One bad celebrity

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Kanye (whatever the heck his last name is) is an unmitigated thug. I waited to hear his apology...what garbage. He now is blaming his mother's death for brutalizing a 19-year-old girl on television?!?!

What a load of crock! On the Jay Leno show the cretin couldn't even look at the camera when he mumbled the apology without even saying Taylor's name. And most likely he's going to get away with his actions without any major consequences.

I also have a bone to pick with the audience of celebrities. Was everyone's butt superglued to his/her chair? When they saw this thug grab the mike and act eratically did no one think that Taylor could potentially be in danger? Was everyone such a coward that he/she couldn't rush up on stage and stop that monster's tirade? I would have hoped some guy in the audience could have punched the creep's lights out.

Where were the heroes? Oh wait . I forgot. These were people who pretend to be that they are somebody. Sigh, Carol

Justice not served today

Thursday, July 30, 2009

I'm sorry. I normally don't question a judge, but today's sentencing of a woman who plotted the murder of the mother of her ex-boyfriend and nearly succeeded in killing his young son as well was ridiculous. The woman only got life against the jury's recommendation. Oh yeah, I am sooo certain that this cold-blooded creature is going to spend her life repenting her wrongs as the judge asked.

Right. Can't wait for this judge to come up for re-election. Carol

RWA Conference

Sunday, July 26, 2009

I'm finding it hard to juggle Facebook, Twitter and my blog. All these social networking options can be real time zappers so if I'm silent here, you can find me on Facebook most likely.

I had a great time in DC at the RWA National Conference, but then again I always do. I get to see friends that I only get to see once a year and catch up with them. I had a fun roommate in Sandra Madden. We managed to sneak away and tour both the Spy Museum and Newseum...fabulous museums and the history preserved!!! I didn't eat at any bad place and three places we simply walked in without any recommendations.

I arrived Wednesday and as my room wasn't available, I went to concierge and asked how far the National Cathedral was. When he indicated it was a mile and about a 15-20 minute walk, I took off. It was a mile as a crow flies...it took about an hour criss-crossing roads that kept going uphill. But the hike was worth the trip. The church was magnificient. All the stained glass windows throw ribbons of colors across the stone ceilings. I didn't take the tour, simply wandered around with my camera. Here are a few photos, which don't do the ethereal beauty justice. :) Carol

Car #20

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Yesterday our local Home Depot had the #20 Joey Logano car on display. Naturally, I had to go check it out. I took a ton of photos plus got my picture with the car! :) Carol

Independence Day

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

On my writing chapter's listserve, someone posted an article about the fates of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Very moving about their sacrifices.

Knowing people's stories is what draws me to doing genealogy. I'm both fascinated and proud of what I've learned so far about my ancestors. Just this past year I learned that I'm one of the million descendants of the Mayflower Pilgrims [my ancestor was the one who was swept overboard but caught a line and was saved]. Between 1620 and 1650's, the most direct lines of my family settled in Virginia and Maryland. They served on colonial assemblies and were sheriffs, lawyers and planters.

One ancestor lost everything in the religious war in the 1650's in Maryland. Family legend is another was hung by the Tories during the Revolution. One family lost their homestead in the aftermath of the Revolution with three brothers heading west and the other three brothers staying east. I'm a descendant of one of the westward-ho brothers who settled in Ohio.

As much as I can determine, family members have served in nearly every conflict beginning with the Revolution [the only conflict that I haven't pinpointed yet is the Korean War].

So here's to the colonial settlers, founding fathers and all those who have served and continue to serve this country.

Have a Happy and Safe Independence Day! Carol

Congrats Joey Logano!

Sunday, June 28, 2009

On your first Cup win! Loved watching the race against the backdrop of the New Hampshire scenery. :) Carol

http://www.joeylogano.com/

Congrats, Kasey!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Wow, what a road race he ran today at Sonoma! I'd driven past the track last summer when I was visiting the wine country. Man, what twists and turns that course has. :) Carol

OFFICIAL SITE OF KASEY KAHNE :: HOME
http://www.kaseykahne.com/

So You Think...

