Laughing on Monday

It's Monday. Yep, I can hear your groans and that's why I'm giving you something that I hope will bring a smile to your face this morning. Or afternoon, or evening, depending on when you're reading. :)

My favorite is the last one, what's yours?









xoxoxo,
Vicki

Everything I Need to Know, I Learned From Noah's Ark

So maybe not, but a friend emailed this to me and I thought it holds a lot of truth. And yes, I felt the need to be colorful here. Hey, I did stay in the lines this time.

ONE: Don't miss the boat.

TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat!

THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.

FOUR: Stay fit. When you're 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.

FIVE: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.

SIX: Build your future on high ground.

SEVEN: For safety's sake, travel in pairs.

EIGHT: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.

NINE: When you're stressed, float awhile.

TEN: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

ELEVEN: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.

What about you? Have you read something that you feel is an everything-I-need-to-know, I learned from...?

It's Monday, so hugs and how about we party like it's Friday.

Vicki

Cool Toes, Fire, and Bookmark Giveaway

I had a great b-day week! Yep, it was a week long and fun. On Saturday my friends and I went shopping and then they took me to lunch. Afterwards, Laurie and I went for pedicures. Mine are red and black (think french and the black is where the white would be), with a tiny line of silver under the black. Laurie's? Her signature style.

Its cold in sunny Florida so Science Guy and I had a fire. I love this firepit, although it doesn't look so much like a pit.




Time for the contest of the week. :)

The booksmarks are from my sister's company and I love them. You don't have to ever bend pages, which I don't do anyway. The pics are on both the front and backside.

This is the first group of three with more to come in the next few weeks. Leave your comments all week and I'll choose three winners. Also, check back tomorrow when I'll put the book of the week contest up.





Writing Wishes and Plotting Dreams,
Vicki

Romeo Romeo Winner, Irish Fun, But First....

The winner of Robin Kaye's debut book, Romeo Romeo...



...is Liza!!! Email me at vickilanewrites @yahoo.com with your snail mail addy and I"ll get the book out to you. I'd love to know your thoughts once you've finished it. :)

Now for a little Irish Fun

You Are A Lime Tree

You are intelligent, hard working, and innately successful. You try to change what you can in life - and you accept what you can't change. Tough on the outside, you are actually soft and relenting. Jealous at times, you are extremely loyal and giving to those you love. You have many talents, but you don't have enough time to use them.

What's Your Celtic Horoscope?

So, did you check yours? Tells us, we want to know.

WW's and PD's,
Vicki

Happy Halloween

Many of us celebrate this holiday by taking the little ones trick-or-treating, giving out the candy to them from our own homes, or dressing up and going to Halloween parties.

But did you know this was a Celtic Festival many years ago, where people would, (and probably still do) set out a plate for their loved ones who've passed on in a way of remembering them. It was also a time for them to take stock in their supplies and yes, slaughter the animals needed for food in the winter. Just thought that was interesting.

So maybe this year as you're dressing up, taking the little ones, out, or getting ready to hand out your treats, take a few moments to remember with the happy times of those who've passed on.

Hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween. Check back tomorrow for this week's winner.



WW's and PD's,
Vicki

Party Time is Almost Over

My mom's weekend b-day party is winding down. Last night was the big party, complete with the sit down dinner and dancing. I've got some great pics to post later. My sister bought everyone cool sunglasses. Science Guys were guitars.

We're heading home sometime today and although it's been great to see family I don't see often and friends I miss, it will be great to be home with our babies (the dogs).

Tomorrow begins the Monday check in and another contest will be up. Hope everyone has had a great weekend and for those in the path of Ike, my thoughts and prayers are still with you and your family.

WW's and PD's,
Vicki

Working Through the Storm Day Job Style

I haven't heard from the winner of Roxanne's book, Now You Die, so please email me your snail mail addy. If I don't hear from you by Sunday I'll need to draw another name.

Some office humor for hurricane's and friend sent to me and I thought I'd share.


