SHE WROTE: Living the Dream in Atlanta
I know I haven't blogged. I"m working here.
But here for your enjoyment are two pictures from our YEX & Violence speech. Bob's speaking. I'm listening.
posted by Jenny @ 6:57 PM 208 comments 
He Wrote, She Wrote
In 2005, Bob Mayer and Jenny Crusie wrote Don't Look Down without killing each other, a miracle in itself. "He Wrote, She Wrote" is the continuing saga of their partnership during 2006, the Year From Hell, promoting DLD (out April 4) and writing their next work of genius, Agnes and the Hitman. 
Warning: Some Violence and Much Strong Language.
Monday, August 07, 2006
But here for your enjoyment are two pictures from our YEX & Violence speech. Bob's speaking. I'm listening.
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208 Comments:
Yep. That's exactly how they did it. A lot of YEX and Violence in that room, I tell you.
Good thing there are pictures, cause I could hardly see at the time what with all the tears of mirth.
bw
I am SO going to National next year. :)
Jenny, were you covering your eyes to hold in the tears of hysteria? Or because you didn't want to watch the train wreck? Or was it sheer embarrassment? If embarrassment, for whom?
I really want to know what Bob was saying to cause this reaction.
ncessu -- Internet shorthand for "Into the cesspool you go!"
Love the pics! LMAO.
From the looks of things, maybe that water pitcher should have been a little bit farther away from Jenny. Gives whole new meaning to the phrase what doesn't kill us makes us stronger.
Funny. Jennys reaction is much like my DDs when I speak. Maybe we're related.
lbooth
Gosh Jenny - You look like you're having so much fun!! :)
Caption on photo to left: "It's really important that you set the stage for your novel with a prologue."
Caption on photo to right: "Once you've done that, I suggest that you include as much background material, in the form of an info dump, as you possibly can."
even her short posts are great.
"Bob's speaking. I'm listening."
i love that she thinks she needs to clarify that!
Hmmmm, I was there, I remember this. I think this is where Bob was talking about some Army stuff, I think CARVE? Creditability, Accountability, Recoupability, Vunerability and Effect? Did I get those right? See, I was listening to you Bob, and not just Jenny. And then in the middle of my notes I wrote "And Bob said, BTW, Prnicess is back." This must be where Jenny covered her eyes. Or maybe it was when Bob mentioned something about men, a warm body, and the warm body was there, so well they you know, and then he shurgged. Not to mention he said that men wouldn't notice the mosiqetos during those other scenes.
Either way, they were both just fantastic. Not only where they entertaining, but informative and I learned more from that two hour lecture then from most all day lectures. Bob and Jenny, hats off to you both. You two are truly amazing and very talented. And I'm not just saying that. Well, maybe I am, but well, nope, I mean it.
I'm trying to remember, too... I think this was after Bob made Jenny go stand behind a column for a while because she kept interrupting him with snarky comments. But before the part where Jenny was talking about why women fight (her story about breaking up fights in middle school was priceless) and she said that she'd kill anyone who so much as touched her daughter. So of course Bob gets this mischieveous smirk on his face and walks over to Mollie (who was taking the pictures) and pokes her in the arm. It's ok, I don't think he used his pinky. You should have seen Jenny's face. I thought that was the end for The GAM. And of course Mollie just stood there with a "I am so highly amused by these children" look on her face. LMAO.
Ten minutes after these pictures, the roles were reversed and Jenny was up there explaining YEX and Bob was face down on the table.
It was the blog come to life. I wish you all could have been there. Can you imagine?
bw
Jenny, Jenny, Jenny--I TOLD YOU NOT TO EAT THE COLESLAW!!!
zaegts -- Zut alors! Est-elle Ginèvre tres spooked?
I can, looking att he photos, see the Bob is talking part. But, Jenny, "listening"? Is that what they are calling it now?
jphyk: Just plain hold your kitastrophe
Best pics EVER.
BCB said "her story about breaking up fights in middle school was priceless"
did you learn nothing from the Princess J event? you have to tell us this stuff. i have to go to nationals next year. i do. i can't wait till SF '08.
you guys are awesome.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words...amen!!
In pic one, Bob is talking about Princess in her pink t-shirt, "they are this big." And Jenny's thinking I can't believe he said that.
In the second pic Bob's explaining how Shane has to take one for the team, in the form of boinking Princess. And Jenny's hiding her face so we can't see her warming up her death ray eyes.
The man's in big trouble.
Jenny's doing something. I'm not sure listening covers it.
G&T
llgwhvu
mother of god, I'M ON THE ROAD. I can't work with this stuff in a Comfort Inn room.
Ahhhh...
I knew that our Bob could do that YEC and YEX stuff.
I'm not sure that Jenny believes him.
Especially in the left pix.
He's hopeless in the right.
red nebkbszm
now even Bob keeps Bob sane, zizzling moments
b'gina: LMAO.
my mom just discovered a new book store. hear that Jenny? now there's even more places to buy the books that are making you twitch.
this is sad. three posts out of 18. got to stop.
eisfgolm: every icky Steven finds golem.
Sitting at LAX waiting to board. Love the photos. I enjoyed the small amount of this workshop that I got to hear, had to leave for agent/editor appts. and was really ticked off that I had to go. I've never heard the entire thing. Will have to listen to the CD.
The relationship between him and her, she and he,is priceless.
I'm gonna miss you guys.
rg
bthwdmc
by the way did my cat (come home?)
bon cheri bomb said...
"she said that she'd kill anyone who so much as touched her daughter. So of course Bob gets this mischieveous smirk on his face and walks over to Mollie (who was taking the pictures) and pokes her in the arm."
*Giggling*
b'gina said...
"In pic one, Bob is talking about Princess in her pink t-shirt, "they are this big." And Jenny's thinking I can't believe he said that."
LMAO!!!
*sigh*
Is there a dummies guide around here somewhere on how to make the font bold or in italics (or whatever you call it)? :(
B'gina - Oh my! They are this big? That is just classic! Poor Bob, we really like to give the guy a hard time, don't we?
Ha! BCB - I'm going to rat on you! :) You see, Jenny used to be a middle school teacher (me I was a HS teacher, but man, I can relate to this story). Anyway, whenever two boys would get into a fist fight, Jenny had no problems going over and breaking it up. The boys would actually look at her and practically thank her for breaking it up. Then they would go about their way. But when girls got physical, watch out, and stay away. No way would Jenny get inbetween two girls going at it. You ask why?
Women have to overcome taboos to fight, they are violating rules, so watch out because they've snapped. Or turn this around...
Men carry a lot of baggage into fights, women carry that same baggage into sex.
This is where Jenny made the comment about what what might motivate a women to fight - like don't ever touch my daughter. Yes, Bob was very smug when he went over to Mollie (what a beautiful child Jenny has), and poked Mollie in the arm then looked at Jenny like, come on, Jenny, bring it on. Jenny dealt with him later.
Okay, time to take kid to hockey practice, this is just cruel.
Love the pics!! Great stuff - thanks, Jenny! Ya know I'm thinking in Jenny's next book there might be a character named Bob who gets bumped off really early on.
Jen said ... Women have to overcome taboos to fight, they are violating rules, so watch out because they've snapped.
So true. Also, I read once that men have an unwritten code about fighting correctly, whereas women don't bother with rules. We just rip off their faces and get it over with.
ERICA to bold or italiceze or that underliny blue thingie ...
first you type a < then a i (or b or a) then a >
then you type the word/phrase you want emphasized
then you 'close it off' by typing < then / then i then >
You must insert the "/" when you close off
Oh boy I've missed popping in and commenting. I've only had time to just pop in and see if a new post is up. It has taken all my self control not to hit the little comments sign in the bottom right hand corner, sitting there, winking at me, taunting me....
On top of conference stuff - 3 pages of rewrites from my ed - argh!!! Need that like a hole in the head.
But hey, I get to see rg soon - yeh!! My very first real live cherry bomb meeting.
Love the photos. Good body language. Just like an old married couple - who occasionally want to do each other in - no, jeez, not like that - and email each other from the next room because they cant stand the sight of each other anymore.
Carry on....
yxpfx - yex with a bit of disdainful yex thrown in too
Gigglesnort.
I'm sorry missed going this year ; ;
Looks like everyone had the time of their lives, even if they were trying not look at the person speaking ^.^
I love this blog! Keep writing :-)
Finally Jen-T and BCB, we're getting some real Nationals Scoop on the J&B, B&J show.
These pics are hilarious. Wonder if Mollie is planning to put any up on any of the sites?
Maybe I'll work now.
jcgown - Jenny caught groaning over wonky narrative
Hey, I wasn't holding out on you guys. Just too tired last night to tell all. And geez, if we told you everything they said and everything that happened that week, well, there just isn't enough time. I do have a job and other stuff to do, you know. Plus there's that BOOK I'm trying to finish. Yes, only one at the moment -- we can't all be Ms. Crusie.
Such a demanding bunch you have become. Ok, WE. We are demanding. It's part of our charm. ;-)
Got to go work now. Maybe I'll make up some stuff-- um, relate some amusing anecdotes later.
bw
Why don't they just video tape their shows and put them on their blogs for sale? I know one or two (or all) the CBs would be pulling out their credit cards.
We should be able to get recordings of the speech through RWA. Of course, we miss all the body language, but it's better than nothing.
So funny!!! (And accurate).
The workshop was not only informative but highly entertaining as well--I recommend it. What a dynamic duo. :)
Glamour Geek,
FAB captions.
Jenny,
THANK YOU. Even when not speaking/writing, her hands and expressions convey OH so much.
CBs,
It's bittersweet but all of our prayers have been asked and answered. My friend died quickly and peacefully this morning.
I'll be back in a few days.
Thank you guys, so much.
lbooth
PS. And thank you for the much needed laughter. You guys can make anyone feel better. Keep it up.
Dear lbooth My sincere condolences but I am glad it was quickly and peacefully. The next few days will be hard but know that all the CBs are thinking of you.