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

I can dance? heeheehee :) Carol

Missing in Action

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Sorry that I've been quiet here. Day job is hectic and I'm under a deadline for writing. I'll catch up soon. :) Carol

Congrats, George Strait!!!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

I'm a huge George Strait fan so I was thrilled that he was at long last recognized as Artist of the Decade. 57 number one hits. Unmatched in any genre. Even a greater achievement, these number one hits have spanned 4 decades.

But the performances tonight underscored why: not only he's a great singer, he tells the story of the song. While a few of the country artists did a passable job of singing his hits, a number of them couldn't even begin to equal his performance of the song.

I agree with George: he needs to keep singing and give us those wonderful songs.

:) Carol

Batted 1000

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

I batted one thousand this week between Dancing With the Stars and American Idol. All my votes went for Shawn and Kris. I'm thrilled for them both. Kris was my dark horse AI candidate once the final 13 were picked. Week after week he impressed me, and I loved his ability with both the guitar and the piano. He just kept growing in confidence and giving solid performance after solid performance. I know the judges were "Adam, Adam, Adam" all along, but Adam always made me hyper. Kris is the kind of singer one can curl up with and feel good or go to a concert and come out relaxed and happy. His would be an album I could buy.

So enjoy, Kris. And Shawn, your competitive spirit was amazing.

But I don't get to catch my breath because tomorrow night begins "So You Think You Can Dance." :) Carol

Crime Watch

Monday, May 18, 2009

I went to my first neighborhood Crime Watch tonight. I wanted to see the chief of police and other officers in person [having only seen them on TV on occasion]. I also wanted to hear their plan of action for the burglaries that have been plaguing the area.

Goal no. 1 accomplished; goal no. 2 not so much. It never ceases to amaze me how people can't ask a question. They frontload with run-on sentence after run-in sentence about this and that before finally getting around to the actual question. And they think attorneys are the only ones with an endless hypothesis. Then there were those people who have to tell a story.

Several had obviously watched one too many CSI's episodes and were suggesting to the police investigation techniques. One woman went on about checking cell phone records of 2 suspects recently apprehended. Like...the suspects wouldn't have immediately lawyered up and all sorts of court battles are being fought, not to mention subpoenas needing to be issued for phone records.

Anyway, I did learn that I could sign up for crime alerts, which I did. If my local police department has such alerts, I would imagine many do. :) Carol

AI

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

The finale will be as I hoped for. While I've been a Danny Gokey fan from his audition, what I felt as the competition unfolded was that he was a great singer. However, what Kris and Adam [even though Adam is too hyperfrenetic/over the top in his performances for me] are artists. I think this is the first AI final where the two both perform with their own interpretation of the music. Kris blew me away last night and I'll be texting my votes for him next week. However, any of the final 4 could have been the AI, and I would be content. It's been a great season of talent. :) Carol

Star Trek!!!!!!!

Saturday, May 9, 2009

One word: FAB-U-LOUS!!!!! Star Trek is back. I never quite cotton to the TV series that followed the original one. The combination of characters never snapped, crackled and popped.

The casting of the new movie is exquisite and the special effects are superb. I have to admit my personal fav was Bones played by Karl Urban; it took me a while to realize he had been in Lord of the Rings II and III. I have liked Chris Pine since Princess Diaries II. I also understand the buzz about Zachary Quinto as Spock...stellar. The rest of the casting for Chekov, Sulu, Scotty, and Uhura. Unbelievable.

If there weren't so many movies coming out that I want to experience in the theater, I'd be tempted to go see it again. :) Carol

Dom Deluise --->--->--@

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

I was sorry to hear of Dom Deluise's death. He always made me laugh. He had a wicked but 'gentle' sense of humor...no nasty slashing remarks in order to get a laugh.

Of course, my fav role of his was the director in 'Blazing Saddles'...what a hoot!

Dom, thank you for bringing so many smiles. Carol

My anal side

I'm one of those people who likes to have everything planned out. It's not that I don't appreciate spontaniety, it's just there is sooooo much on my plate that I need to slot in order to fit it all in. I actually can almost plan out to the minute how long a task will take me, driving or otherwise.

