know, train for a triathlon.
Take dance classes with my bear.
Remember all the crafty things I liked to do as a kid, and do them with Kaylee.
Learn how to make short videos with my camera and laptop. Share them.
Keep in touch with family and friends.
Redecorate. Use hand tools. Make a desk. Paint (a lot).
Read more.

There's probably more, but that's what I can think of right now. They're not exactly New Year's Resolutions, although I suppose you could call them that if you wanted to. What do you want to do in the next few months?

Insight into an agent's life

2007-12-21T11:32:00.000-05:00

And work, from Poets & Writers Magazine. A fascinating look at decades past in publishing, some of the big names and personalities, and what it's like today.

Yet another movie I'm looking forward to seeing

2007-12-20T19:09:00.001-05:00

Of course, for this one, I have to wait until summer. But it looks like it'll be worth the wait.

Present etiquette

2007-12-20T11:58:00.001-05:00

Dear Internets -

An etiquette question. If I've received a present from my company for the holidays that will be difficult to transport on a cross-country move, but is also in a theme of gifts that I expect might be well represented in my upcoming wedding, is it appropriate to bring it back to the store and exchange it for something smaller and easier to transport? Say, for instance, this?

Thanks for your advice!

Cheers,
ktbuffy

So much excitement!

2007-12-19T21:23:00.001-05:00

So close to being able to TELL people about it! The anticipation is killing me.

Decorations!

2007-12-16T17:20:00.000-05:00

And I want to make these! Purty!

For the next round of revisions on HtDaS

2007-12-16T17:16:00.000-05:00

I must remember this article on gaming with your SO. Also, I need to make Doyce decide which duo we're playing tonight in LOTRO -- our dwarf guardian/elf hunter, or human captain/human hunter. Both sets are around 24, trying to hit different quests -- because I get bored doing the same stuff over and over again.

Seriously, Victoria?

2007-12-14T15:52:00.000-05:00

It's no secret, really, but Victoria's Secret has made a huge amount of money marketing the possibility to women that they, too, can have large, perky breasts. Hell, they invented the "Miracle Bra."

So why can't they manage to sell any bras or lingerie that actually fit women who DO have larger-sized breasts? Everything's about making small stuff look big, but if you're there already, too bad. Nothing for you.

Grrr.

Travel Tips

2007-12-13T14:33:00.000-05:00

I know I'm not the only one who'll be traveling by plane this Christmas. Via Budget Travel, here's a list of 14 helpful hints to make airline travel easier and less stressful. Most of 'em can also be applied the rest of the year as well. Good luck!

Woot!

2007-12-12T11:36:00.000-05:00

Well, I knew it was a good word. But word of the year? Ah, "woot!", I'm just too proud.

Via Boing Boing, via BD.

Darkness on the Edge of Town

2007-12-10T17:26:00.000-05:00

There are six fluorescent lightbulbs in the ceiling lights at my office right now, and I have slowly enjoyed the dimmer and dimmer overhead light as the bulbs went out one by one. Three lightbulbs was perfect light, especially to stare at a computer all day. Two was a little dim, but bearable. But this afternoon, one of those two bulbs started flickering, and with a final gasp and a sputter, just went out.

And then there was one.

And yes, it is a little too dark for me. My coworker has threatened to start calling me a mole rat. So I'll let them replace them -- except, I'm already dreading trying to explain to the office manage and maintenance people that I don't actually WANT them to replace all the bulbs. They can replace two of the five dark ones. But that's it!

I can't work if it's too bright.

Deserved Decadence

2007-12-08T10:16:00.000-05:00

You know how sometimes, when you hate doing something, you put it off and put it off, and suddenly it's like a monstrous thing that you must do RIGHT NOW or else? I found a way out of it!!

A cleaning woman.

Yep. The roomie and I are prepping for a Rock Band party tonight, and the apartment was in a state. Sure, we could have spent an hour every weekend cleaning things up, wiping down the stove, or dusting the corners of the bathroom, but, well... there's too many games to play. Too much of everything else to do, actually.

So, we wait until it's a necessity, and then we hire a cleaning service. And wow -- the sheer joy of someone else doing all the (literally) dirty work, while I sit here typing. And shortly, reading, since I have a pile of manuscripts to look through for work.

I tell you, it's worth every penny.

What's Your Song?

2007-12-07T16:54:00.000-05:00

Got a fun-filled weekend queued up, starting with our office holiday party. Organized by some of the younger staff, we're all going to a karaoke bar. Combine that with plans for Saturday's Rock Band-a-palooza, and you might just get a sense of my excitement!

So! Karaoke! What's your song, your tried and true?

Me, I love "Closer to Fine" by The Indigo Girls, Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man," or Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out for a Hero."

Golden Encompassing

2007-12-07T12:53:00.001-05:00

So The Golden Compass opens today, and I'm looking forward to seeing it. What's been a bit maddening is the ridiculous furor over the "anti-Christian" content in the books, and thus, in the movie. Never mind that other critics are enraged because the filmmakers took out most of the anti-Church stuff. They're up in arms that author Phillip Pullman is promoting his atheist agenda to moviegoers, and at the holidays too! The nerve!