Thank you for the pictures Jenny. They are self explanatory.
green vbpsengn
Verbose Bob presented some enjoyable notions given notice.
lbooth: (((hugs)))
Princess J (don't worry, your reverting back to JJ soon, this thing is too long to write out): i've read things about what you were talking about. speaking from experience (i've been in/seen both fights, with male and female opponents), i'd much rather fight the way a guy does than a girl. a guy circles around some and then you rush in and basically if you bend right none of the blows really hurt. plus, after the fight it's normally, "we cool", "ok, we cool". when girls fight you have to watch out that they're nails aren't going to poke you in the eye. they scratch, they bite, they pull, and when they punch or kick they seem to know how to aim for the spots that really, really hurt. plus, they can get pretty verbal during their fights.
hence the phrase: never piss off a woman.
well, ok, maybe it isn't a phrase, but it should be. or a warning.
It appears to be true: men seem to have rules of combat when engaging in physical altercations. Women, once riled, have no rules and will do whatever it takes to win.
Vicious creatures, aren't we? :)
But it seems to take more to push women to the point of physical altercation.
FYI, two interesting articles--"How women won the sex war" (subhead: Larry Summers may well ahve been right, but men are done for anyway) and "The mismeasure of women" (subhead: Men and women think differently. But not that differently)--in this week's Economist (cover date Aug. 5).
Those pics are a riot. Thanks, Jenny! (Although you kinda
look like you're going to be ill or are in the depths of dispair.)
Sigh..everyone's description of hearing Jenny and Bob give
a workshop/talk makes me wish I was a writer. I really have
no desire to write, which is making finishing up my thesis
a real joy, but I don't know, it might be worth it to get
to go to conferences and hear Jenny and Bob.
Theresa in Pgh
Head up folks. Jenny has added a post script to her blog over at Argh Ink.
lbooth - my deepest sympathies to you and the family of your friend. May he rest in eternal peace.
ibooth God bless you all.
Those pictures really capture the essense of Bob and Jenny speaking together. As do the suggested captions posted here. I sit giggling in my room happy I took a break from the dreaded synopsis and rewrite.
picture #1: bob reads from slide ... "you have to establish mood, especially anything that increases stress."
picture #2: "by the way, Princess is back in the book."
note how very carefully he doesn't look at Jenny when he says that.
lipenthl: Swedish choke hold
orihmptw: or, I have multiple personalities trying wine.
Pics are awesome! Captions make them even better. I can just imagine the look on Jenny's face when Bob touched Mollie. I think he's lucky to still be breathing. I know what she means though, I have the very same reaction at the thought of anyone touching a single hair on the head of ANY of my babies.
lbooth, hugs and prayers are being sent your way.
And any of your writerly types, we're having a contest over on http://deeceeonbooks.blogspot.com/ . The prize is a signed hardback copy of a book by a Cherry-writer, Robin LaFevers. Come on over and check it out, as we're trying to help promote Robin's new book. It comes out this month, and she's not getting the marketing she should be getting, so we're trying to help her out a little.
ibooth: Sorry! At least time calluses over eventually.
MvsW fighting. Here's something I don't understand. When my group (family, employees, etc.) are threatened I come out fighting like a tiger: vicious, no-holds-barred, killer instinct. I never would be any good in the armed forces since I won't listen to anyone at that point and have supposed that to be a female trait when group is threatened. BUTBUTBUT some of you females have been in armed forces, apparently successfully. How did you follow orders when you group was threatened?
Tapping my heels to go byebye tomorrow to Seattle and Victoria Island for a week. You all keep the faith, Bob, Louis, & Bryan straight, etc.
dvybf: Don't Vex Your Bats Forever.
lbooth, now you all can rest and remember the good things. (((hugs)))
GP - at a guess I would say its a matter of training. Male or female you are conditioned to follow orders and work as a team.
gatorperson asked...some of you females have been in armed forces, apparently successfully. How did you follow orders when you group was threatened?
I was in the Navy for 10 years. I was never in a situation where I felt truly physically threatened. The closest I came to that was in '98 when we went through the Straits of Hormuz and could see Iran. That was very tense. Also, passing through the Suez, I saw a man on a camel with a missile. Freaked me out. Evidently, he was just watching us, and the ship in front of us (a French carrier). During my entire time in the service, the only physical danger I recall was a bar fight in Crete, and I wasn't actually involved. So really, military or not, I think it just depends on the situation.
I've only been in one real fistfight in my life, and that was in middle school. Jenny is right, because it was pretty brutal. It involved a wacko girl getting mad at me because her boyfriend smiled at me. She hid around a corner and attacked me. It was vicious. I ended up bloody (from her FINGERNAILS of all things!), missing some hair. Of course, I fought back, and she was bloodier (I broke her nose with one well placed closed fist punch, and she went down). Hey, I don't have 10 uncles (all in the service) for nothing!
As for following orders and working as a team, MCB is right. That's what you're taught, and it's for a good reason. You can't question things in the heat of war. You have to be able to follow orders and get your job done right the first time OR PEOPLE CAN DIE. It's a lesson that you learn very early on, and hopefully very well. There is a time and place for questioning, but it is very rarely on the battlefield.
g-g: is there a way we can see the articles online for free or do i need to go out and buy it? oh, and 2 hrs at the gym today. (do you see what you've done to me?)
as mcb and dee said, you can be conditioned to do anything. including following orders.
OH: I think it's a charge online (or subscription). I get the paper subscription so I'm not sure.
Go stand in a Barnes & Noble and read the two things. One is 1/2 page, the other is 3 pages. Shouldn't take you long. :)
If it's any consolation, I went for a walk for about an hour today. Which wouldn't be a big deal, but I live in a VERY hilly area (if the Hayward fault goes, I'm in trouble: it's two bumps over and I'm in soft-story) and I came back totally worn out despite my time in bootcamp the last months. Probably means I should be doing this every day for the rest of the week and continue to do so even when bootcamp resumes. The instructor said if I wanted to take off more of the fat, I needed to step up the cardio. Which is, of course, the hardest part for me. Weights, not so much of a problem. Sigh.
In a perfect world, one could gain muscle and lose fat while sitting in a comfy chair reading and eating chocolate...
ibooth...
Hugs....
pecafn green
patience, even Crusie and family needs
lbooth . . . thinking of you.
OH - have you checked Suz Brockmann's site recently. In her COUNTDOWN section for her new issue - she's posted a new short story.
Hope you all enjoyed your walks and weights and workouts. For lunch today, I had a "Killer Turtle Caramel Apple" from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate factory. (Green apple, caramel, pecans, milk chocolate and white chocolate.) No, I didn't eat the whole thing - just 1/2.
wiwhrg - Well, I was hungry. Really (was) good!
marcia: oooooh! Sounds FABULOUS!
You got enough for all of us, right?
GG - got some for everyone. From now on, these apples are my signature contribution to any event.
They are the BEST!
yrqthtk - Yes, really quite tasty. Happy to know.
lbooth: ((hugs)) and continued prayers for y'all during this time.
Love the pictures and captions.
OH: Not that I'm saying you shouldn't go with the whole B&N thing, (love doing that myself) but you could probably get the Economist articles free through your library website or your college website. (With the college thing, I'm working under the assumption that you got your login info at orientation.) Your high school login might even still work.
My library subscribes online to most periodicals, so it’s free to all card-carrying patrons through EBSCO. (Same kind of deal with my college.) I just hopped on EBSCO through my library website and e-mailed the full text to myself to read later. If you're not sure how to do it you can contact me at cblori@gmail.com. (or e-mail me just to chat or send me anonymous hate-mail or spam or whatever)
aecgo: Around Economist, cherrybombs go.
lbooth - thoughts and prayers with you. Big hugs.
This is pathetic, but I can't look at these pictures now without thinking about breast size and taking one for the team. Geez, why do we always end up back there?
lbooth: my condolences. I hope that you're finding comfort by sharing time with mutual friends.
Marcia - yum! sounds decidedly fabulous. This vicarious food thing is actually pretty good. Although I had a non-vicarious/virtual ice cream cone today - very rich and tasty.
bdtbqe: bienniel digitalis turns blood quirks edgy.
Don't you think that a daughter raised by Jenny, if jabbed by Bob, would be able to work out her own, long-term, carefully-planned revenge?
mcb said... Love the pics!! Great stuff - thanks, Jenny! Ya know I'm thinking in Jenny's next book there might be a character named Bob who gets bumped off really early on.
Not necessarily early, but definitely slowly, and with exquisite agony.
OH wrote: hence the phrase: never piss off a woman.
And never, never, NEVER piss ON a woman!
lbooth: I'm sorry for your loss, but glad for the end of suffering.
cznlkkqs -- Czar Nicholas liked KIt-Kats w/ quince sauce.
inbojs --In books, Jenny shines.
Tal said ... mcb said... Ya know I'm thinking in Jenny's next book there might be a character named Bob who gets bumped off really early on.
Not necessarily early, but definitely slowly, and with exquisite agony.
~~~~~~~
It would be interesting to find out how someone can be done in slowly by a keyboard. But Jenny mostly does YEC and YEX ... she'll need help. I can see the email now:
J: So, just out of curiousity how easy would it be to snuff out a character with a keyboard?
B: character? fictional I hope.
J: Oh. Of course, fictional. Yes. That's what I meant. So, can it be done?
B: Why do you want to know. We don't have a scene like that in Agnes. I know. I have the high speed excell spreadsheet to prove it.
J: Mollie was asking.
B: Mollie?
J: Yes.
B: I'll get back to you on that.
marcia in ok: i've been watching the countdown religiously. (ok, bad phrase considering i haven't been to temple since the new rabbi, but you get my drift). i hate how she's doing the stories in parts- i'm so impatient when it comes to things like that. have to know: who's your favorite hero and herione and/or couple? (i love Brockmann. i think she should send those books out a week early).
lori: go check your e-mail. well, give me five minutes. then go check.
tal said "And never, never, NEVER piss ON a woman!"
LMAO.
thanks for the suggestions. will go do one of those things to see article.
lbooth I'm sorry your tears are beginnig, but glad his suffering is over. You're in prayers.