Right now in the day job, I have an endless line of merit hearings over the summer. The first deadline for my NASCAR book is coming up, and I'm trying to get another proposal out. So on Sunday when I learned I was supposed to be going to the "Jersey Boys" show that night...and not next weekend as I was originally told, and another friend needed to swing by to use my computer/printer, I almost hyperventilated. Sunday remains my one 'pure' day of writing so I'm not a happy camper when people call or anything disrupts me.

Of course, "Jersey Boys" was a fabulous production, and I would see it again in a heartbeat. I did get some work done on my proposal. Instead of quickly cleaning the house, I told my friend she would have to take the house as is, and of course, she did.

However, I decided to give myself a break plus carve out a few more minutes. I've switched to paper plates, plastic forks, etc. to minimize washing dishes; I'm turning a blind eye to mess. House cleaning can come later...much later. :) Carol

AI

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

When I heard the theme for tonight's AI was the Rat Pat, I thought 'oh no'. I doubted if even the contestants' parents had been born during the Rat Pack era.

But they blew me away tonight. If I had to pick the final 3, I'm leaning toward Danny, Kris and Adam. I'll never be a fan of Adam as he's too theatric for me. If I went to his concert, I wouldn't be able to relax and enjoy myself. When I come out from a performance, I want to have a mellow mood. The singer I would most enjoy in concert is Kris, but I would also buy an album by Danny.

I do think this is the best final 5 I've seen in the seven seasons I've been watching [I missed year one]. :) Carol

Talladega Nights and Days

Monday, April 27, 2009

First, I have to congratulate Brad Keselowski for his first Sprint Cup victory yesterday. Obviously, he's got to be feeling a-okay today.

: Brad Keselowski : JR Motorsports : Hendrick Motorsports : 88 car NASCAR Nationwide Series : 29 car Sprint Cup Series 2008 :..

However, that race is going to be remembered for all those heart-stopping crashes. I didn't get home until the last hour, but that meant I got to see the grand finale. I cannot believe Carl Edwards's presence of mind. To go flying up in the air, crash into the fence, do a couple spins with rollovers thrown in for good measure, and then have the car burst into flames...he gets out of the car and runs to cross the finish line in homage to Will Ferrell's 'Talladega Nights'.

Ohmygosh. WAY TO GO, CARL!!!!!!! Like everyone else in the stands, I stood up and applauded. The Official Site of Carl Edwards

Great race. A thrill a minute. :) Carol

Congrats to Mark Martin!

Saturday, April 25, 2009

For his winning the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway last Saturday night.

Yes, I know I'm a bit late with the congrats, but last week I was attending a Florida Bar seminar in New Orleans. Sweet. Sit through a lecture in the morning and enjoy the French Quarter Jazz Festival in the afternoon. I had a great time, but when we got back, my friend's mother had to be hospitalized. She's doing much better, thank goodness, and is out of the hospital, but I'm way behind in catching up. I'm looking forward to chilling and watching the Talledega races this weekend.

:) Carol

AI results

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

The AOL poll had it right for American Idol tonight. It was curtains for Scott. However, I'm glad that the judges allowed him to perform one last time since he's always come across as sincere in his efforts. If Lil doesn't get her act together next week, I suspect the judges won't exercise their save for her.

I have to admit, my fav part of the show was the surprise appearance of Frankie Avalon...I still love his voice and personality. Talk about career longevity!!! :) Carol

Is it Scott's time to go

According to the current results of the AOL poll as to who should go home on AI, it's lights out for Scott tonight. I'll be interested to see if the poll has gotten it right. :) Carol

DWTS and AI

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Man, I'm getting thumb tendonitis from flipping back and forth between AI and DWTS...and my channel switching even continued after AI was off because I like the show 'Fringe'. Most nights I don't give a hoot what's on TV and they have to schedule my favs against each other.

I wasn't surprised by the bottom 2 on DWTS, merely surprised that Lawrence Taylor wasn't the one to go. Poor Kim. I wish one season that the show would give her a decent celebrity so she can take the title.