Office Procedures Concerning Storm and Office Closings

As we watch the progress of the storm, the following are the
firm's guidelines based upon the hurricane's intensity:

Hurricane Category #1
No excuse for being late. Leave earlier to give extra time to
avoid fallen trees and limbs.


Hurricane Category #2
Due to the horizontal rain, you may wear jeans.


Hurricane Category #3
Whereas most of the area will be flooded we suggest you
avoid wearing open toe sandals when coming to work. Canoes will be
provided to get to the building safely without getting wet.


Hurricane Category #4
More than likely there will be no electricity. Given that, we
will have manual typewriters available to all staff members. Please take
extra caution and wear water-proof make-up if Category 4 or above.


Hurricane Category #5
Velcro will be provided to keep you attached to your chairs when
the windows blow out. For those that survive, we will have chocolate
cake at 3:00 pm in the kitchen.

Although this was an on the job humor sent to me, I am praying for everyone who will be in the path of Ike for safety for you and your families.

Writing Wishes and Plotting Dreams,
Vicki

It Hasn’t Changed All That Much…

Science Guy gave this to me last night and I thought I’d share it with you. Although we might not be at an actual huge rock, when the writer’s block hits us, we might as well be.

I tried to find it on the net and it wasn’t there. So what’s a girl to do? Snag it and give kudo’s to the cartoonist.

I did, however, find John McPherson’s, the cartoonist, bio on this website. And this is his Close To Home website.

WW’s and PD’s,
Vicki

Friday, Friday, Friday

It’s Friday and if you’re like me you’re doing the happy dance. Love it when the weekend finally gets here. WhooHoo!!!

So, in honor of Friday and the freedom it brings, I’d like to share a couple of quotes with you.

All I could find for the first two is anonymous, so if you know who wrote them please share with us. The last one is a personal favorite of mine, and of course it has the author of the quote. ;)

Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly…. ~annonymous

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…It’s about learning how to Dance in the Rain. ~annonymous

“Be kinder than necessary, because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.” ~George Carlin

What about you? Do you have a quote you love? Share it with us, you never know who might need to read it today.

Happy Friday,
Vicki

Your Breathe Catches…and You’re Memorized

Once in awhile you are given the privilege of seeing, hearing, or reading about someone extraordinary. And when that happens, your thoughts on life, goals, and believing in the magic comes full circle.

Last night was one of those moments for me. Science Guy and I Tivo’d America’s Got Talent since we like to fast forward through the commercials. They keep showing this one guy and saying he was coming up after the break, but it was at the end when they finally showed him.

I have to say in my opinion, the judges who screen the contestants to decide who is allowed to come on an audition, must have spoken with the three judges on stage. Peirce asked the performer quite a few questions.

And then Neil Boyd sang:




Yes, he sang the same song as Paul Potts did his first go round on Britain’s Got Talent. And yes Neil was amazing. He may not have held the final note out as long as it would normally be, but as you’ll see on the clip, he was somewhat emotional.

His story of his life growing up is one many can relate to. Raised by his mother, he and his brother missed out much of their time with her since she worked continually to make ends meet.

One of the funny yet sweet things he said backstage was he didn’t know he was poor growing up. It was only after his mother told they were poor that he knew. To me this speaks volumes of his mother. To be a single parent, raising to boys, working every waking hour you can, and for your children not know the family struggled is amazing and nothing but a home full of love.

I also realized watching him, we all have the same chance to be one who others are seeing our passions be it art, music, writing, and any number of things. No, it may not be on a stage auditioning for America’s Got Talent, but it is where your passion leads you and what you do to make your dream come true.

WW’s and PD’s,
Vicki

Tagged Myself - You Can Too

I tagged myself over at the Manuscript Mavens blog. Here's the deal:

1. Pick up the nearest book.

2. Open to page 123.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the next three sentences.

5. Tag five no people and post a comment to the person who tagged you once you've posted your three sentences.

The nearest book is on my computer. Mine. So here are my three lines. You’ll see they come at a scene break.

Except this time it didn’t feel quite the same as it had with the others. Not wanting to think about what that meant, he turned the music up and began singing at the top of his lungs.

***

It took Mallory three tries before she got the pilot light lit on the old gas stove.