Don't you think that a daughter raised by Jenny, if jabbed by Bob, would be able to work out her own, long-term, carefully-planned revenge? Love it- Mommies (right? Mommy and then change the Y to I and and ES?) are good for teaching, but true carry through needs to be done by oneself for full satisfaction.
Y'all spelling lesson here (I can never remember how many Ls to put in an adverb, but I know my slang) y'all is a conjuction. In a conjunction you drop letters and squish words together. The ' get put in where the letters were dropped. In y'all the dropped letters are O&U so the ' goes where the O&U would have been, after the Y and before ALL. Any questions?
My mom asked me for pics of the construction/deconstruction of the house so I set up a quickie blog to post images on. Feel free to pop over and see my house in a little bit- right now I'm heading out to get a fridge and maybe an a/c. Oh, and I'm having a house warming party on September 2. So if any cherry bombs are in or are planning on being in NE Colorado that weekend post a comment on the blog and I'll get you the details- and yes, I'll nuke comments so your email isn't out there in the ether too long.
MCB: You up for another car trip? CC wants us to come trash-- um, visit her new house. I already sent her virtual bread so we don't even have to bring a housewarming present. Of course, I'm sure she won't mind if we happen to pick up an extra state trooper or two along the way. CC, they might be a little worse for wear but most of them rebound very nicely after a day or two. Should be fine by the time we get there.
I have lots of free books I got in Atlanta so I can bring the ones I've already read. Do you have bookshelves yet? I'm guessing yes. Priorities being what they are.
Sounds like a plan.
BTW, Tal, I really wouldn't characterize Bob's gentle little poke in the arm as a "jab" -- really he barely touched Mollie. He was in a room full of women, most of whom were probably mothers. The man is not stupid. And before you feel TOO sorry for Jenny, she gave as good as she got. I think in the interest of fairness, she should post some of the "tortured Bob" photos, too.
bw
I just can't keep up with you all. Go away for the weekend and there are hundreds of comments (on the last Bob post). So, what do you call a semi-lurker? That's me. This post is too funny. I was wondering if Jenny's blacks match?
Conscripted Cherry said...
Y'all spelling lesson here (I can never remember how many Ls to put in an adverb, but I know my slang) y'all is a conjuction. In a conjunction
er, contraction, but we get the idea.
you drop letters and squish words together. The ' get put in where the letters were dropped. In y'all the dropped letters are O&U so the ' goes where the O&U would have been, after the Y and before ALL. Any questions?
Thank you. I worked with a guy from S. Carolina who swore it was ya'll. I gave him the contraction speech, but he insisted that was Yankee thinking. >;-]
mfynxg (red)
Look out Arizona. M FNX G!
For the license plate challenged, that's "me Phoenix go." But not until October. Can't stand the heat this time of year.
kay t: Semi-lurker = road kill? You need to stay clear of those big rigs, dear. Either way, you're all CB's. We're just waiting for the hard core lurkers to figure it out and come out and play.
The suit looks black in the pictures but it was navy blue. The jacket did indeed match the slacks (though who the hell cared?). She was adorable. That IS what she said she wanted to be called, right? I told everyone who would listen.
bw
lbooth--my condolences and prayers go to you and his family and friends.
pxsuj....PiXies send unicorns jumping.
Thanks for catching my screw up. Let's see if I can get this right...
Conjunction Junction, what's your function?
Hooking up words and phrases and clauses.
Conjunction Junction, how's that function?
I got three favorite cars
That get most of my job done.
Conjunction Junction, what's their function?
I got "and", "but", and "or",
They'll get you pretty far.
"And":
That's an additive, like "this and that".
"But":
That's sort of the opposite,
"Not this but that".
And then there's "or":
O-R, when you have a choice like
"This or that".
"And", "but", and "or",
Get you pretty far.
Conjunction Junction, what's your function?
Hooking up two boxcars and making 'em run right.
Milk and honey, bread and butter, peas and rice.
Hey that's nice!
Dirty but happy, digging and scratching,
Losing your shoe and a button or two.
He's poor but honest, sad but true,
Boo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!
Conjunction Junction, what's your function?
Hooking up two cars to one
When you say something like this choice:
"Either now or later"
Or no choice:
"Neither now nor ever"
Hey that's clever!
Eat this or that, grow thin or fat,
Never mind, I wouldn't do that,
I'm fat enough now!
Conjunction Junction, what's your function?
Hooking up phrases and clauses that balance, like:
Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
He cut loose the sandbags,
But the balloon wouldn't go any higher.
Let's go up to the mountains,
Or down to the sea.
You should always say "thank you",
Or at least say "please".
Conjunction Junction, what's your function?
Hooking up words and phrases and clauses
In complex sentences like:
unfortunately School House Rock http://www.schoolhouserock.tv/ doesn't have a song for contractions or for word misuse so I'll just apologize and promise to use a dictionary/spell check/spare brain cell the next time I get on a soap box.
Just LMAO at all the captions y"all thought of for the pics.
Bob was being "a naughty boy" poking Molly, you can't get too mad at him Jenny, he's too cute.
Finally got the Linda Howard "Cover of Night and I see who reminds you of Bob [don't want to give a spoiler].
ibooth trite but true time does heal.
erica Hey I was so excited I was saying I know how to do that somebody told ME, Ill pass it on, but by the time I get to the end some "busybody' already told you. Sniff Sniff. I'm going back to lurking
nanaimo g isn't gator person coming your way this week? You should try to trap her for a coffee.
I love Suzanne Brockman too. I think I have read everything she has out to date. I hope to get her new one soon.
I saw the funniest thing in one of the news bites on the net. Apparently a doctor in Germany has developed an "anti-stupid Pill". It has worked in mice and fruit flies. It is too early to try it in humans. I can't wait. There are a couple of people who pass by here that could use it. /,D
Also for all of you that are dying of the heat there was a picture in tonight's paper of a snowstorm in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, some 1700 kilometres south of Beunos Aires. The storm has been going on for three days. Doesn't that make you feel cooler? /.)
red fdowne
For Doherty, our writing needs effort.
Conscripted Cherry, I read that and read it, thinking "conjunction" didn't sound right but not able to figure out why. It finally came to me, so don't feel bad.
gjfccpxt (red)
Girls just freakin' can't carry poor Xavier's Toyota.
CC: i had all this stuff i was going to say and then i read your post. please tell me you didn't have that memorized. this was the english rule i learnt:
i before e
except after c
and in neighbor and weigh
hey!
(the hey! was my little addition if you couldn't tell.)
BCB said "And before you feel TOO sorry for Jenny, she gave as good as she got."
i don't think any of us had a doubt.
scope dope: and that brought me right back. they are creating an anti-stupid pill. omigod, LMAO.
Aren't we clever, us Germans? An anti-stupid pill? I suggest the people from the gorvernment try it first because they need it most.
Sounds almost as useful as the new "Morning-After" pill Andy Borowitz was mentioning in his daily newsletter: makes the guy stay for breakfast and call when he said he would.
MCB Thanks *grins*
Nanaimo G Thanks for the thought :)
Hee! Hee! Hee!
:D
SDCB: Great idea!
Nanaimo G: DD#2's notes say we'll be staying at Ashcroft House B&B Sunday night, to/from Seattle Sun morn/Mon eve. I'd love to meet you. Leave a message for GatorPerson, if you're so inclined.
Turning PC off now, taking it to PC doctor, byebye, all.
emslgp: Every Mad Scientist Loves GatorPerson (really, I couldn't resist.)
BCB - I'm up for a trip! Do we know where she lives? Never mind that's not important.
CC - Oh thank you for the blast from the past! Schoolhouse Rock was the best. And that particular jingle actually helped me out once. Remember the one on government?
Nana - re LH's book; so glad another person 'got it'
A stupid pill. You know, its a great idea, but I'm convinced some people like being that way. Stupid I mean.
OH - my favorite Brockmann couple is Tom Paoletti and his wife the Doctor. Love Sam and his ability to manipulate language in such colorful ways, and Gina - because she's a survivor.
I'm glad Suz is at least writing and sharing something everyday. That gives me something to do while waiting for new J&B, B&B blogs and comments.
qqlfier - blogger did its own this time.
What kind of non life do you have if you're testing "stupid" pills on fruit flies and how do you tell if the bloody thing is working?
lbooth - sorry for your loss
Off to Oz National tomorrow then away on a family holiday. Will be gone from the blog for 10 days :-(
I will have the DT's.
aocgko - all of crusies gals (oh guys too luis and bryan) kan orate
CG sez: Sounds almost as useful as the new "Morning-After" pill Andy Borowitz was mentioning in his daily newsletter: makes the guy stay for breakfast and call when he said he would.
*snort* *gasp*
Thanks for that. Hilarious!
As for anti-stupid pills, I suggest they put it in the Washington, D.C. water supply first, particularly that of Capitol Hill. Sigh. Politicians. All of them.
Or maybe they could just put it in the Sacramento legislature's water pitchers next time they fail to pass a California state budget on time. Sheesh. I can balance my checkbook, what's their problem? :)
MCB wrote: "Jennifer Crusie writes romance novels because the 'romance' is at the heart of all her stories. Whatever else might be going on boy will meet girl and eventually they will live 'happily every after' (that's the HEA reference you see so often here). Relationships are important in romance novels because they are important to women. But its not the 'goal' if that makes sense.
Marian Keyes writes books about women, the ups and downs and various relationships (mother, daughter, lover, friend) that are, emotionally, what makes us different from men. There may well be romance in her books, because love and romance are part of a woman's life, but romance isn't the goal in her books.
So, you could say that romance books are about falling in love and chick lit is about being a woman. The genres overlap but also have a distinctive feel."
I might be going on everone's nerves with my constant "Chick lit vs. romance novel" topic, and curse me that I carry it over to the new post (so Bob also gets a chance to think about it... which presents me with an awful thought... because certainly you cannot call a book about being a man 'cock lit', right? How about 'gander lit'? Any other suggestions?)