As for AI, I guess limiting the category to the year they were born was too expansive for some of the contestants. I didn't even recognize most of the songs performed. By the 80's I was drifting to country and didn't pay attention to the pop/rock singers. However, I thought Danny started the show off with a bang...then it limped along to the final 3 performances. I do hope Kris makes it through because I think he's got a lot of talent; just poor song choice tonight. Lil is really on a bad, bad roll so I expect her to be in the bottom 3. Quite frankly, she deserves to be. She has a terrific voice but no individuality. The fact that she performed a Tina Turner song was a major yawn in the expectations department. The only thing I'm grateful for is she hasn't done a James Bond movie theme song yet ala Shirley Bassey [or if Lil has, I missed it]. Allison continues to rock it, and I hope she's not in the bottom 3; she so deserves to at the top of the voting.

Still, we're about at that point in the season where a fav unexpectedly doesn't pull in the votes and is in danger. I doubt if the judges will use their save on either Scott or Anoop, but it will be interesting if any of the others get in trouble. We're getting to the nitty gritty of the competition.

:) Carol
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UG3BJA

Shout out to Carrie Underwood & Julieanne Hough

Monday, April 6, 2009

First, major congrats to Julianne for taking the best new artist category last night at the ACM's. However, I'm soooooo proud of Carrie Underwood. She's one of only 7 female country stars to ever win Entertainer of the Year. That is tremendous accomplishment. Even though I love and adore George Strait, I was thrilled for Carrie. I'll do my cheering for George when he's honored for Star of the Decade later on in May.

Overall, the ACM's were stellar last night with loads of great performances...and Taylor Swift's appearance engineered by David Copperfield was way cool. :) Carol

WTG, Jeff Gordon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Woohoo!!!!!!!! Jeff Gordon not only broke his losing streak but he got his first Texas win!!! Majr kudo's to his pit crew for the magic they worked on that final stop and got him out first. I think Carl Edwards's pit crew will be practicing--a lot--this week. But I'm so happy for Jeff; he's been driving really well this year. :) Carol

http://www.jeffgordon.com/

DWTS/AI

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

I have to say that I'm not surprised with the eliminations last night on DWTS [in fact, I'm grateful] or tonight on AI. While I've enjoyed Megan from her audition, she hadn't progressed/developed during the last few shows so I figured it would be between her or Anoop. I suspect Anoop has a bit of the teenage contingent voting him through, but he needs to go next unless he makes a giant stride forward.

Kris is now my dark horse candidate to win. Most people I speak with have it between Danny and Adam, and I was agreeing, but that Kris. He is developing by leaps and bounds, and I enjoy listening to him. Very interesting season. :) Carol

DWTS

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Before the show airs tonight with the double elimination, I figured I'd better comment. I'm becoming a huge Ty Murray fan. He's adorable, he's nice, he's solid, and to me, what the show is about. Who would have thunk that a bronco buster could do the Lindy Hop?

I like a few of the others, but Ty's the one I most look forward to seeing. I do hope that Holly or one of the Steve's hit the door tonight. I wanted to give both Steves a chance to recover from their earlier injuries, and much as I adore Lacey, I don't think she's got a partner to last long. But Derek!!!! He is such a great choreographer; I want him to stay in there so I can watch his innovative moves. :) Carol

Fargo

Monday, March 30, 2009

A shout out to Fargo and all the other communities along the Red River. Everyone must be sooooo exhausted, both emotionally and physically. Hang in there, and I hope the waters subside sooner rather than later. {{hugs}} Carol

Martinsville, what a great race!

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Wow, what a great race today at Martinsville! I was a bit worried about the weather, but it cleared out. Not too many cautions and what an exciting finish! The way Jimmie Johnson bumped Denny Hamlin aside to take the checker flag! It was the stuff short track is made of. What was even more exciting was how for the most part it was a 4-way race among Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Hamlin and Johnson. Of course, for the Hendrick Motorsports, what a perfert way to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of its first victory.

http://www.jimmiejohnson.com/

:) Carol
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UG3BJA

Animal Cruelty

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Everyone knows I'm an animal lover, but a local story tonight has made me distraught and sick to my stomach. A woman allegedly moved in with her boyfriend and left her 2 cats to starve to death in her apartment...no water, no food, just locked up and abandoned for at least 60 days.

