imkittymyers at hotmail dot com
Saturday, September 10, 2005
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Friday, September 09, 2005
WEEKENDS BEGIN WITH FRIDAY
INTERBLOGATORY FRIDAY
Do you read romance novels? Then HERE'S YOUR CHANCE TO WIN AUTOGRAPHED BOOK PRIZE PACKS FROM YOUR FAVORITE AUTHORS! and help the flood relief effort at the same time. h/t Girl Go ahead. You know you want to :) For those who must suffer through booooring meetings for your paycheck :) h/t LoanCat Booze For Barbie
The Bunnies in THE BIG CHILL!
This month, 100% of proceeds from purchases of stuffs at the Angry Alien store will be donated to the American Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.
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Wednesday, September 07, 2005
SOME WRITERS MAKE IT SEEM SO EASY
All my good intentions of doing some serious writing today were all for naught. I'm embarrassed to admit how easily I was sidetracked ... but I was. The best laid plans of mice and Kitty and all that. I keep thinking that one day I'll do it. I'll be sitting at the computer and just begin typing away. Okay, hunt'n'peck at least. I'll just do it. That's how I wrote my short stories. I cleaned the house last week, I paid the bills yesterday, so today I was all prepared to write. I showered and made coffe and was situated at the keyboard before 7:00 this morning. But first, I had to check my e-mail. Just to get it out of my way, y'know? I mean otherwise I'd sit here and wonder what was awaiting my perusal. How could I possibly concentrate otherwise? So I read my e-mail. Then I had to check Drudge, and what's a day without Lucianne? Why, it's positively a sacrilege not to check out her Must Reads! From there it was on to the NY Post for Page Six, Sean Delonas' cartoon and the horoscopes. From there it was a slide into full bore surfing through magazines, newspapers and, God forbid ... *gasp!* ... the blogosphere! Miss Snark required many visits, just because. So, you get the idea. I'm hopeless.
Might as well talk about a couple of books, then. If you like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, you'll probably like Bubbles Unbound. In fact, Sarah Strohmeyer credits Evanovich with helping with her book. It's good escapist fun, especially when the political histrionics become too much to bear.I'm now reading Good In Bed by Jennifer Weiner. Miss Snark mentioned it which piqued my interest. So far it's great!
When I write my book ... and I will write it! ... Sue Watkins is one person I'll acknowledge and thank. She's a good friend of mine who encouraged me to begin writing again. I met her several years ago. I had no idea she was a writer until she mentioned it in passing. And that was the beginning of a lovely friendship. Sue is liberal, so we don't discuss politics. We accept each other's choices and that's that. Since she lives in the Finger Lake region of NY, we don't get a chance to meet very often, but we do e-mail each other often. She is one of the few people who is able to live on what she earns from her writing. To date, she's written six books and numerous stories and articles. Her latest book What A Coincidence! is a fascinating read. She wrote about me in one of the chapters, too, but you'll have to buy the book to find out what she says :-) Her short stories are usually of the sci-fi genre. She writes so effortlessly; she makes it look so easy. Yet I know that she struggled through each and every word like all other writers. Selfless, funny and always encouraging, Sue is the best friend any writer could have.What about you? Read any good books lately? Let us know in the comments.
ProfessorMediaMatters: "I've got a dozen books started at once." Check out his fabulous WORDS OF STEEL, PT. II Then check out Pt. I.
I’m so disappointed with PhantomProfessor. She’s a long time teacher who’s conducting an online, work-at-your-own-pace writing workshop … for FREE! What a wonderful person, right? Yes, except she’s displaying her personal politics. That spoiled it for me. Check out BACKSTORY where some of your favorite authors tell the stories behind their books. BreakupBabe, who turned her blogging about her breakups into a soon-to-be-released book, writes: Oh Good Lord. I'm revising the most, um, racy section in my book and it's really embarrassing me! I can barely even read my own words much less my editor's comments.I LEFT A GOOD JOB IN THE CITY
I told myself that I was not going to blog today, that today I was going to write. But then Blue and I got to e-mailing ... she's at work, y'know ;) ... and I said how I pictured Sean Penn wearing one of those hats kids fold from newspapers and she said, Why don't you do something like that! I love a challenge, so, of course, Blue techniquely forced me to stop writing before I had even started ... that's how procrastination works, y'know ... and I began figuring out how to photoshop a picture without PhotoShop software. Voila!Now I'm really going to get some writing done. Honest. Really.
