Moving

So we've been moving. I've been in my apartment for a whopping 17 years, so there's a lot of stuff. Plus I have childhood stuff in there, since my parents left my childhood home long ago and I had to drag my things to college and various apts. after that.

Moving means finding little things from your past and deciding whether to keep them. Today I went through some papers and found the following two gems:

1. My rejection letter from Princeton.
2. A letter from my brother that begins, "Dear Shitster..."

Jeopardy! On-line test

Baby slept right through it. None of the questions were about spitting up anyway. Here's a Youtube video of someone taking the test. I did so-so.

Had to move some of my (many, many) journals to a new location this week. More explanation forthcoming. Meanwhile, found some original scribblings of my first novel:

This is Poopardy!

I'm going to take the Jeopardy! on-line test this week. The baby is going to help me cheat if any of the topics are as follows:

POOP
BREASTMILK
CUTENESS
SMILES
WAKING UP AT 4:15 AM
CLANDESTINE SOCK REMOVAL

iPhone copy thanks to Brad

Chick lit and 'Sex and the City' being studied academically

Hey, yesterday's entry was all I had time to write! Anyway, there is now an academic book out about chick lit. The author interviewed me several years ago. She's very nice! It started as an article. I'll have to see if I can get my hands on a copy of the book.

I wonder if she's start a class at UNH about chick lit. Ooh, assign my book! Must work on a bribe...

Dogs should live at least as long as cats.

If you're ever feeling hopeless...

...reaching out to someone, particularly a professional, is a good idea. I'm spurred to write this mainly because of something I just read on the internet. Look how quickly things may change for this person. And all she did was write to a wacky advice columnist...

Two nice reviews

After a lull, I got two nice reviews in a row last week! Maybe the snow is keeping people inside and reading... or maybe they knew my 40th b-day was coming and they felt bad for me. Hee!

First one.

And second.

Also, School Library Journal said some nice things, so maybe school libraries will buy it now. Their review is posted on Amazon.

I notice that Amazon says there are 72 reviews, when there were only 71 a few days ago. I don't see the new one up, so it must be pending.

This morning...

In case you were wondering

N.J.S.A. 26:4B-4 Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a mother shall be entitled to breast feed her baby in any location of a place of public accommodation, resort or amusement wherein the mother is otherwise permitted.

EFFECTIVE MAY 19, 1997

The Legislature finds and declares that: the Surgeon General of the United States recommends that babies from birth to one year of age should be breast fed, unless medically contraindicated, in order to achieve a healthy start on life; breast milk strengthens the immune system of babies, improves digestion and is of better nutritional value than regular milk; other benefits include the establishment of a strong mother-baby bond and a potential increase in baby's IQ level; despite the Surgeon General's recommendation, statistics reveal a declining number of women are choosing to breast feed their children, and nearly half of all new mothers are now choosing formula over breast milk even before they leave the hospital; the social constraints of modern society impede a woman's choice to breast feed due to embarrassment, fear of criminal prosecution and lack of public acceptance; therefore, it is in the best interest of the State to recognize breast feeding in places of public accommodation as an important right which must be encouraged in order to promote child health.

I want to beeeee a part of it, in old Nyack...

Hubby took me for b-day dinner to a lovely restaurant in Nyack. It was my choice, and I chose it as much for the cute town it was in then for how good the food looked. Nyack is an old artsy waterfront town in New Yawk state. Here are some pics from around the restaurant.

A couple was even getting married there! Brrr, it was a bit cold to be wearing your wedding duds outside.

If you go to the restaurant, I definitely recommend their crab ravioli. Good portion, good taste.

What a drag it is getting old

I am sorry this blog has gotten boring. I think I have some good entries brewing, particularly since I'm about to turn...um...30...well, ok, 40...shhhh. So as soon as I find the time, I will write.

Do some of you really not care about getting older? Ugh.

Luckily, I am going to be consuming something on this birthday that harks back to the birthdays of my youth. HINT.

Happy new year!

I had a great 2010, but clearly not everyone did. So...onward and upward!!

Happy new year!

Instead of hunting and wounding helpless animals, my husband brought back THIS delightful meal. The yellowish one is champagne!

Anyway, thanks for being such good readers and friends this year. Stay tuned...I'm turning 40 soon, and that will probably result in at least a couple of entries.

Have a great one!

Worst and best

A few days ago I mentioned that someone thought my book was the worst book of 2010. Well, this person thinks it was the best. Different strokes!

Quote

We did see the movie 'Easy A.' What followed:

FATHER IN 'EASY A': After we watch 'The Bucket List,' remember to cross 'watch "The Bucket List" off our bucket list.

ME: That was terrible.

HUBBY: The whole MOVIE IS TERRIBLE!!

It takes every kind of people

One reader had this to say about Carrie Pilby, in a review on the website Goodreads.com: "If the title of this book was Kevin Pilby, the book would get a rave review from literati types, a fancy arty cover, and a movie starring Michael Cera. I feel like the author is being cheated out of this ... Feminist-ish rant aside, I really enjoyed this book ... I hope it gets a wider audience that the cover is aiming for, and that it gets good press, hell and maybe even a movie deal, with Ellen Page in the starring role."

And on the other hand, this person believes Carrie Pilby was the worst book of 2010.

All valid opinions. I've loved books that others hated. Just shows how different opinions can be!

Dinner and a movie

Movies I have wanted to see in the last few years have been few and far between. But around the time I gave birth, a ton of movies came out that looked worth seeing. So now I have some good choices when hubby and I want to pay-per-view. The ones I wanna see include:

Easy A

It's Kind of a Funny Story

Social Network

The Town

And we're gonna also see Wall Street II.

I also think The Backup Plan looks good, but how much am I gonna have to pay hubby to watch this:

The movie is a story of a woman (played by Jennifer Lopez) who is worried about her biological clock ticking and thus goes in for artificial insemination, only to find the perfect man (played by Alex O’Loughlin) on the very same day. What follows is a never before relationship which starts with handling together a pregnancy, while dating and romancing side by side!

Question

Do people under 25 ever use the term "cable tv" these days or even know what it means, since pretty much ALL TV is cable TV now? If I tell my son someday that something is "on cable," will he laugh at me? (Of course, I'll be using it to mean any channel over 13, but he won't see it that way.)

click to enlarge

I can wait a little more

Many years ago, probably at least seven or eight, I cut out this Calvin and Hobbes cartoon from the newspaper. I loved the last line. I kept it in my "in" box and never had a place to put it, so it's sat at the bottom of my in box for almost a decade! Here it is. Have happy holidays, everyone. Thank you for reading my humble blog.