Of Course I Hear Voices: I Own Parrots

Every television season we wait for our old favorites to return. We look forward to finding new shows we love, and then there are people like me that enjoy finding and DVRing my old cancelled but still loved shows. I know people will think I am strange for liking them the first time around…let alone taking the time to record and watch them again. I just can't help myself! My DVR had totally enabled me to capture and enjoy these shows as much as I want. This could be dangerous! Right now, I could sit down and watch recorded episodes of: Poltergeist the Legacy: This has a few things going for it. 1) It takes place in San Francisco aka my favorite city. 2) For some reason I really like how it is shot. 3) I'm a sucker for the mystery/thriller series. Kindred: The Embraced: I loved this show. I've been lucky enough to catch most of the episodes from its one season on Chiller and Scifi. I know that the death of the guy who played Julian was what ended this show, but it I still m...

I have been lucky enough to go on many great vacations. I have been all over the world, and I look forward enjoying many more wonderful trips. However, my favorite has to be my Halloween trip to San Francisco. If you like Halloween, you must spend at least one in San Francisco. This city does Halloween properly. I know not *everyone* gets into it, but enough of the people do to make it fun. I arrived on Halloween after getting being at the airport at 5:00 a.m. eastern time. I dropped my belongings off at the Adante Hotel (where I always stay), and made my way down to the Pinecrest Diner. It is this little hole in the wall diner with a bathroom in the basement that on some days can rival the one in the movie Trainspotting on the fringe of Union Square. It is not much to look at, but the food is great. It is the place where I had my first meal on my first trip to San Francisco (on recommendation of a staffer at Adelaide Hostel). It is a tradition. I headed back to hotel and put on my...

It only comes once a year: My Business Travel I once had dreams of a job where I would get to travel all the time. That didn’t happen, but I do get to go to a conference once a year. I know it is lame, but I really look forward to it. First, it gives me the opportunity to write hotel and reviews. I do travel through out the year, but the opportunity to bulk up the travel blog is nice. I tend to be the budget minded traveler. That means I stay at a lot of hostels, boutique and non chain hotels. If I do stay at one of the big chains, it is usually because I scored a great deal. With this trip it isn’t about the budget, I can just focus on the hotel. The next obvious perk is the restaurant reviews. Again, my focus is usually great food for cheap prices. I have a little more freedom on this business trip. I like to find fun and unusual places to add to my review arsenal. Many business travelers are known for blogging about airports and flights, but I am driving to t...

I really do not have a "fun" scar. I have little ones here and there, but it isn't anything to write home about. It isn't that I am not a huge klutz, I just have been lucky in the scarring department. However, I have broken my nose...twice. Busted Nose How does one break their nose twice? Very carefully. I do not have some harrowing abuse story. I cannot claim it is from a car accident. I'm just "talented." The first time I broke my nose it was the summer between sixth and seventh grade. I was playing softball. I had ALWAYS wanted to play catcher, but my coaches always thought I wouldn't be good enough and I was banished to right field. I wasn't a great softball player. My depth perception helped me be an abysmal hitter. I probably would have been a better fielder had they not put me in the outfield. Seriously part of the reason I sucked was because I was not paying attention. I was out there, alone, and my over creative mind ...

A little black and white I did a little photo shoot with the magnolia tree on campus. After a little photoshop magic, this was my favorite shot. I love black and white, and I think this one is pretty decent. Blogged with the Flock Browser

Jane Austen and Zombies? Why Didn’t We Think of this Sooner? Because we needed more proof that I am one sick puppy, I bring you my latest creation on Culturefeast!! Basically, this is my thoughts on the time.com article I read last week. I am honestly excited about reading this book! Everything is better with Zombies! Blogged with the Flock Browser

Had you asked me *before* I bought my Blackberry if I would mind going a day with out my cellphone, I would have said no. Unfortunately, I have become one of those smartphone people.My life is on my phone. My calendar, contacts, e-mail, and more are on my phone. I have no issues about going a few hours with out it. There are places where being on your phone is inappropriate. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people think they are too important or just plan refuse to shut of their cell phones. I did have to go without my phone, sort of, for part of a day. Honestly, I would not have been a big deal at all on any given day. Had my cell phone broken while I was at work, I would have just put it in my purse. I could go to the Sprint store after work and get it replaced. Nothing was really that pressing that I had to get it replaced NOW. Yes, it is my only phone line, so getting it replaced was a priority, but I would not have panicked. I was at a conference in downtown Chicago. My bo...