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AS I WAS SETTLING DOWN TO WORK ...
LoanCat e-mailed these two cartoons, so I absolutely HAD to post them!
mmmmmmmmm
Okay, now I'm REALLY going to write. No, really!
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Tuesday, September 06, 2005
H.M.S. SPICOLI
Sean Penn valiantly attempts to rescue his camera crew when their dinghy springs a leak during their selfless attempt to rescue flood victims. His humanitarianism did not go unnoticed: [O]ne bystander, referring to the actor's large entourage on board, taunted Penn, saying: "How are you going to get any people in that?" * Dana reports from Slidell, LA, that Prayers were answered:
What really makes me sick is in the midst of all this devestation, there are people who use this issue for political grandstanding and sickening self-promotion. The last thing that the people of New Orleans needs to hear is that their rescuers don't care about them. What kind of sick mind games are they playing on these people. They need home and comfort, not more hatred and loathing.
* Pictures of Slidell-Post Hurricane Katrina
* Check out INTERBLOGATORY BUS STOP and a great satellite photo of The Ray Nagin Memorial Motor Pool.
* THIRDWAVE Dave has several good posts, but this one really got to me. WOLF'S WORKING IT HARD: Of all the MSM reporters, Wolf Blitzer is working harder than anyone trying to keep the anger level at Bush near fever pitch.
* God, I wish I could go to this! RUSH SOLO SHOW FOR AID: RUSH Limbaugh is coming to Broadway next month in a one-night, one-man show to benefit Hurricane Katrina victims. … "Rush on Broadway" Oct. 18. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. today at $77 — his dial position in New York on flagship station WABC (770 AM).
* This is hilarious! Feminist Protection for Ladies on the Left UPDATED: It appears, from these two photos of Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco (one taken with a regular camera, the other with a special Invisible Shield Detector® camera) that the governor is protected by Press Guard®, an invisible shield that prevents journalists from criticizing her or asking her tough questions.
h/t Sobek
* Question: What are you paying for gas? We're still paying $3.49.
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Monday, September 05, 2005
ENJOY THE DAY, BECAUSE
Summer officially ends today. In the past three months the days have shortened from 15hrs. 8 mins. long to 12hrs. 57mins., although I didn't need to consult the sunrise/sunset tables to know that. The nights settle in earlier here with a welcome chill to the air and the treat of wood-burning aroma, and my mornings are darker and foggier. If you're a slave to fashion, today is the day that the white shoes and straw purses should be stored away until next Memorial Day. Boats and summer cottages are being readied for the winter. I've already seen birds gathering, and the geese appear to be on maneuvers, practicing for their long flight south. Little H's 9 enormous sunflowers have long since been picked clean by acrobatic squirrels before H even had a chance to harvest the seeds for the birds. Ah, but that is Mother Nature's way. Our schools crank into gear this week. So enjoy the day. I, for one, welcome fall with open arms.Elsewhere ...
PLUCKED FROM THE FLOOD OF NEWS: 1) The NY Times “in their own words”; 2) Ben Stein says don’t blame George Bush; and 3) Linda Stasi talks about buildings that were built to last. According to Page Six: Barbra Streisand wants to be on the same floor at the New York Sheraton as Bill Clinton when she comes here to attend the Clinton Global Initiative Sept. 15-17. Gayle talks about the price of gas in Ohio: Recently in Ohio the price of gasoline jumped quite markedly, not because of anything done by the gas companies or gas stations, but because once again Ohio lawmakers slapped a nice fat additional per-gallon tax on gasoline. Why do the poor have children out of wedlock?: Most of these women express a strong desire to marry and view extramarital childbearing as "second best." Yet almost all remained single … Men's antisocial behavior, not their modest earning power, is the main obstacle to matrimony. The complaints are not of insufficient potential income, but of drug use, criminality, financial irresponsibility, violence, poor work ethic, defiant attitudes and, above all, flagrant sexual infidelity. That most boyfriends had children by other women was a source of great mistrust. Video From Slidell During Storm: This is nuts, but there is a home video someone in Slidell shot during the storm. Go to this page to check it out. There is a slideshow of the images, plus you can play the video. And last but neverever least, Blue sent this link to me: Hurricane Katrina Animal Rescue Links
While you're here at KL, don't forget to click the purple link on the right to help "FEED AN ANIMAL IN NEED." It's free!