But I just re-read 'Fast Women' and I think it doesn't do the book right to say it's mainly about the romance between Gabe and Nell, it is also about the friendship of the women, about Nell's coming to terms with her divorce, about solving an old mystery, about Suze's development... So I guess the distinguishing criteria are not quite clear here. Or I'm just not getting it. No, not that way, geez.
We need Mollie. Mollie if you can hear this, please post many, many pictures of Him & Her (He & She) and give us your side of the story. I'll bet it is full of insight (and funnier than hell)
CologneGrrl,
Your question can be applied more broadly to "What determines the genre of any book?"
When I tell people I'm writing a book, I am usually asked "Oh, what do you write?"
And then the answer is "It depends on who makes the decision what shelf to put it on."
Look at DLD for instance. Is it a romance? An action-adventure? Contemporary fiction? All of the above, right? Where should it be shelved?
The line between romance and chick lit is fuzzy.
I work in a library. I'm of the opinion that Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott should be filed in the 820's under English Literature. We have it filed in Fiction two shelves below a series of romances by Elaine Schulte and on a shelf to the right of all our John Saul books. Yet Goethe and Rilke are in the 830's in non-fiction with the rest of our German Literature. Go figure.
marcia in ok Tom Paoletti's story is my favorite Suzanne Brockman too. Like you, I like Sam. He has had such a hard time and he really tries to be a good guy, most of the time.
cologne girl LMAO at morning after pill.
Yesterday I was telling DH that Jenny was working on four books and I didn't know how she could do that and keep them straight in her head.
This morning, when we were sitting on our front porch having our coffee I was discussing my children's stories with him and then switched to talking about the book I am working on. He said "See you just did it too. You can keep the two things separate and work on both at the same time.
But I still can't get chatty little Sarah, into and out of, her problem in the barn. Wrote myself into a corner. I think I am going to have to rewrite it.
red nppgrdq
Not pretty people. Grunts rounded up Doherty's quarry. (Grunts-army)
CG said ... So I guess the distinguishing criteria are not quite clear here.
You're right. Its not always 'distinctive', or I should say the distinction is often a very fine line. Fast Women was very much about the bond between women. And not so surprising because Jenny's books are so much about the community people make. So you've got the 'chick lit' aspect there. But you've got the relationship that grows between Gabe and Nell that then becomes the HEA. That makes it 'romance.'
Look at Keyes' books again. Sometimes the girl finds the boy, but most often its about the girl finding herself, figuring out who she is. As often as not, she's not looking at HEA, she's looking at 'I'm going to be okay.' So you can't call it 'romance'. That makes it 'chick lit'.
And I think this is a very good example of what Bob talks about in his "Pitching" blog - figuring out what kind of book you have.
see Bob and Jenny ... sometimes we do listen.
SDCB - The problem isn't so much writing more than one book at a time, although since I'm now writing two, and a humorous anthology, I can tell you my head hurts. But the real problem is when the characters "bleed" into your everyday life - like when I called my son by the name of a kid character in my book. I tried to tell my son that I thought I was yelling at my brother, who shares the name of the kid in my book. Yeah, he didn't buy it either.
CG--anti-stupid pill? Cock-lit?! My kid thinks I'm strange because I'm laughing and he doesn't know why.
sigiqns....have to go take DS to his piano lesson, but this looks too good to pass up. Anyone wanna take it?
amc,
sigiqns - So I go in quite nonchalant, see...
SIGIQNS aren't those the little, round, metallic things they sewed all over women's dresses in the 30s, 40s,and 50s to make them shiny, amc?
I don't think I will have a problem with little barn critters and people "bleeding" together in my real life, jen-t. BTW you made me laugh and feel much better yesterday. Thanks.
blue cwujkanr
Crusie writes until Jenny kicks ass, Nora Roberts.
I guess "KIDLIT" would be for the younger or youngest set, eh?
"Manly Lit"??
"Macho Lit"???
Live the dream!
mhcur red
many hate Crusie, until Robert
lbooth - my condolences. I wish there were magick words of comfort but know we're all thinking of you
I finished my revisions, eating a kitkat to celebrate.
you know they've taken over our lives, him and her, J&B
If only someone would deliver malt vinegar on fries to the library lol
Happy Wednesday everyone!
DUG: have a good time and know you'll be missed here.
i hate the name "chick-lit"., and thank you for that aspiring "cock-lit" comment, CG.
i once was in a bookstore and saw shelves titled "men's fiction". so of course i looked over and found about ten authors i read. so obviously it's just not for men. it's for anyone who likes a good book. that just pissed me off. women can't enjoy well-written violent/action/shooter-up books? of course we can. just like guys can enjoy "tradtional" women's books. i hate that stereotypical bias. because then when one person crosses over and reads it, they get called names.
i'm feeling really good towards louis and bryan right now. good job, guys.
i'd work up more steam about this but it's too f-ing hot and i just came from the gym.
Caption for picture on left:
Bob: "Of course he had to take one for the team."
Caption for picture on right:
Jenny: "AGAIN with the 'me and her'."
xqqqs: X-tremely quiet, quivering quail slept.
(Geez, go AWOL for a week and the verification genie gets ticked off and gives me an x and three qs!)
hi CMS. thanks. i was trying to remember what kind of vinegar you're supposed to use. i wonder if i have any....
OH,
Not only have I started reading "across the line" but I've started writing it. Well, actually, I was writing it before I read any romance. I'd given one of my WIPs to a friend for an opinion and she told me it was better than most of the romances she read. At first I thought she just meant the writing but she explained that what I had so far was a romance. Figured I'd better research the market so I started to read some.
And I hate to admit it, but I'd never heard of Jenny until I read DLD. I just happened to pick it up at the library for a change of pace. I'm reading Tell Me Lies now, just to get an idea of what she's like as a solo writer. While I'm on the road later this month I plan to read Faking It.
kqeugs -- Keep quiet! Every ugly goon's searching.
CMS - I thought of you this past weekend. I'd stopped at a local burger chain (not fast food - real burgers) and had some fries w/ malt vinegar and salt. Yum. I'd send you some but they'd probably get soggy before they hit the border. Not to mention cold.
Wasn't there an article recently citing the increase of male readers to romance fiction? I think its the increase of suspense/mystery/thriller themes.
"Chick lit" is a term used to denote a genre of popular fiction written for and marketed to young women, especially single, working women in their twenties. The genre's creation was spurred on, if not exactly created, in the mid-1990s with the appearance of Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary and similar works; it continued to sell well in the 2000s, with chick-lit titles topping bestseller lists and the creation of imprints devoted entirely to chick-lit.
I don't think Jenny's books are particularly "chick" lit. More like "hen" lit? I mean, when I think of CL I think of stories about young women finding themselves, usually with some romance in there. I think of Jenny's stories as just plain old fiction, or women's fiction, with romance at the core.
dodging the semi here
sorry, I did not say that I lifted that first paragraph from wikipedia.
Bryan - A little while back I was looking to renew my acquaintance with Jeeves & Wooster. I had to ask the librarian because I wasn't finding it. So I said, I'm looking for books by P.G. Wodehouse and he asked what category would that be under. Tell ya, I was stumped. I finally said general fiction because it isn't anything else. I was a little puzzled that the librarian was asking me - I would have thought a librarian would have heard of Wodehouse. Anyway, they didn't happen to have any in at that time. Apparently there'd been a run on J&W. Who knew?
Completely OT, but my father just sent this to me and I had to share.
"Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first woman she meets and then teams up with three complete strangers to kill again."
-- Marin County newspaper's TV listing for "The Wizard of Oz"
LMAO! Who cares if it's true or urban myth, someone came up with it.
Seemed like a description Bob would write.
mcb,
Had to check our catalog just to make sure... we have 24 Wodehouse books.
I always have liked his titles, especially No Nudes Is Good Nudes.
xpqmx -- Polite, quiet mice, kissing.
G-G: Thanks for that! I really needed a laugh.
It is so nice to come home after a long day at work and read what you all have been up to. Sort of restores my faith in something. Not sure what exactly, but it's a good thing.
bw
CologneGrrl wrote: because certainly you cannot call a book about being a man 'cock lit', right? How about 'gander lit'? Any other suggestions?)
Well, I don't really see why not...But how about "bullslit"?
rkxwfklc -- I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you...
mcb said...I'd stopped at a local burger chain (not fast food - real burgers) and had some fries w/ malt vinegar and salt.
That's very British, putting vinegar on fries.
I have caught up with the J and B posts, but have only read the comments for this one. It would take me forever to go back and re-read the others and I have other pressing matters to attend to (I know, what could be more important than reading CB comments, but a I gotta do what I gotta do).
Jen-T: Are you the CB formerly known as JJ, formerly known as JupitorJen? Just want to keep CBs straight in my head. :)
I also wish I went to Nationals. At this rate, I don't think I will ever get to see the Bob and Jenny show. So sad. Although I shouldn't complain too much, I was somewhere nice for a while. (which, funny enough I am paying the price for now--with the dramatic change in temp I now have a sore throat. I was sick enough on the trip, I don't really need this now).
I would also like to chime in and request the posting of more pics from National. Love seeing CBs having a good time.
hxiegbws (green): Hallelujah Xavier! I eliminated giant bugs with Shasta.
Just received "The Cinderella Deal" in the mail today...what I've sampled is Jenny all the way.
Chick Lit
Women's Fiction
Books for men
If it's a good, well written story, I'm all for reading it....reguardless of whom it is written for specifically.
The story is the thing...
green bnnau
Bob needs nothing, as usual
maybe a rap by Jenny to blog
Actually - I read an article a while back that talked about "lad lit", but it died. I can't find the mag that it was in. It was the same article that talked about how most men really don't read a lot of fiction (no, not trying to spark that convo again, just remending you of the article.) It's in my office somewhere. If I find it I'll pass on the info.
Now off to deal with 5 teenage boys who are oogling and heckling at the girls standing down the road at some mail box acting as if they don't want to be noticed while they make the boys act like the bunch of neanderthal's they are. One of my son's friends actually looks like Bob in this picture. Oh, wait, crap, that's my son making that gesture. Geez, what the heck am I raising. Why is it that all men (boys) do this. Off to teach my son some mannors.