My apartment is tiny. It may be a shoe box, but it is all mine. I used to think my bedroom was my favorite room. It is my sanctuary and the only place I can be totally alone. However, the place where I spend most of my time and really captures me is my living room. When I moved into this apartment, I had an exact idea of how I wanted it laid out. I hated my living room in my old apartment, and I wanted an extreme change. I wanted it to be more open and inviting. My couch and love seat are ugly hand me downs, but they work. The love seat is actually really comfortable. I do most of my work from home sitting there. That isn't what make it my favorite room. it is the other things that make it special. First, it is where I keep my birds. These little guys are like my kids. I love having them out while I am home. I keep them in the living room because parakeets and cockatiels are very social birds. They like being in high traffic areas. I am the alpha bird of their flock! While they ...

Right now I am putting together a list of pros and cons for an upcoming Culturefeast blog. I know one of the things I struggle with it deciding what gets my attention: My day to day writing or my fiction writing.   Fiction writing was my first passion, but I am becoming quite a fan of the blogging, articles, How to Guides and other content I produce. The issue is mainly a money one. Most of the blogs/articles/content I write, is paid. Not all of it is, but most of is at least has a pay per page view. Regardless of if it pays, it is helping me create a positive presence online. That is my main goal. I want to create content that gets people's attention and build my business from there. This of course takes time to plan, write and promote my work. This takes away from my time to work on my fiction projects. The Bottom Line: The online content is generating revenue and interest now. The Fiction work has the potential to generate revenue and interest in the future. I'm trying to o...

When I was writing both my novel, I had a playlist I listened to every night. They were songs that reminded me of a character or part of the story, and songs that kept me motivated. I was inspired to so this by the movie “Garden State.” The soundtrack was just so perfect, it made me wonder if my novel had a soundtrack, what would it be? I started making a play list on my I-POD, and pretty soon my list was well over twenty songs. As I kept writing, the list kept growing. Music has always been a huge part of my life. I was constantly finding new meaning and inspiration. I honestly do not think I could have finished it without that little bit of help from my “soundtrack.” I wrote most of the novel on my old computer. I had the playlist and the list on a text file. Since then that computer has died (more so imploded). I did manage to get all my important files off that PC, but the list was lost. I can still see it on my IPOD, but it just isn’t the same. The important thing is that I stil...

Some people are just good at getting what they want. I am not one of those people. No, I'm not going to bombard you with low self esteem riddled pity parties. I'm only going to be very mildly self deprecating, because well that is just a given. No one wants to read another why I suck, am lonely, or any other negative comment filled blog. I've written enough of them myself, and this isn't one of them. I have some luck by relying on my cuteness, determination, pure dumb luck, and some really lucky genetics. Still, my luck with these is not consistent. Honestly, I have no idea of how i get my way. I'm not so great at sweet talking. my bad habit of just being direct sort of gets in the way of that. My only "secret weapon" is the "sad eyes" effect. However, those are not fool proof. some people are immune to that power. Still there are a few people that I have just managed to win over. I am very clueless to how it happened. These people consistentl...

My idea of dress to impress varies by my situation. Sometimes sucking it up and dressing in a way I don't like has to happen. Other times, just being me is enough. D.i.y. My Little Pony Corset If I am going on an interview, I wear a nice dress or skirt and jacket. I want my look to be polished, and I want to make a good impression. Really, I am selling my work. In a perfect world that would be all I needed and my appearance would not be a factor. However, that is not a case. if I want them to take me and and my work seriously, I need to show them I can deliver the whole package. Now if I am dressing to impress socially, I will wear something that is totally me. It may be a graphic t-shirt. It might be a corset. It might be a tank top and a sweater. Usually it is pair with jeans. Really it depends on where I am going and my mood. Off the clock, I am just going to be me. I get that I am going to be judged by my appearance. that is just how life works. However, I...

Back in high school, I of course saw the movie Clueless. Being young, naive and not up to snuff on my cinema snobbery, loved every moment of it. When I heard the movie was based on Jane Austen's Emma, I of course ran out and bought it. This is a choice I will soon regret. The book was boring. I don't typically like chick flicks, so I guess that the same idea applies to books. It was just so not something I would enjoy. The characters annoyed me so much that no matter how well written it is or how great the plot was I was not buying it. I gave up about halfway through. I couldn't see the point of forcing myself to keep reading about characters I hated. No, I don't mean hated in that they drew me into their world and I hated the personalities. I just couldn't stand them. I made the mistake of trying to watch the movie, and that did not end well. Actually, I never saw the end of it. Yes I know it is one of the classics, but it was boring and the characters w...