The cats died a slow, horrible death. My recommendation for the owner's punishment? Locked up with no food, no water for 60 days. I hope they throw the book at her and she's imprisoned for a long time. Carol

AI

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

I got wrapped up last night, trying to figure out the Amazon community boards and whether there should be any I should participate on as a quarterfinalist. [apparently some finalists are already running a 'twitter' campaign. talk about being behind technology-wise].

However, since last night's theme was my fav, the Grand Ol' Oprey, I listened/watched the performances with great interest. I thought Matt was hands down the best, although I also enjoyed Megan and Allyson's performances. However, I could have thrown the TV out the window when Adam destroyed the Johnny Cash classic. Sorry, but Adam probably will never see a text vote from me for the rest of the season. The way he stood after he finished...like he had done something special. As Simon said, self-indulgent rubbish.

Brrrrr.....

Anyway, don't forget to stop by and hopefully drop a good compliment on the Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest. :) Carol

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UG3BJA

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Quarterfinalist!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

ohmigod. I entered my old book of my soul "Beasts of Avalon" for a kick in the Amazon's Breakthrough Novel contest. The contest was limited to 10,000 entries and I've received notification that I'm a quarterfinalist...meaning I'm one out of 500 entries to survive the first cut!!!! Comments are appreciated.
:) Carol


Thank you for participating in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. We received thousands of submissions and were impressed with the incredible talent and creativity demonstrated by participating authors this year. We are happy to inform you that you have been selected to move forward in the contest. Now that you're a Quarterfinalist, Amazon customers can read, rate and review your excerpt while your manuscript is being reviewed by Publishers Weekly. Last year, tens of thousands of reviews were written by customers and fellow contestants giving authors valuable feedback on their writing.

You can find your excerpt on Amazon.com via the following link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UG3BJA, and access the main contest page where all entries are located at www.amazon.com/abna. Good luck! ABNA Admin

DWTS

Monday, March 16, 2009

I missed tonight's competition. My friends Lynn and Ray were celebrating their 23rd anniversary [woohoo!!!!]. The party was a blast and the restaurant was lovely, lovely, lovely, but I didn't get home until the last 5 minutes of the program. I didn't get what the last dancer [Gil?] was doing until one of the judges said something. I know all the women are ga-ga over him, but so far he leaves me shrugging my shoulders. Then again, he left me rolling my eyes in the movie Sex in the City, but since the whole movie left me cold, I won't hold that against him. It's funny, but I'm cheering more for the professional dancers than any celebrity. :) Carol

WTG, Kurt Busch!!!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Hey, back to back brothers win. First Kyle at Las Vegas ad then Kurt at Atlanta. Man, did he dominate.

http://www.kurtbusch.com/

I had a friend over for pizza and a movie night, but I got to watch most of the race.

I've been doing some intense writing. I decided to enter the competition for the Mystery Writers' Annual Anthology because of the supernatural theme, but the short story didn't really come together for me until Saturday. I burned up the keyboard. I mailed off the story today so we'll see. Writing a short story was a new experience in terms of going after one professionally. When I was young, I churned and burned poems and short stories, but of course, none of those ever saw the light of publication beyond school publications.

Tonight I'm chillaxing and watching AI and the Dancing With the Stars results. :) Carol

Sobe continued

Monday, March 2, 2009

I have to admit that I'm more a HGTV junkie than Food Network. I've come to the sad conclusion I'll never get into cooking. However, my friends were major thrilled by all the food personalities they saw at the South Beach Food and Wine Festival.

At the Paula Dean Casino night, the Neely's got up and sang 'We are Family' and rocked the crowd. Then as we were wandering, my friends went nuts when they spotted Iron Chef Morimoto. Interesting, though, when we approached and asked to take a photo with him. His pal tore up a piece of paper and threw the confetti as he took the photo. Then as the Iron Chef walked away, we spotted his socks so of course I had to take a shot. :) Carol

Congrats, Kyle Busch

Sunday, March 1, 2009

On winning the Shelby!!!! This victory as to be really sweet for him as Las Vegas is his hometown track. I have to say that his car with all the M&M's always makes me smile.