Christina - Yep, it's jtslim, jupitorjen, jj, whatever. I answer to almost anything.
christina teased us with: I was somewhere nice for a while
WTH?! We've been waiting patiently (not) while you get all caught up, bless your heart, and this is the best you can come up with? Sore throat my ass. Unless all your fingers are broken as well, we are not accepting that as an excuse.
Spill it. We want details. How was the dig? The Italian countryside? The regurgitation-prone grad students? The possessed middle school? And I have to know: did your luggage make it to all the right locations? Did you get caught up in a soccer riot?
And what about those voices? Any of them end up on paper?
Take your time (NOT). We're known for our patience. Really.
bw
fomals: what the spelling-challenged wear to their prom
Ooh, 105 comments. We're safe from Bob. Or should I say Bob is safe from us?
"In pic one, Bob is talking about Princess in her pink t-shirt, "they are this big." And Jenny's thinking I can't believe he said that."
"I can't believe he said that in a room full of women."
Jen-t said...
Actually - I read an article a while back that talked about "lad lit", but it died.
Lad lit, dick lit. I suppose the lad was Brit and the dick US. ;+))) I think the genre didn't really take off because the books the publishing houses chose to publicize were pretty crappy and uber chauvinistic/anti-female. Not gonna get a lot of female readers for that kind of book. As usual, someone didn't think more than one step ahead.
Hen lit is really more for the peri- and menopause crowd, women who are starting their second lives or trying to figure out their first ones. It seems like Jenny says she write romantic comedy, which is what I consider her books. They may put chick lit covers on them, but they're romantic comedies. Doesn't mean they can't be both, of course.
tytrdmel (blue)
Today you too remedial dancing, my evil Lothario. ;+)))
Well, hell. That'll teach me not to proof read.
tytrdmel:
Today you took remedial dancing, my evil Lothario.
If there are any other typos or brain farts, well, too bad. Heee!
qfnoi (green)
Quite frankly, no one's inebriated.
Bryan and Scope Dope--love the verifications!
I don't think Blogger likes me right now...look at this:
YPPQGFU.....Yelping pink poodles quickly gulp fizzy unguents.
amc,
I'm here to please.
zsake - What a German asks for when going into a Japanese bar.
Zaza - "dick lit"! I love it. Last year on the drive home from NJ I had a car full of women and we were talking about this very subject and, yes, we used the term "Dick Lit". I think the whole thing started when I said something about not being able to write in first person because I liked the "mans" POV so much and my dear CP said something very crude, which I won't repeat and then "Dick Lit" develped and they all decided I should write a romance, from the man's POV all the way through. Not sure that would sell, nor do I want to be in a man's mind that long. it's a very scary place.
Aren't technothrillers the men's version of "chick lit"? I don't think we need an additional genre. I mean, we don't even read that much to begin with, right?
g-g: i love that wizard of Oz thing. i remember once reading something where they summarized all Disney movies that way. but my mind's going and it was really long ago so don't even know where to start looking for it...tell your dad thanks.
1 hr at the gym: fine
4 hr shopping: hated it, but fine
10 min walk in the heat: death
walking into a cool house: priceless
pozjc: pause, Jenny Crusie
INSTALLMENT 1:
BCB I have now been properly chastised. Sorry, but I worry about boring people all the time, so I tend not to say much unless prodded. You’ve asked for it though. I think I will have to do it in installments, for fear of breaking blogger. Here goes:
-Surprisingly, I had no problem with my luggage. It all made it to its proper destination every single time and that’s saying something considering I had to take three different planes, two trains and three buses. Not bad.
-The voices in my head continue to talk, but I was too busy and tired during the dig to write anything done. That will be remedied shortly.
-The dig did not start out well for me at all. I was decidedly unhappy when I arrived and realized the directors had not read the CV I had sent to them (twice, might I add) and had no idea that I had previous excavation experience. (I was led to believe that I would be made a supervisor by a friend who attended last year who has a similar excavation background to myself). So I was a regular minion until two of the supervisors who did know I had experience approached the appropriate people. By that time, there was not much to be done so I was given unofficial supervision of a specific area of a huge trench and helped the students working with and around me. In the end, it all worked out. I had glowing recommendations from all and have been invited back next year and the implication is that I would be supervisor of the largest trench (something along the lines of 5 by 10 meters but which will be extended to the south next year) that they have been working on for some three years now. I am also identifying the few coins that were uncovered this season.
-I managed to have my academic career insulted (unintentionally, but it still smarts) by one of the directors on the second day of the dig. I am trying to be a better person and get over it, but it’s going to take time.
INSTALLMENT 2:
-I and most everyone else on the dig contracted the ‘plague’, a 24 hour virus that had us all hugging the porcelain throne and emptying out the contents of our stomachs. Also, my body felt as if it had the snot beaten out of it, like Daisy in The Cinderella Deal. Never been sick like that before and hope to never again. Funnily enough, the director who insulted me thought we were all faking and just trying to get out of work, but then she too was hit by the plague and realized her error. I love karma.
-The night of the World Cup was amazing. Lots of France-bashing and when Italy won, TONS of celebration. The only thing to worry about were the cars whizzing down the road with their occupants and Italian flags hanging out the windows and horns blaring.
-As for the actual digging—we were excavating a rural Iron Age site (c. 5th century BC) and there was also a trench that had Roman period remains, likely a villa. We dug in a farmer’s field and had spectacular views of the mountains and valley. Found lots and lots of pottery, animal bones, slag (residue from metal working), flint, a spindle whorl, a possible wall and rocks. Lots and lots and lots of rocks. I think you get the picture.
-Roomed with five other girls in a room. The middle school was pretty cool—we played basketball on the court outside and interacted some with the young people of the town.
INSTALLMENT 3:
-No peeing incidents, but lots of vomiting—both alcohol and virally induced.
-The sex room for this dig turned out to be the hallway. Stupid people. There was a perfectly good shower with a lockable door at the other end. Guess they just liked an audience. One of the participants was (and I think still is) in a long-term relationship with a girl who attended the dig last year and they were meeting up in Rome after. The hook-up girl didn’t seem to mind his relationship status. Apparently, archaeological excavation = lack of morals, or something like that.
-Swam in the Adriatic on one of our days off. Beautiful clear water and great sand beach. Can’t beat that.
-We had an unofficial dig dog. A stray hung out in the car park near our site. She was a cute little gray thing with huge paws (she will not be little for long, me thinks) and always happy to see us. She was dubbed Fuzzy (I know, very imaginative) and was adopted on the last day by one of the Italian girls that dug with us. We were all very relieved that Fuzzy was getting a permanent home and she looked very smart in her brand new bright red collar.
-My Italian, however, did not improve as I was able to get away with a few stock phrases and gesticulating. I am paying for it now as I try to translate an Italian article. That’ll teach me to slack off.
I think those are all the major points. At least all the ones that my brain can come up with at the moment. If anyone wants to know anything else, just ask. I’ll eventually get around to responding. ;)
BCB, you’re right though, I didn’t have broken fingers and should have written sooner, but I do, sadly, have a ganglion cyst in my right wrist that I just noticed a couple of days ago. I had surgery eight years ago on my left wrist to remove one, and looks like I will soon have matching scars. Have to wait until I am back in the UK, though, since I don’t have medical insurance in the states. *sigh* That’s not going to help any when I am writing me thesis.
All right, that's enough of my blabbering. Back to your regularly scheduled blogging.
First it was Nora Roberts, then Jenny Crusie -- my DH kept bringing these cool women home. He'd pick them up in a bookstore somewhere because he thought they looked like...a good read. And figured I'd like them too. He's right (smart guy). With good taste and a broad mind. (!!)
We pass lots of books back & forth. The only stuff I read that he doesn't like is SFic & Fantasy. But he's even read a few of those on my recommendation & enjoyed them.
zulhjyhq -- Zip up lonely hearts! Jiggle, you happy quacks! (ooo, sorry. That was pathetic.)
Geez, Christina. Remind me to prod you more often. I loved hearing about the trip and it sounds like quite a wide variety of stuff you had going on. Sorry to hear about the TSTL director -- I had to write a "very strongly worded" letter today, reprimanding the President of a major US corporation for TSTL behaviour and terminating our business relationship. It was kind of fun, since I had no emotional stake in it, she said with an evil grin. Have no idea why my boss picked ME for that little chore. I'd be more than happy to write one in your defense, if needed.
Don't let that cyst fester, insurance or not. Speaking of which [grin] how is your mom? Happy to see you, I'll bet.
Oh yeah, and my DD18 said to tell you she liked Namesake and you should read it.
Really glad to have you back among us. Don't become a lurker, we're trying to discourage anti-social behaviour.
bw
christina: PS: if you miss digging through the dirt for priceless treasures, you can always go back and read the comments. [big grin]
bw
Christina - Wow - sounds interesting. Must tell me more about that ganglion cyst. My son has some kind of cyst on his wrist and it's gotten bigger. I'm taking him back to he doctor because my son say's it causes him some pain. The last time we were there, the doc kept telling me it was nothing to fret over. I hate the word fret, why must people use fret when conversing to mothers! Anyway, glad your back, we missed you.
Okay, I found that dang artical - ha! it was in the same mag that an interview was done with Bob and Jenny about their collaberation, and if memory serves me correctly, I posted about this article before. Basically it's about how more women read fiction then men. But there is also a secion on Lad Lit, which I guess was started by Nick Hornby's novel HIGH FIDELITY, and other books like LOVE MONKEY, by Kyle Smith and BOOTY NOMAND by Scott Mebus. Sorry, I can't say that I've read any of these books. Supposedly once this was termed "a trend" it died. The article goes on to say that women buy more books, and the books that men tend to buy are purchased by brand. The article is titled, DO MEN READ, by Marai Schneider and can be found on page 14 of the August 2006 issue of Writer's Digest.
Have a nice evening.