What about you? Pick the nearest book and leave the lines in the comments (they also help you in winning Karen's book).

WW’s and PD’s,
Vicki

Contest You Don't Want To Miss Out On

Really exciting happenings over at Bookends. They are running a contest of the first 100 words of your manuscript. However make sure you read the post. You will only be able to submit when it’s your genre, otherwise it will not count.
Yesterday was mystery and I believe next will be paranormal. When it’s your genre you have about 24 hours in which to post your 100 words (absolutely no more than 100) and then they announce the winner within a couple of days and go on to the next genre.

This is not only a great opportunity to get your work in front of a fabulous agency, but when you look at posting 100 words, you realize how much you have to tighten those words. At least I did. :)

Also today is the day to choose a title for the Manuscript Mavens CYOA story. You can also read the past chapters of the mini book. And there are prizes to be given away. Prizes, people, you know we all love prizes. :D

Hope your weekend is great and remember to write, research, or plot that book. Check back on Monday for the first book contest of the year (not counting the PIF contest).

WW’s and PD’s,
Vicki

TGIF and Last Day for Pay It Forward Contest

Happy Friday Everyone! Today is the last day of the Pay It Forward contest. To be entered all you need to do is leave your comments. Tomorrow, I'll pick two winners and those winners will choose their prize. You can check out the post with the prize listing here.

I was one of the winners over on Carolyn's blog and now it's my turn. Hopefully the winners here will pay it forward on their own blogs. Cool idea.

Don't forget to check out the Manuscript Mavens for today's installment. If you haven't read the past ones, you can go back and read them up to date. This is another great story they are doing, along with some fabulous authors.
At the end of each days 'chapter' you get to vote on what happens next. So much fun, and there are prizes to be won.

Writing Wishes and Plotting Dreams,
Vicki

Tuesday Check In and The Quiz Answers

Time to check in with last week’s progress:

New words this week - 742
Words cut - not sure

Synopsis - working on POS, true POS

Revising on the hard copy - through chapter 10

Looking up the words, 'as he', as she' - too many to count and working on changing bunches of them

Retreat – making 75 workbooks, name badges (thank you so much Laurie K for helping with this), movie for movie night, emails, talking with the hotel, and more stuff that has to be done just before the retreat

Next week: Synopsis POS finished, hard copy revisions entered into the manuscript, oh and maybe going back to page one after Michael Hauge's workshops. ;)

Now for the answers to yesterday’s quiz. This is the quiz that I found over on Bruce’s blog.

1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?

The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.

2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?

Wrong Answer: Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant and close the refrigerator.
Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your actions.

3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend?
Correct Answer: The Elephant. The Elephant is in the refrigerator. This tests your memory.

OK, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your abilities.

4. There is a river you must cross. But it is inhabited by crocodiles.How do you manage it?
Correct Answer: You swim across. All the Crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting. This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.

According to Andersen Consulting Worldwide, around 90% of the professionals they tested got all questions wrong. But many preschoolers got several correct answers. Anderson Consulting says this conclusively disproves the theory that most professionals have the brains of a four year old.

Your turn. Did you know the answers to these? How was your writing week? Plotting, thinking about it, actual words on the page or cut from the page? Or are you working on the synopsis? Submitting?

The Pay It Forward contest is still going on. Leave a comment to be entered and on Feb. 8th I’ll pick two winners.

WW’s and PD’s,
Vicki

A Little Something to Wake up the Brain Power on Monday

It's Monday, it's chilly, and it was another busy weekend. Oh, and five more days, technically four more days, and the TARA retreat with Michael Hauge begins. WhooHoo!!! I can't wait.

Since it's Monday and early and lots to do to get ready for the weekend, I thought I'd do a question and answer to test our brains. Today will be the questions and tomorrow will be the answers. I read this over on Bruce's blog and have to say I didn't get them all correct at first. So, take a moment and think about them.

Also, don't forget about the Pay It Forward contest going on. The winners will be chosen on Feb. 8th. Check out the link if you didn't read it the other day.

Okay, here are the questions:

1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?

2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?

3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend?