I liked this bit from Brandon Sanderson, a fantasy writer and Mormon, about an email he received urging people not to see the movie:

It didn't seem informative–but COUNTER-informative. It didn't try to explain ideas, but instead tried to get people to avoid listening to those ideas. In short, it didn't seek to promote understanding or learning, but instead promoted exclusivist and censorship. There is a difference between 1) acknowledging and arguing against content you might disagree with and 2) attempting to suppress that content.

Read the whole thing, and make up your own mind.

As for me, of course I'm going to go. It has ARMORED BEARS!!

1408

2007-12-05T22:47:00.000-05:00

Is a spoooooky movie.

Have I mentioned I don't like scary movies? I don't.

If I have nightmares tonight, I'm blaming Stephen King.

He probably gets that a lot.

Back to work

2007-12-03T10:55:00.000-05:00

Or, How I Finally Managed To Leave The Apartment.

Had a fantastic, homey weekend involving lots of delicious lazing about and socializing -- but the best kind of socializing, where you don't even have to leave your own home! Also, the roomie got a brand spanking new shiny TV, about twice the size of our old one, so we used that A LOT. We watched "Wrong Turn 2", "Battlestar Galactica: Razor," "Torchwood", "30 Rock," "12 Monkeys," played a BUNCH of "Roch Band" and "Portal," and I even managed to bake a cake!

Plus, Doyce put up plastic sheeting over our air conditioners, so now there's not a cold breeze coming into the apartment all winter. And I hung curtains in my room (yes, I know, nice timing) which make the room nice and cozy. And dark. Someone has enlightened me (pun intended) to the joys of sleeping in a dark room, so that's nice.

Hooray, hooray, hooray!

2007-11-30T17:27:00.000-05:00

Doyce has boarded a plane and is on his way to NYC for the weekend. Just as excitedly, we have NO PLANS! Well, ok, we're going to hang out on ~~Friday~~ Saturday at home and watch bad movies with the roomie, his gf (Semicircular Vegan!), MJ, and Oscar Gingersnort, but other than that, our whole weekend stretches in front of us with no pending appointments, family responsibilities, or otherwise scheduled time. How divine!

High Tech Post!

2007-11-30T12:36:00.000-05:00

So, Amazon's Kindle has been all in the news lately, and folks have been regularly fawning over the one in our office. Similarly, an editor I know recently posted about her company's trial run with the Sony Reader, which she's already in love with.

Now, I am all about saving paper. And money. And I love convenience (who doesn't?). So it may come as no surprise that I'm taking a good hard look at these devices and their ilk for possible future reading of submissions and such. (Not finished books, though. I like the experience of reading books too much to switch for those.) I think that's why I appreciated Alvina's review of the Sony Reader -- unlike most of the recent articles and such on the Kindle, which focus on it as a device for reading finished books, her opinion is on reading manuscripts. And yes, sitting on a crowded subway train during a holiday rush hour is probably not the best time to pull out a loose manuscript.

All that being said though, I recognize that I'm not an early adopter. I'm not going to be the first person on my block with the hot new technology. And for the most part, this has worked out nicely for me. I lucked into a iPod mini, and though my version's no longer being sold, it still works (well enough) for me. I wasn't the first in my family or circle of friends to get a digital camera, but I was able to benefit from their experiences with them to get a good one, when I finally decided I wanted one.

It always takes me an extra year or so to want the new gadget.

So consider this a no-rush kind of request for information. If you hear anything about these new devices, if you use one yourselves, if you've got a hot tip on a sweet sale, let me know. Someday, I may just bite.

In the meantime, I have to go print out a submission.

When the sidebar is longer than the posts

2007-11-29T15:39:00.000-05:00

I know I've been a bad blogger.

Truth is, there's a TON of stuff going on, but nothing I can blog about at the moment. Come the day, though, I will have pages and pages to say. Well, posts and posts.

Still, maybe I can ask for a little help. Have any of you worked with a great web designer that you'd recommend? I'm ideally also looking for someone with some experience with flash, but that's not a deal-breaker. Also looking for an accountant in the Denver area. Suggestions? Recommendations?

I'm also looking for a fun gift for my four female coworkers that's a little unique but not too expensive. I need four of them, so my budget is low. I thought of trolling through Etsy, which I hear some great things about, but I do also love to support crafty people I know, so if you've got a pile of handmade gifts just sitting around, let me know!

Thanks!

My Notables

2007-11-25T23:35:00.000-05:00

De suggested I list a few of my notable books of 2007, which I'm always happy to do! How to choose, though? Books I read in 2007? Book published in 2007? Or a little of both? And what about books I haven't read yet, but I still want to consider notable? Well, the easiest way to do this list is looking at titles I've read in the past year, so here we go. I reserve the right to add more stuff later, with different qualifications.