Gator Person I looked at your comment and thought you were goung to one of the San Juan islands when you mentioned Victoria Island. I take it you are coming to Victoria on Vancouver Island. I wish I could get to meet you but, alas and alack I will be busy. Now Ive lost the post where you will be. Got to go scrolling.
christina we're glad to have you back. That was a great report on the dig. When do you go back to the U.K.? agtigress could use a friend right now. She is going through a hard time.
cologne (Koln) girl I need your help. I don't have a German/English dictionary anymore. I need to know the signifigance of the Stammtisch (sp?)in the Gasthaus. I know it is an honour to be invited to sit there. I was given that honour in a couple of gasthaus'. What is the definition of Stammtisch and the signicance of it? It is the owners table, isn't it? I would really appreciate your help with this. Right now I have two females sitting in a gasthaus, drinking Parkbrau biere and eating wiener schnitzel and pommes frites. Those were the days.
Spent the day bouncing back and forth from the characters in the barn to the characters in Germany. Forgot to write down my characters names for the book and couldn't remember one of them. Had to go through 66 pages until I found it. Then I remembered that I had a "find" feature on the edit. Some days....
uvvdatr
Unusually very verbose Doherty acquired terrible ratings.
Also I need a couple of German girls names. I used Liesel but I don't think I am spelling it right. Our landlady's name was Resl and that is how she spelled it. Could you give me a couple of others? I can't remember any.
I don't know how that happened. The verification ended up in the middle then blogger gave me another one.
blue kcfhwtqx
Killing Crusie's fictional heroines will take quality Xperts.
Christina--all in all, sounds like a worthwhile trip. Thanks for such a complete report. Good luck dealing with your wrist.
SWBYDNZ....Blogger!!! Get OVER it already!
christina: oh, you only tell us when BCB annoys you. i knew we kept her around for a reason...:)
loved the installments. any time you want to do an epilogue i'm fine with that. interesting. and get that cyst checked out!
JJ: thanks for the article.
amc: *snort* blogger is so gonna get you now.
scope dope: German names:
http://www.20000-names.com/female_german_names.htm
i like ivonne
JJ: go to a different doctor if possible. the guy sounds like he's part of Kaiser. (i know, i know, there are some good Kaiser doctors. well, when i say some, i mean five. and when i say five, i mean one). hope son is ok.
christina said...
The only thing to worry about were the cars whizzing down the road with their occupants and Italian flags hanging out the windows and horns blaring.
Italian flags. Is there some kinda euphemism thingee? Just asking.
The ganglion cyst - when I worked in the medical school, I had them on both wrists from handling the metal jacketed patient charts hundreds of times per shift. One of the docs there was willing to operate on them for free (employees can pretty much comp everything when they know the docs ;+), but he also said that they'd go away on their own once I stopped the repetitive activity that caused them.
Sure enough, I switched to the Editorial Office and they were gone within a few weeks. So, they're not infections, just inflammations. Yes, they're uncomfortable to painful, but unless they're really crippling, you just need to figure out what's causing them and stop doing it. I get them from knitting and needlework, too, and I'm back to doing a lot of that, so I expect to see the lumps forming any day now.
Jen-T, for your son, it may be something in golf or hockey, so stopping may not be so easy. Do the teams have a sports med specialist you could talk to? He might be able to figure out the cause and prescribe a wrist brace or something that would help.
Christina, if you didn't have it before, it may have been the physical labor on the dig that irritated it. So, waiting until you're back in England, unless it gets really bad, is probably an okay thing to do.
aogpgu (red)
all our group promptly gave up
Thanks orangehands I got a few names and thanks to the list remembered the ones I forgot. Also found that I had spelled the name correctly. Not bad. /,D
red kymsgm
Killing? Yex? Mayer seems genuinely mixed (up).
Okay, OH, let's see what I get now...
OKOFXHNX...Orangehands knows--(Blogger) often feels extremely horribly nauseated...eXactly! (I couldn't resist--Blogger may get even madder at me but that was too good a setup.)
SDCB, sorry but it's the time lag's fault that I didn't see your comment before.
Now I think that you will not find a female named Liesel in Germany below the age of fifty, it's a terribly out-of-date name, just like Heidi or Irmgard or Sieglinde, those are names you can use for the innkeeper's elderly wife.
Modern names are more international (there was a terrible craze about French names a while ago, like Nadine or Yvonne or Nicole), at present our schools are crammed with Anna and Lisa and Katharina. If you need a name for a woman in her mid-thirties and you want it to sound truly German, try Birgit or Gudrun or Silke.
"Stammtisch" is not necessarily the owner's table in an inn (Gasthof) but a larger table where patrons meet on a regular basis, like every Friday night. So they put up the "Stammtisch" sign and other guests usually ask whether they can sit there before they settle down, particularly in the evening. We have witnessed some really typical scenes mostly in the south: older men walking in and sitting down, getting their beer without ordering because the waitress just knows what they will have, and the starting heated discussions about the latest agricultural reports or other topis like local politics. And you are right, it is an honour to be invited to join them. Let them have Erdinger, Paulaner, or Salvator beer when the setting is in Bavaria, Veltins or Krombacher when it's in central Germany, and Jever if it's the North Sea coast. In the East, they would probably have Radeberger or Köstritzer.
Some of these rounds also play cards (Skat, Doppelkopf, Schafskopf - if you mention one of these, you will really add to the atmosphere).
Hope I could help this time instead of asking tiring questions on literary genres.
tmhcjalp - too much help can jinx all literary pleasure
CG: just wondering how you pronounce the name silke. like silk, the cloth? like seek? like sike?
amc: no one can ever ignore a set-up like that...:)
wow. 12:16 am and i'm feeling sleepy. guess waking up at the crack of dawn for the past few days works.
CG said "Hope I could help this time instead of asking tiring questions on literary genres."
hey, hey, hey. i like those questions.
whispers: *psss. psss. Bob. Bob. Bob, it's your turn to post. psss. Bob?*
amc: blogger can kill you and Bob can kill me. oh wait, the post-100 mark. good to know.
So I'm blogging from the little quickie place in the mall because it costs $2 for twenty minutes and the room costs $29 for a day. I know I'm such a cheapskate. *grin* so after taking off the twenty million emails I have five minutes left to blog.
I love Aust. Sigh. Don't want to go back to the States. I think I'll retire here.
Yep the cysts are nothing to worry about. I've had one for years on my right wrist. Flares up at times but my doc says the homeopathic treatment is to whack it with the Bible, a dictionary or an encyclopedia. *grin* I just press it hard for a few minutes and it pops back in. When I type a lot it usually returns.
Christina I loved hearing of your adventures. Even though frustrating for you it sounded great to us ... and some good info for storytelling. You need to write a book *grin*
found a black feather boa today and ran into an Aussie author at the same time. She heard me talking to the sales girl and came and introduced herself. We chatted for a bit, swapped stories, admired each others purchases. I love Aussies, they're so friendly.
Conference starts tomorrow. No more time for shopping, or probably for blogging.
rg
Orangehands: the name "Silke" is pronounced "silk-a" like in "a name" without too much stress on the second syllable. Did I make it clear by that or did I only add to the confusion? It has to do with silk, though, concerning its origin.
pyhoomy - a strange mental disease related to snake phobia.
ZaZa - The doc said the cyst wasn't uncommon in kids who play a lot of sports like my son who plays, baseball, hockey, lacross and golf, all sports that require him to hold a "stick" or "bat" of some kind. He also broke that wrist two years ago. I'm actually taking him to see a specialist because it really bothers him and like my daughter, he's not much of a complainer unless something really hurts. Poor kid was also told it's time for braces. We go see that specialist in September and I hear that costs a small fortune. I guess I better go and sell more books.
DH is driving back to NH today to get our daughter. They don't come home until late tomorrow. I actually spoke to my daughter last night and she is having way too much fun. She doesn't want the camp to end. She wants us to find another camp to send her to before summer ends. Not going to happen, I miss her too much and it costs too much.
Off to write.
JenT: I'm happy to hear your DD will soon be home. Be glad it's hockey camp and not NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School, I think) adventures. My DD18 left a website up for me to look at: 75 days in New Zealand, mountain hiking, ocean kayaking, backpacking, etc. Last year she wanted to do the one that involved kayaking in Alaska. And while NOLS has a great reputation and she would get some college credit and I know it'd be a great experience and she'd have a blast, well, the trip to New Zealand is a mere $12,000. Just not going to happen.
Though I have to admire (I think that's the word I want) her determination and optimism in the face of obstacles and her expectations of success when all the facts are clearly stacked against her.
bw
BCB - Ha! I love your daughter, but somehow she must be related to mine. DD15 wants to spend her last two years at prep school at a price tag of about 15 grand or more a year. She wants to play hockey and keeps trying to tell us these schools offer such a better education than our local HS, which is true, and that it's great way to get a scholorship to college, which is true and a few other arguements, which are all true. Of course we made the mistake of telling her if she could get a scholorship then we'd consider it, with my luck she'll get a full ride. She's been doing her homework and has a list of schools she's looking into. I know, it's a good thing she's so smart and everything, but geez, I can barely survive two weeks of her being gone!
Back to plotting. Dang, Bob is rubbing off on me. I just made a freaking spreadsheet to keep track of the dead bodies and the stupid time frame.
JenT: I know you won't believe me (I didn't believe it either when my older sister told me) but by the time she graduates HS and definitely by the time that summer is over, you will be HAPPY, ECSTATIC, CAN'T EFFING WAIT for her to go off to college. Of course, you will miss her like hell and cry your poor heart out when she's gone (because you will conveniently forget all about that summer after HS), but you WILL be ready for her to go. So will she.
BTW, book done yet?
bw
Just couldn't resist sharing this almost a real word verification.
blue: legye, as in legye blond
Theresa in Pgh
All set to start reading The Art of Detection this morning, but decided to go for another Terry Pratchet instead. I just don't want to deal with reality today. Also the cafeteria had fresh powder sugar donuts. The fruit I brought from home will wait until tomorrow.
Its definitely time for Bob to blog .... OH BOOOOOOOOOBBBBB!!!