4. There is a river you must cross. But it is inhabited by crocodiles.How do you manage it?

I'll be back tomorrow with the answers. And if you haven't checked out Bruce's blog you really should.

So, how was your weekend? And do you know the answers to the questions?

Writing Wishes and Plotting Dreams,
Vicki

Wednesday Fun

Some of you may have seen these before since they've been in the email route. Still, they're pretty amazing to see again or for the first time. The last one is pretty amazing. The next time you think you need a career change...well, this is probably not the one you want. :)

Amazing Cloud Formation


Edge of the Storm


Fire Starter


Holding The Sun


Not a Great Day for Surfing


Only in Thailand


Only in India


Only In Hawaii


Only In America


How's Your Day Job?


I hope your weeks going well. Lot's of reading and writing.

Which picture is your favorite? Don't forget to comment to be entered in this week's contest. It's Carly Phillips new book Sealed With A Kiss.

WW's and PD's,
Vicki

Wednesday Funny

Before the Wednesday Funny I can’t believe I forgot to tell you this on Monday. Karen Rose hit the New York Times Best Sellers (#20) and USA Today’s List with Die For Me. WhooHoo!!!! If you haven’t picked up a copy go and get it now. Remember to read it with the lights on though. :)

Now for the funny. And some of us thought the newspaper had lost its fun:


REAL NEWSPAPER ADS

FREE YORKSHIRE TERRIER.
8 years old. Hateful little dog. Bites.

FREE PUPPIES:
1/2 Cocker Spaniel, 1/2 sneaky neighbor's dog.

FREE PUPPIES...
Mother, AKC German Shepherd.
Father, Super Dog...able to leap tall fences in a single bound.

FOUND DIRTY WHITE DOG.
Looks like a rat ... been out a while.
Better be a reward.

COWS, CALVES: NEVER BRED.
Also 1 gay bull for sale.

NORDIC TRACK
$300 Hardly used, call Chubby.

GEORGIA PEACHES
California grown - 89 cents lb.

JOINING NUDIST COLONY!
Must sell washer and dryer $300.

WEDDING DRESS FOR SALE .
WORN ONCE BY MISTAKE.
Call Stephanie.

AND FINALLY:

FOR SALE BY OWNER:
Complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica, 45 volumes
Excellent condition
$1,000 or best offer
No longer needed, got married last month.
Wife knows everything

WW's and PD's,
Vicki

Wednesday Fun - Hell: Is it Hot or Cold

Here's funny for your Wednesday.

Is Hell hot or cold?

The following is an actual question given on a University of Liverpool chemistry
final exam.

The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with
colleagues via the Internet, which is why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.

Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's law that gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed or some variant.

One student, however, wrote the following: First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.

As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that, if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell.
With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell. Because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to
stay constant, the volume of Hell must expand proportionately as souls are added.

This gives two possibilities:

1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.

2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.

So which is it? If we accept the postulate given to me by Sandra during My freshman year, that "it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you," and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number 2 must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is endothermic and has already frozen over.

The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is extinct....leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being - which explains why, last night, Sandra kept shouting "Oh my God."

THIS STUDENT RECEIVED THE ONLY A

Happy Wednesday,
Vicki

I've Been Tagged - 8 Things About Me

Ava Rose tagged me so here goes.

Here are the rules:
A. Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves.

B. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed.

C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. The love of my life is Science Guy (nope not Bill Nye).

2. I have two puppies, both 9 months old, one is a Chihuahua (5 ½ lbs) and one is a Shih-Tzu (16 lbs). They think they are the same size and the same breed.

3. I love, love, love to act on stage.

4. I am addicted to Starbuck Chai Tea Frappucino.

5. The last concert I saw was Chris Daughtry, not only was he amazing so were the two bands before him!

6. I work for the .com side of a live 24/7 shopping channel.

7. I love to paint.

8. My favorite place to go for vacation is the beach.

Okay, I think I’ll tag:
Stacy
Heather
Rhonda
Patricia
Alison
December
Gena and
Openchannel


Writing Wishes and Plotting Dreams,
Vicki