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz. I read this back in January, and later in the year picked up its sequel, Forever Odd, which I also enjoyed. I had had this image in my mind of Koontz as a horror writer, but this was sort of thrilling magical realism, with a murder mystery. I'm looking forward to reading the third book in the series, Brother Odd.
The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart. Just plain fun YA, with an utterly compelling heroine in Ruby, who is also featured in The Boy Book. Looking forward to reading Lockhart's newest book, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, coming out in May 2008.
The Darkangel by Meredith Ann Pierce. An editor I dearly want to have a book with gave me an early copy of this, which I devoured in one short chunk when Doyce & I were in Florida this past spring. Book Two in the trilogy is already on my to-be-read shelf. A really intriguing, unusual "vampire" tale. (Yes, my quotes are deliberate.)
Enchantment by Orson Scott Card. This book came up in conversation just recently, in talking about fairy tales. A fun, realistic retelling of Sleeping Beauty, with dashes of Russian folklore thrown in.
Emma Jean Lazarus Fell Out of A Tree by Lauren Tarshis. Just read it. I'll wait. It's short and hilarious, with one of the most wonderful middle grade heroines I've had the pleasure to meet in a while.
The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz. Funny, touching adult novel about a woman who grows up in a family of private eyes. Did I mention they're all dysfunctional? Yeah, good times, good times. I think I read this in one sitting, too.
In The Garden of Iden by Kage Baker. This one's up here because I want other folks to read it too, so we can talk about it. A little slow starting, I thought, but then you're thrown into a world where children are raised in a futuristic colony, then given missions by their teachers and controllers from the future to save parts of the world from extinction. Really intriguing. I have the next book on reserve at the library.
Agnes & The Hitman By Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer. What happens when a top-drawer, funny, chick lit novelist combines forces with a man's man military thriller writer? You get a fantastically funny, densely plotted roller-coaster ride like this one. Just a blast. I loved the authors' previous collaboration, too.

That's it for now. What are your notables?

How Many Have You Read?

2007-11-23T22:23:00.000-05:00

Of the 100 New York Times Notable Books of 2007.

I've only read one -- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Ah well. To be honest, there's not all that many more that I want to read.

Sure, when you put it that way...

2007-11-23T22:03:00.000-05:00

"Oh no!" I exclaimed, sitting at my laptop, staring at the screen.

From various points across the room, I'm asked by my mom and sister, What's wrong? Is someone sick? Did the project we just spent several hours working on disappear?

Um, no. "Battlestar Galactice: Razor" premieres tomorrow night, and I won't be home to set the DVR.

Sure, when you compare it to all the other stuff that could go wrong, it's not so bad. But it is a problem. And Scifi.com's being annoying difficult about telling me when they'll air it again.

The bird is in the oven

2007-11-22T11:24:00.000-05:00

The potatoes are chopped and ready to boil, the stuffing is made, the parade is on in the background, and the table is set. It's Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all.

A few things I am thankful for

2007-11-19T18:06:00.000-05:00

In no particular order.

My bear
Coke Zero. Really. It's yummy.
Banana Republic's Martin fit pants
Also, sale coupons
Frontier Airlines (the official airline of our wedding!)
David Tennant as Doctor Who. (Watch that. It's a special)
White chocolate Maltesers. So delicious!
My plans for the future

Friends and family and other assorted loved ones, etc. etc. That goes without saying.

What about you?

I know I should be horrified

2007-11-16T10:51:00.001-05:00

I mean, it's not even Thanksgiving, and the Christmas decorations are already up and out everywhere. But something about the smell of fresh pine trees and evergreens popping up on the median of Park Avenue just makes me smile.

That, and the knowledge that my Christmas wish list is very simple this year. This or this. My needs are simple.

You wouldn't know it to look...

2007-11-15T19:14:00.001-05:00

But today I packed three boxes of books in my apartment. We did a big paper order at the office, so I asked the guys to save me a bunch of those xerox paper boxes, which are great for packing. Taped three of them together and brought them home tonight, and quickly and easily filled up three boxes. I'm trying to keep things in some sort of order -- if only to be able to look at the top of the box and say, "Ok, that one goes in the basement office, that one goes in the living room, that one goes in the "library" downstairs." So far, so good.

John Green Explains The Writers Strike

2007-11-13T22:21:00.000-05:00

Very well, too, I think.

And ***Dave linked to the WGA petition that I signed a few days ago. Go add your name.

You know. If you want to.

Not so recent.

2007-11-13T10:35:00.000-05:00

So I added a fun book to my "Recent Reads" list on Amazon last night, and I come in this morning and check out the sidebar, and lo and behold -- it's backwards. Instead of showing the most recent ten books I've read (usual caveats apply -- doesn't include manuscripts, partials, proposals, books not yet listed as available on Amazon...), it shows the first ten I added when I first set up the list. So, you know, it's showing books from April '06 instead of now.

I'm hoping it sorts itself out shortly. I'll admit I just kept futzing with the code until it looked the way I wanted it to -- I don't think the website where I grabbed the html is still active. Anyone else who uses Blogfuel also noticing problems?

Who Knew?

2007-11-12T16:01:00.000-05:00

There was this much to worry about? I'm doing lots of research, but in the meantime, if anyone's had especially good or bad experiences with interstate movers, please let me know.

My Google Quote of the Day

2007-11-11T12:47:00.001-05:00

In literature as in love, we are astonished at what is chosen by others.
- Andre Maurois