Christina - loved hearing about your dig. Sounds like you had a wonderful overall experience - except for the getting sick part. Glad that was short lived.
Okay one of you writer types ... we need a story. Someone start a story.
xpshj: Klackian for 'once upon a time'
bcb - Yeah, I know. Actually, right now, I can't wait for all of them to go back to school. I need my days back where I can hide in my cave and not have to dress until like 3pm. I actually had to be presentable this morning at 6:30am! Not fun. I've alreay been to the hockey rink twice and then dropped of middle child at the golf course where her is working all weekend as a forecaddie for the men's invitational. Of course, it's back to the rink at noon, then pick up at 3, then to the course at 7, then I'm done for the night. DH is gone, so I can take the laptop to bed and work until I just can't keep my eyes open anymore.
And BCB - "Book done yet?" Was that to me, or he/she? If it's to me, well, umm, no. But, when you get home from work to day, there should be a little e-mail from me with some reading material. Be nice!
Geez. Why is everyone all the time telling me to be nice?
And yes, that "BDY?" was for you.
bw
CG: thanks for the explanation.
rg: i wanna go to Australia too!
BCB: have you started planning what to turn DD18's room into? my mom is thinking a sewing room. yes, she can sew. she hasn't in about five years, but she can.
JJ: when DD15 can drive, and if you can afford a car, she'll be taken care of, and then you just have to worry about the rest of them.
JJ said "just made a freaking spreadsheet to keep track of the dead bodies and the stupid time frame."
oooooo, dead bodies. cool. :)
BCB: oh, good, make it even shorter so we can bother people even quicker.
*psss, Bob. BDY?*
cologne girl thank you for your help. Liesel is one of the names on the list and I am using it for the landlady's name so she would be about 50. Manfred is her husband's name. I got that from one of the young men we met in Germany.
I have heard heated conversations from the Stammtisch when I have been in a gasthaus (that is what they called the local bar in Stambach).There were no rooms available there. I know the inn is a Gasthof.
It is not enough that my body is letting me down. I lost my dental coverage when I turned 65. Well actually I didn't lose it until July 30. Guess what? Had an emergency trip to the dentist today and I have an abscess on a tooth that already has a root canal. Because of my medical history the dentist won't pull it sooooo...Off to the Oral Surgeon tomorrow. I need that tooth to chew on so I guess I am out of luck. Thanks to inheriting my dad's gum conditions I am losing teeth like crazy. Have avoided getting false ones but these guys are forcing me to rethink that option. /.(
That gorgeous body DH married has cost him a bloody fortune. I hope he thought that three years of good looks was worth it. I am joking. Of course I am worth it. I am a Cherry bomb. /,D I know bcb KNOCK IT OFF!
green fhnvweps
For helping new, virginal writers, everyone practice sex. /,D
Dearest Scope dope
SMACK!
That will be quite enough out of you! You are a cherrybomb. Therefore, by definition, you are perfection personified.
Don't make me hit you again.
My verification has supplied a German name for you:
Cpl. Ouf
or not
xxaeunq. Xavier (e)xonerated Agnes euphamisticaly utilizing new quills.
P.S. Instead of TOTW I think we should concentrate, boys and girls, on making Bob and Jenny keep this blog going after Dec.31. We are proving more and more how invaluable it is to all of us for information both from J&B and from each other.
For instance, I think cologne girl answered my questions better than Google could have and gave me other information I wouldn't have thought to ask, but which will flesh out my story. Thank you very much to her.
I am not sure how we convince him and her, her and him how to do this. Inquiring minds want to know and I am sure bcb or mcb can come up with an answer...or talpianna, glamour geek, agtigress, louis, bryan , zaza, mary, lulu, lori or someone like any of the anonymous'. HELP!
THIS IS AN SOS!
green zdryxfl
Zaza, Doherty really yexed Xavier's friend, literally.
You really want to think about this one. Do you REALLY want BCB and I in charge of that project? Keep in mind that we are the two people who COULDN'T FIND CANADA!
agbod: what Shane said.
BCB-Mom is happy to have me back for a while. She lives alone with two cats so it's nice for her to talk to a human face to face for a while. She is leaving me for a week this Saturday however. Off to Iowa to visit my grandmother who just had a pacemaker put in at the end of July. She's doing well, but Mom hasn't seen her in a while. I will be cat-sitting and trying to be productive with some of my work.
SDCB-I go back to the UK on 19 Sept. I will definitely be meeting up with Agtigress when I get back and I hope I will be able to take her mind off her troubles for a bit.
Zaza-No euphemism. They actually were waving Italian flags. Although I wouldn't doubt that some were waving the other as well. ;)
As for the cyst--typing seems to irritate it. I got my first one during my freshman year in college and had it removed during the summer before I returned to school. My current one has been aching a bit, but is still a bit smaller than the other one I had. I would love for it to go away on its own, but I think it will be sticking around for a while. I'll see what my GP says back at school.
JenT-Where in NH is your DD? I am here now. It would be funny in a cosmic sort of way if she were nearby.
And as for JenT's and BCB's adventurous daughters--I don't want to scare you guys, but they sound determined. I was determined to do a community service project in Africa when I was in high school, so I busted my butt my junior year and had two jobs and did car washes on the weekend to raise money for the project. The summer before my senior year I went on a six-week trip to Zimbabwe through Global Routes. We helped build a clinic in a small village and traveled around the country. Well worth the $6000 (my entire life savings and earnings at the time).
Just a word of warning as you both seem to have very determined and resourceful daughters. :)
Scope Dope,
step 1 - convince them that we need updates on the promotional tour for Agnes.
step 2 - convince them that they need write yet another book together after Agnes is done.
step 3 - convince them that it is in their best interest to keep the CBs happy.
abxwycgx - After breakfast, Xena went YECy, calling Gabrielle xceptional.
(had to cheat a little on that one)
mcb FYI CANADA IS THAT LARGER LANDMASS THAT CAN BE REACHED BY GOING OVER THAT BRIDGE BY NIAGARA FALLS. You know, that is the big, big water that falls over that ledge that joins the UNITED STATES to CANADA. Does that help? If not, think of getting married. It is that place that all young girls want to go to for their honeymoon and some do...like me. /,D
red tjvhs
Tell Jenny Virginia Ham sells.
CG--I agree with OH. Questions are good.
RZZJW...Robert zings zesty Jenny...wild.
Hmmm....Red zippy zebras just whine.
Someone give me some help with this?
Scope Dope Cherrybomb said...
mcb FYI CANADA IS THAT LARGER LANDMASS THAT CAN BE REACHED BY GOING OVER THAT BRIDGE BY NIAGARA FALLS
There was a bridge? BCB has some 'splaining to do.
SDCB - I'm sorry about the tooth. Too bad you didn't live in Tampa, my uncle is an oral surgeon and he's very good.
OH - the daughter is getting my mini van and I told my DH I want a new pick-up truck, actually, the Honda Ridgeline, which according to all the males around me isn't really a pick-up but a truck made for a women like me, so it's perfect. But DH doesn't like the idea of letting the daughter drive the minivan since it's only 2 years old now and he really doesn't want to buy me another new car, so it will probably be a beat up old honda civic or something for the darling daughger. Of course DH said we could keep the minivan until middle child turns 16. I looked at my husband and said, who in their right mind gives a 16 year old boy a mini van! My husband reminded me that he was driving a two seater when we first started dating and that didn't stop us. I remended him of how uncomfortable it he was and he informed me that nothing is uncomfortable to a boy when he's, well, you know.
Christina - DD is in Hanover. DH should be getting there right about now, but camp doesn't end until tomorrow, but he's as bad as I am, can't stay away from her. My poor husband was watching american idol and when they showed Catherine's father cying I looked over and his eyes were filled with water. He looked at me and said why'd you go and have to have a girl. I told him it was all his fault, like everything else. And yes, she is determined and when she sets her mind to it, nothing can stop her. If she gets a scholorship, I'll let her go. You are only young once and I while I didn't go to Prep school, my brother did and it was an experience. Not only that, but I spent all my summers away from home camping, hiking and experiencing things that will stay with me forever.
Now that I have tears dribbling down on the the keyboard, I'm going back to my dead bodies.
Bryan - okay, you are in charge of the plan. Work something up and then come to NJ with us and we'll make them continue the blog!
SDCB - Honeymoon at the Falls? Now the first time I heard this was in the movie Dirty Dancing when the mom said something to the other daughter about having her honeymoon there. Now, I'm only about 2:45 minutes from the falls and I never thought about having my honeymoon there. We went to Jamacia. However, I'm finding out the Falls is a hot spot. I guess when you drive by it like 8 times a year, you take it for granted. Also, everyone and their brother want to go see it when they come to visit, so I've been there like a million times. Not even on my list of romantic get aways with my husband, although at this point, I'd take since we haven't taken a trip alone in like 5 years.
MCB - there are two bridges at the Falls - The Lewiston Bridge and The Rainbow Bridge (right? it is called the Rainbow bridge) We always go over the Lewiston Bridge.
Jen-t said...
DD15 wants to spend her last two years at prep school at a price tag of about 15 grand or more a year...Of course we made the mistake of telling her if she could get a scholorship then we'd consider it, with my luck she'll get a full ride.
My friend's older sister and her hubby had eithe (!) kids. Fortunately, they were all super bright/athetically inclined. They all went to prep schools on full scholarships either for their brains or their coordination. So, it's not outside the realm of possibility. Isn't there one where she'd be close by?
Scope Dope Cherrybomb said...
P.S. Instead of TOTW I think we should concentrate, boys and girls, on making Bob and Jenny keep this blog going after Dec.31.
Well, it seems sensible to me (one more crack like that, and, and...well, I'll do something unseemly like stamping my foot) that, rather than starting a new blog for Agnes, they just change the focus of this one. We can have a new focus each year they write a new book. So, we have to keep them from killing each other and persuade them to keep collaborating. I mean, really, what Mom and Dad could abandon a sweet, adorable, sprightly bunch of kids like us???