The Official Site of Kyle Busch

And how Jeff Gordon not only finished the race but in decent position is beyond me. Talk about duct taping a car. Amazing.

But there were soooooo many caution flags. Daytona had rain; Fontana had 'sprinkles'. I'm looking forward to an all-out race in the last laps. Hopefully, Altanta will deliver next Sunday.

:) Carol

Sobe Food & Wine Festival II

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Paula Dean's Casino night involved play money so people really had fun. She had a terrific group playing. The decorations were great, and they ran movie clips of the Rat Pack performing in Vegas on the screen. Because I had eaten earlier, I didn't indulge in all the finger foods, but I did indulge in the ice bar. The bartenders would mix up vodka-based drinks and pour them through long tunnels of ice. The apple martinis were quite excellent. Carol

2009 South Beach Food and Wine Festival

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

I had a blast over the weekend at the South Beach Food and Wine Festival. My friends and I kicked things off on Friday night by going to Paula Dean's Casino Night. She looked gorgeous. Her husband was there. The Neeley's and Guy Fieri also appeared. Mingling in the crowd was Iron Chef Mossimoto. So here's the first batch of pictures. :) Carol

WTG, Matt Kenseth!

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Wow, back to back wins for Matt Kenseth. His team must be flying high! :) Carol

Sunday night dilemma

Man, I'm switching back and forth between the Fontana and the Oscars. I had a great time this weekend at the South Beach Food and Wine festival that I'll cover in more detail later this week [with pictures of course]. But I'm too busy watching Hugh Jackman sing and then flipping to the final laps of the Fontana. Sigh, Carol

AI Results: Group I

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Wow, thank you, thank you, thank you. No more Tatiana. I was pleased to see the three that I voted on made it through to the final twelve. I thought Ricky would make it over Mike, but Mike comes across as such as a regular guy, that I'm happy for him. And yea for Danny!

So far, so good. I only recognize one contestant out of next week's group so I'll have to pay attention. :) Carol

AI

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Oh please. Vote Tatiana off. I can't stand her crying/tittering a second more. She's such a drama queen, just like Simon said.

Tonight's finalists started off well and then slowly disintegrated until Danny closed the night. I hadn't intended to root for Brent, but so far he's the only 'country' contestant. I still like the oil rigger Michael; he seems more real to me and more the kind of undiscovered singer that AI was supposed to be about. Of course, I love Danny's voice and story.

Interesting new format. The problem I can see is by the time we get to the final 12 two weeks from now, we'll forget about the 3 winners from tonight as there will be a break before we hear then again. However, I'm happy the season is underway. :) Carol

Daytona 500

Sunday, February 15, 2009

While I would have loved to see the final lap with cars running 4 abreast, nudging and bumping until the last sprint across the finish line, for safety sake, I understand why the race was called. Congrats to Matt Kenseth on his first 500 win!

AJ Allmendinger looked good as well. I hope Jeff Gordon's crew fixes that cam problem before the next race. When I saw how bad his tire was, I shuddered.

Anyway, plenty of crashes, he said/he said, luck versus driving skill, heck of a start to the 2009 NASCAR season. :) Carol

The Official Website of NASCAR Champion Matt Kenseth

Daytona 150

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Hey, congrats to Jeff Gordon on winning the Daytona 150 today! The Daytona 500 is shaping up to be a great race. Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, and Kyle Busch also seem primed to take on Jimmie Johnson for the title in 2009. Then there's the rookie Joey Legano with a good spot in the starting line-up. Coooool. Can't wait for Sunday! :) Carol

Maddie's opinion

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Maddie here.

Needless to say, I'm upset at tonight's results. But I was also upset when Carol watched the Eukanuba dog show the other weekend. Why aren't Shih Tzu's winning?

We're smart, we're beautiful. So what if we can be stubborn? That's knowing our own minds, right?

So I'm calling on all Shih Tzu's to unite!!!!! 2009-2010 will be the year Shih Tzu's will rise to the top in dog shows. After all we're now number 10 on the most popular dog list. Westminster, watch out. Here we come!

Maddie

Woohoo, Stump!!!!!