Recently, I posted a link of print on demand and online publishing. This led to many questions from my friends. I am a huge fan of print on demand publishing. I use it for my novel and my novella. While my personal reasons for using it are pretty basic. My hopes for its use in the future mirror the author of the article from CNN. I think that POD is a fabulous option for new authors, authors who write stories that may not be deemed “mainstream” and other authors that have hit a brick wall with traditional publishing. Most (if not all) POD providers fall under some level of self publishing. Some are a total self publishing (you do it all yourself) package, and other have pay services you can opt into for some help. Basically, Print on Demand means exactly what it says. Your book is only published when a copy is ordered. Many POD sites allow customers to order from their own storefront. Others may allow you (if you have an ISBN number) to sell your book via Amazon or another online sto...

RIP Newspapers Be sure to check out my weekly blog on Culturefeast. It is a little about my past and it takes a look at the future of the newspaper. I am sad to see newspapers become obsolete. It is just hard to see this piece of print media and my childhood dream become nothing more than an obscure historical reference. Blogged with the Flock Browser

I went to Chicago to see Guster for my 25th birthday. I was beyond excited. I took the train and stayed in the HI Hostel. I went to the concert on my birthday, and I didn't think the weekend could get any better. Then the next night, I met a wonderful guy. We really hit it off, and the next thing I know we are talking all the time. In a world before text messaging was common practice and there was no Twitter or Facebook I'm surprised we kept it going as long as we did. It was never serious, but I think we had the potential to be something. We talked everyday at work through a message board we both belonged to. It was a great way to keep in contact through out the day. Usually he would call me every night. This was hard because my cellphone coverage sucked in the townhouse. I could get reception in my bedroom, but one of my roommates went to bed early and she would get angry if I was talking upstairs. That meant I had to go outside. I spend hours sitting on our steps and in...

Songs in my head At any given time, I have at least one song stuck in my head. It really does make sense. Music is one of my passions. I’ve come to terms that there will pretty much always be a soundtrack to life playing in my head. I use songs and lyrics to express my feelings, to help me cope, to make me understand, pass the time and share my thoughts. It is a key part of my life, so to always have a song on the brain isn’t abnormal. Something that always fascinates me is why is it there? Sometimes it is just an annoying song that gets under my skin. The more I dislike the song, the harder it is to get rid of it. “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” isn’t an awful song. It is just one of those songs I’m not overly fond of. If it gets stuck in my head after a show, it will go away quickly. Now “Umbrella” is another story. That one will stick around for as long as it can. Other times it is just a really good song. Now to be fair to Rhianna I hate “Umbrella,” but I love “Disturbia.” It isn’t...

Jane Austen + zombies+ genius This is the article I found at Time.com. The book was released on 4/6, and I ordered my copy today. With today's find I could not resist the Zombie invasion Plinky prompt!!  See Speaking of Zombies for more Zombie fun Blogged with the Flock Browser

This folks is purely for entertainment purposes!! If you can't have fun with your own blog what good is it?? Well to be quite honest, I am pretty unprepared for a zombie attack. I have not procured my zombie survival kit. I live on the first floor of my building, and I do not own a bicycle. I have no way to take off their heads. If they rush my building, and I make it to the second floor, I have no way to destroy both stair cases. You know because zombies can't get to a second floor without a staircase. Yes I have my car, but remember that zombies are zombies because of an infection. If it is an isolated outbreak, all I have to do is escape the contamination area in theory. However, we all know my car won't start at a crucial time and I will make better time on a bike than I will on foot. If it is a wide spread zombie epidemic, I will need to find a fortification of survivors. In that case, the same is true. My car will refuse to start at a crucial time and I can make be...

After the all the daily drama,there are a few things that make me take a minute, laugh and take a bit of a mental break.Sometimes that is all you need: A little moment that reminds you to not take life so seriously. The past few weeks have been pretty classic, but here are the highlights. Last week I was at the laundromat. I try to go to on Wednesday nights because it is much less crowded then. Don't get me wrong, people watching there teaches me volumes. However, many nights I just want in and out of there. I don't want to wait on machines, deal with crowds, or get my feet ran over by a kid pushing one of those baskets. Last Wednesday seemed perfect. I arrived to an empty laundomat, loaded the $6 industrial washer and ran up the road to pick up some things for my Bashful Bunny. I returned just as my washer cycle was winding down. As I pulled into my parking spot I saw a woman dragging one of those large garbage cans on wheels through the door. She went over to the triple loade...