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AND ...
Blue reminded me that I had not posted this must-read article.Hurricane Exposes the Man-Made Disaster of the Welfare State
But this is not a natural disaster. It is a man-made disaster.
The man-made disaster is not an inadequate or incompetent response by federal relief agencies, and it was not directly caused by Hurricane Katrina. This is where just about every newspaper and television channel has gotten the story wrong.
The man-made disaster we are now witnessing in New Orleans did not happen over four days last week. It happened over the past four decades. Hurricane Katrina merely exposed it to public view.
The man-made disaster is the welfare state.
For another very worthy charity, Jackie Mayo's excellent OPERATION AC is responding to the hurricane relief: Because of Hurricane Katrina and major disaster in the states of Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi area Operation AC is suspending sending air conditioners at this time. We are focusing our efforts on supporting our troops who are deployed from these states as well as help for them and their families. *
Sunday, September 04, 2005
CHANGES
There are a few trees which are beginning to change, but notice the background; it's solid green. The real coloring takes place en masse in October.Those gas prices are consistant throughout the area. That's unusual, because there's usually a difference from station to station, sometimes as much as $0.15. About a week ago, the price was $2.99. And a month before that, I paid about $2.59.
What does gas cost where you live?
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A FLOOD OF NEWS
I really feel sorry for this family, although they are safe and will definitely have the means to rebuild. But seriously, why didn't they buy flood insurance on their new home in New Orleans? Having already survived all those hurricanes and storms in Florida, you'd think that would be a no-brainer after then moving to The Big Easy.My Year of Hurricanes
Last year, my wife and I lived through four hurricanes. She was finishing grad school at the University of Florida, and even though we were pretty far inland (Gainesville), we lost power for a total of two weeks.
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Two months ago we moved to New Orleans with our 1-year-old daughter, and a few days later, sure enough, Tropical Storm Cindy struck.
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By the time Katrina arrived, everything was falling into place: Our furniture had been delivered (after we'd threatened legal action), a handyman had fixed our screens and replaced doorknobs and gotten all the appliances working, the baby was installed in a great Montessori day-care center.
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My wife and I were worried about wind damage, certainly, but scarcely considered the matter of flooding; we were in a "low-risk" flood zone, as our insurance company would have it, so we'd declined flood insurance.
How one hospital survived the horrors.‘A Horrible Dream’ Sept. 2, 2005 - It’s been a sweltering, agonizing week for the 1,000 staff members at West Jefferson Medical Center in Marrero, La., a suburb adjacent to New Orleans. They rode out Hurricane Katrina and its horrific aftermath without air conditioning, running water or toilets. Most haven’t slept more than a few hours since the morning of the storm, and many have lost their homes or family members.
The talking heads can't handle the truth.Why The Katrina Coverage Made Me Switch To Fox News!
"Why did it take five days for Bush to help?" is the mantra constantly voiced by all the "Talking Heads" on TV. Here are the reasons:
(1) It is against the law for any President to order troops into a city or across state lines without a request and permission from the Governor of that state.
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(4) It was this predicted levee failure which had been ignored for so long that doomed the local people to be held hostage in their attics or on rooftops, not the storm. It was also the failure of the local bureaucrats and local elected leaders to maintain law and order, and to have pre-arranged for complete evacuations of the city.
Germany has offered to help.Germany and Katrina
There's an election here this month, and statements made by politicians are to be taken with a whole spoonful of salt. A number of those who blame Katrina on Bush's failure to sign the Kyoto contract, led by that nutcase Trittin, are members of the Ecologist Party (Die Grünen) and they don't look too good in pre-election statistics right now. Of course, they use Katrina for propaganda purposes.
Qelle surprise. Guess who “hailed the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina as beginning of the end for the United States”? Because I recognize good deeds, Gore did good. They'll worry about who pays later. Help for the pets.Printer Cartriges for Pets in New Orleans
We have arranged with a local printer cartrige company to take in empty and used printer cartriges, especially Ink Jet. They pay top dollar for these cartriges. 100% of the proceeds from this will be donated to an animal shelter or other New Orleans/Mississippi animal support organization. h/t Blue
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