I'd fallen in love with Stump, the Sussex Spaniel when he last showed 5 years ago. While there were so many dogs that I'd enjoyed watching this year at the Westminster Dog Show, Stump, the oldest dog ever to win the dog show, was my sentimental favorite. I was grateful to see the Puli and the Scottish Deerhound final, but Stump was so special.

However, Maddie has a bone to pick.... :) Carol

What a Shootout!!!!

Monday, February 9, 2009

And what a great start to the 2009 NASCAR season!!!! How Jeff Gordon ever threaded his way through that first accident, I have no idea. And how did Kevin Harvick swoop in for the win?

What a race. Loads of action. 5 days and counting to Daytona 500. :) Carol

I'm pleased to announce

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

That I'm under contract again. I didn't want to announce it 'publicly' until I had actually signed the official document, but today I sent it off to Harlequin offices in Canada.

The project is a Harlequin romance novella in association with NASCAR; I'll be part of a series with 16 novellas in 8 volumes. My release date is August 2010. I loved working with other authors in the Madonna Key series so I'm looking forward to being part of this adventure. I only know a few names of the other authors involved right now, but I know they're fabulous writers.

Racing, writing, romance. Life is good. :) Carol

Inkheart

Sunday, January 25, 2009

I thought I was going to spend the weekend sick. A flu bug has been rampaging through my office, and on Thursday, something began to slam into me. Fortunately, many things on my calendar had cleared out so I could leave and go home to doctor myself. Normally, if I can catch symptoms early enough, I can avoid getting thoroughly sick.

I mainlined grape juice, hit cold/flu medicines and slept the afternoon away. On Friday I had an evidentiary hearing but as the day went on, my cold symptoms lessened and by Saturday morning, I was fine.

I took advantage of the cool/cold weather we've been having and cleared out the brush from another section along the house; then I cleaned up and went to see "Inkheart". I hadn't seen many ads for it, but Brendan Fraser's always a fav. To my surprise, Paul Bettany and Helen Mirren were also in the movie.

A movie about characters in books coming to life? The movie had me from the get-go, and I'll definitely buy it in DVD when it comes out in that format. :) Carol

Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

A friend recommended the series of thrillers by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child so I read the Cabinet of Curiosities. Boy, was it heart-pounding and I was intrigued by the character special FBI agent Pendergast. I learned that this book was actually the 3rd Pendergast book, which caused me to buy Pendergast #1, Relic. I had no idea that the movie was based on this book, and I'm glad I didn't. Although there is a 'horror' component, first and foremost is the grab-by-the-throat action penned by these authors. I had to wait nearly a week until tonight when I had enough time to finish the last 100 pages in one sitting. I did not want to finish the last stretch in bits and pieces. I also enjoyed the paranormal aspects.

When the movie came out, I avoided it because I'm not a horror fan [the Mummy movies are about as 'horror' as I care to get]. However, since I did love the book, I checked out the cast credits and was disappointed that key characters didn't make it to the movie, let alone Pendergast. But as I read the reviews, I think I'm grateful that his character didn't make it. He's a modern Sherlock Holmes, and without the right treatment, would be ruined.

So here's hoping someday the right producers come along who can do Pendergast justice. In the meantime, I'm on to Pendergast book #2.

:) Carol

Countdown to Shootout

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

I have my fingers crossed for a good, solid Super Bowl game. So many times the game doesn't live up to the hype or the playoff games. I was really happy for Kurt Werner [sp]; I cheered for him at St. Louis and I'm cheering for him at the Cardinals. I just hope the Cardinals didn't spend 'it' all on the game against the Eagles and play with the same heart and spirit against the Steelers. I'm already considering what 'goodies' to snack on while watching the game.

I saw "Hotel for Dogs" over the weekend and enjoyed it...after all...what's not to like? Adorable dogs and cute kids. Lots of laughs and a few tear-jerking moments.

And the prelude to the NASCAR season is almost upon us. The Budweiser Shootout happens 2/7/09 with the grand event the Daytona 500 on the 15th. Vroom, vroom. :) Carol

Tony Stewart was in town!!!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Ack!!!!! I can't believe it. Cutey Tony Stewart was in town today doing promo at the Home Depot headquarters in Boca. New number is 14 and his new car is a spiffy red Chevy with a big 'Old Spice' sign on the side and 'Office Depot' on the back. He said he's running in the shoot-out this year so we'll get to watch his new team in action before the Daytona 500. Coooooool. :) Carol

RIP: Ricardo Montalban and Patrick McGoohan

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Boy, I took a hit this week with the deaths of two of my star icons from when I was young. I always liked Ricardo Montalban; I swooned over him and Esther Williams in "Neptune's Daughter". Of course, "Fantasy Island" was must-see-TV in our house every Saturday night. He was a class act.

Then Secret Agent man Patrick McGoohan is gone!!!!! Loved, loved, loved the show, the tune and him; what a voice. He also could play quite a nasty villain.

Gentlemen, thanks for all the wonderful TV moments. Carol

A bird in the Super Bowl

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

One team in the Super Bowl will be a 'bird' and possibly 2 birds. Unbelievable. I think every NFL team named after a bird is in the final play-offs: Eagles, Ravens, and Cardinals. Steelers are the sole odd ball in name this year. I can hardly wait to hear the sports casters have a field day with this development this coming weekend.

Happiness is AI. I didn't bring any day work home and only spent the commercials trying to finish up packing away the last of Xmas decorations. Man, the contestants are so young this year...so many 16-17-year-olds. I can't remember all the names of those I liked, but the girls 'Stevie' and Ariana stood out, and I enjoyed Deanna's singing and her personality. For the guys, I enjoyed the construction worker and the last guy they had on tonight. Of course, they didn't show everyone who made it through the Phoenix auditions so there's always the mystery. However, in the past seasons, the one who becomes 'Idol' normally is one of the seen auditions. I wasn't blown away by anyone in particular, but very interesting. :) Carol

AI

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Okay, I admit. I can't wait for the new season of AI to begin next week. That new 'world' dancing show didn't cut it with me because of the judging...too close to the old way of judging ice skating. Consequently, with no Dancing With the Stars until spring, I need a shot of AI. Since people have no shame in getting their 2 seconds of fame on TV, I have no shame in laughing my head off at the bad ones.

However, the biggest pleasure for me is trying to spot the ultimate winner in the try-outs. I spotted Carrie Underwood from the get-go and cheered for her throughout the whole process. And look at her now. She was stunning last night on the People's Choice Awards.

On the photography front, for January I ran three different shots of the Golden Gate Bridge in SF so here's the 1st one. :) Carol

1 out of 4

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Well...only one out of my 4 football teams won: Vanderbilt. Dolphins stumbled but they still had the greatest turnaround in history...something for the Detroit Lions to hold on to. Bearcats also lost as did the Buckeyes. But I was proud of the Buckeyes; they turned a game that was supposed to be a blowout into a very close and hard-fought game.

When it comes to college games, all I hope is the kids on both sides play with heart and the very best they can on the game day. I really can't wish ill to a particular side since I know it means so much for either school.

There's always next year. :) Carol

46 days and counting until Daytona 500

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Happy New Year!

I don't do resolutions...I always viewed the concept as having a negative connotation. I'm more of a goal setter. First goal of the year was met today when I packed away all the Xmas decorations in the living room after watching the Rose Parade.

In my youth, my folks and I would watch the parade, have an early dinner and then watch football games for the rest of the day. Granted, Ohio's winter weather helped to determine the day's events, but there were so many great games. Now all the bowl names have changed and are spread out. I didn't even know that my alma mater Vandy played Wednesday. I'm thrilled that the Commodores won, but I would have loved to seen a wee bit of the game. Fortunately, I learned Cincinnati is playing tonight [my law school] so I'll catch a little of the game. Then Ohio State [team I grew up watching because I was born in Columbus] is playing Monday.

Of course, I'll take a break from college football to watch pro on Sunday as the Dolphins are in their first play-off game since something like 2001. I'm thrilled that Chad Pennington got the NFL come-back player of the year, and I'll be cheering for him to get player of the year. He so deserves it.

Below is the front photo from my 2009 calendar; I got rave reviews from all my friends. Now to enjoy the Stephenson tradition of spareribs and sauerkraut.

:) Carol