Uh, now that I finished reading the comments: what Bryan said.
zwtnbaoy (blue)
like a cabana boy, only in Polish
Geez. Why don't I proofread??? That was eight kids!
yhdneofh (green)
I'm not sure, but I think it's Welsh.
WHAT BRYAN SAID! (Bryan, B&J blogged a little about book three near the end of the DLD tour--it's a hotel caper and the heroine's name is Sadie.)
Of course it's in there best interests to continue the blog--just for the entertainment/educational value of the comments!
ZSKOICD...zen koi music.
Blogger doesn't agree...
KNWCPJYB....Koi need warmth, chewy pancakes&jumping yellow berries.
I'd actually be interested in watching McB & BCB make the plan. Like watching a train wreck.
(Bryan- You can be in charge of actually making it happen while BCB & McB entertain us.)
amc: To me rzzjw said: Robena, ZaZa, & Jenny write. (but I'm a big cheater)
I have paid for every trip I've taken since age 16, bought my own (piece of crap) cars, paid for my own 6-year education, and only have $5,000 in debt. Determination can definitely make things happen. Working 50+ hours a week while taking classes leaving me with no energy left to spend money helped too.
llxtbmj: Let lovely Xena tell Bob, "More Jenny!"
amc said...
WHAT BRYAN SAID! (Bryan, B&J blogged a little about book three near the end of the DLD tour--it's a hotel caper and the heroine's name is Sadie.)
And if you recall we practically plotted the whole book out for them. Came up with a title too: The Maltese Flamingo. We had Needles and Speen as villians. I don't remember which blog it was, but we practically wrote the book for them. Just needed some words, is all.
zaza - There are Prep schools, and there are PREP schools. What she is looking for has a highly competitive hockey team and a great education. She doesn't want to go to one that just anyone can get into (those are her words), she wants it to be challenging. Yeah, I know, where the hell did I get a daughter like this - not sure, but she's one tough cookie, and very smart, smarter than her mother and father put together. There is another one in Mass, and one in Conn that she's looking at too. We will be filling out applications this fall and sending them in. Also, this camp she's in some of the prep school coaches are there.
About this blog - you see the problem is, they think we don't need them. Maybe if we didn't talk amongst ourselves so much, the'd realize that it's BORING! when they don't blog often. I mean, do you guys really give a crap about me and my kids - nope, but heck, anything to keep the posts going until they show up and grace us with their presence.
WE'RE BORED! JENNY - BOB - HELP - WE NEED ANOTHER POST! HELLO? ANYONE OUT THERE? BOB? JENNY?
Jen said ... About this blog - you see the problem is, they think we don't need them. Maybe if we didn't talk amongst ourselves so much, the'd realize that it's BORING! when they don't blog often.
Well its true we wouldn't fight amongst ourselves so much if Mom and Dad paid us more attention. Its a cry for help.
Except if they are blogging, THEY AREN'T WRITING - and we want them writing. There's a greater good involved here. I'm willing to put up with them working long hours if it means we get to go to Dis- ... I mean if we get a new book out of it. Its a matter of priorities.
roagtrg: I know there's a word in there somewhere. Anyone?
mcb - Hey, I'm writing, and blogging. Okay, so right now I'm ticked off at my hero becuase he's being a dork. Really, he is. He's acting like a child and I'm just tired of it and he's supposed to start to change, but he doesn't want to, but I need him too, so, yeah, I'm avoiding him for the time being - but Jenny and Bob could throw as a bone. How long does it take to send us a message - ten minutes?
I'm getting myself in trouble, aren't I?
JJ: ten minutes? all Bob has to do is stick on a title and we're happy. (i believe one of those is where we broke the 300 mark). we're easy. (ok, yes, probably that other way too).
poor scope dope's gums and teeth. they have some nice fake ones now a days though. just when your grandkids are visiting don't stick them in a glass of water by their bed so during the night when they wake up to go pee they aren't seeing a "gift" some kind, generous soul left behind. like some serial killer. geez.
lori said "I'd actually be interested in watching McB & BCB make the plan. Like watching a train wreck."
LMAO. so true, too.
JJ: not so much boring, i like talking to you guys, but we need them to post so we can start different threads or we get stuck and have to listen to you talk about your kids. (kidding- i like hearing about CB lives)
lori: do you feel good for being the one to make your life happen. you did it, and if you can do that when your 16, then you can do anything any age. big accomplishment. be proud of yourself.
Jen - sounds like your hero needs a good smack upside the head - literally or figuratively, take your pick. You need a turning point for him.
OH: OMG. I distinctly remember being traumatized as a small child when I walked into my grandma's bathroom and "found" her teeth in a glass. I actually screamed, fainted and thought for the longest time that body parts could be removed and stored in glasses of water. My folks are so lucky I only went through a "Charlie's Angels" phase (jumping out from around corners with a pointed finger, scaring the beejesus out of people) and not a "Chuckie" phase.
xbvknhp: Ow, my head!
Xeroxing bagels violently keeps naughty heathens polite. (Whew!)
mcb - I'm letting my hero get laid, that will make him happy, then he can grow and change. I guess in that order.
Lori - yes, be proud! I didn't go to college right out of high school, some counselor told me that I shouldn't bother because I was a druggie and stupid and I'd never amount to anything. I spent two years waiting tables and working part-time answering phones when my boss told me I was dyslexic. I told him I wasn't, but he decided to send me to this college to get tested - even paid for it. Next thing I knew, he helped me get into a community college. I quit the waitressing and worked as a secretery for two years while I went to school full-time. When I got married, my husband told me to go ahead and quit the day job and just finish school, so I did. I graduated with honors and got the NYS student teacher of the year award. My first sub job was a week at my old High School, and that dang counselor was still there. You should've have seen her face, along with half the other teachers who either failed me, or passed me just to move me along in the system. Oh, yeah, that was fun. 6 months after that I had my first child, then never went back to work as a business teacher. I still teach, but it's dance to pre-schoolers. I relate to them much better than teenagers.
See Bob and Jenny, bored, I tell you. I end up telling ridiculous stories, using big words that I can't spell and these people have to put up with it. Come on, blog. It doesn't have to be long, just give us something to sink our teeth into (or gums).
although, we could start taking about LeFarve again, toss in pepper, that might get Bob's attention. I think that bothered him in some weird way.
Okay, back to sex and dead people.
Jen - if I knew your old boss, I'd probably give him a big smacking kiss for seeing your potential and giving you the push you needed. Just goes to show, not all angels have wings.
Btuda - oh, love charlie's angles. I even had the farrah faccet hair do when I was the 6th or 7th grade. And we'd go to the roller rink and roller boogie and all the guys drove black trans ams.
Chuckie faze? That's right up there with Jaws in my book. Oh, and pet cemetary. Talk about creepy, yuck! although, I loved the Shinning! "Honey, I'm home!"
mcb - I'll kiss him for you when I see him next. I still see him and that was 22 years ago.
Hey, I, too, am glad to hear about people's lives! Thanks, especially, to Christina for the dig summary. And, Jen-T, it's a revelation- who knew that there were kids that WANTED to go to prep school? Except for the social-climbing kind.... And I am very impressed by your former boss, too. It's nice to know there are people out there who recognize potential, as well as nasty squelchers.
And I'm impressed with everyone's level of activity, I've been bumming around, not getting much done, lately. I'm sure I'll be more productive, soon! I'll have to.
In one of the Dean Koontz books, an alien child thinks that someone's false teeth are, indeed, the trophies of a serial killer (what happens when you learn about life from the movies!).
skinny, slanty blue wchmli: what the smoke comes out of in the fireplace.
OK, so that was impaired, but did I deserve zzwnynyj? Zelda's zipper whirred nastily, yielding nearby youthful jumps
Jen said ... we could start taking about LeFarve again, toss in pepper, that might get Bob's attention.
Okay *gulp* I'll start ...
Time ... 15 years later
Place ... Marachino's
LaFavre walked into the joint which had changed remarkably little over the years.
He'd like to believe that he hadn't changed much either. Still handsome, single and willing to take one for the team. A few gray hairs on a man were considered distinquished and women always went for guys in uniform.
He scanned the room, then sauntered to the bar, sitting down on the end stool where he could see the entire room, and everyone it, especailly the young fillie at the other end. Hot didn't quite do her justice. And those, well, they were perfect. But he forced his gaze away. Those we NOT part of his mission.
I am quite impressed by a 15-year-old who decides she needs a real challenge. And I think love and a good education are the things our kids need most from us.
So I'm trying to hide my uncertainty because of those terrorist attacks the British police was able to find out about in time. My daughter (16) is flying to the U.S. with our exchange student on Saturday - with Continental, one of the airlines they had focussed on. Now I tell myself that security will never be tighter than now - they won't allow liquids, gels, any kind of electronic device in the hand luggage - but I still feel strange about it. Another part of being a parent, I guess. And I always considered myself as a non-worrier.
CC - I'm a non worrier too - and look what happened to me. It's hard when it comes to our kids, but I'm sure she will be fine. Easy for me to say, right? I'll be thinking of you and her on Saturday!
Love this blog and love the CB's. Their snark, lives, kids, new houses, trips to Italy, discussions on writing, etc.
Jenny sounded very firm in Atlanta about ending the blog Dec. 31st. I sat there thinking Oh, no I have to talk to the CB's somewhere and what will I do without my weekly (I wish daily but am glad they are writing more books for me to read. I'm selfish that way) fixes of J&B.
Enjoyed the stories for your trip Christina. More, more.
Colognegirl and SDCB enjoying your discussions about names and gasthaus (don't know the plural) Had a great time in Bavaria 20+ years ago tho was travelling with a very uptight colleague. Can't really call her a friend because our friendship didn't survive the trip. Strange since I'm so easy to get along with. (Stop laughing BCB) Met some great people tho. We travelled in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. A couple of years earlier another friend and I went to Ireland, Scotland and England. If I'd known getting married would curtail my travelling so much... well maybe not but I'm trying to convince DH to go to Italy.
I should be writing. I'm procrastinating because I don't want to make changes I need to make.
I read Faking It and Bet Me. So good. Sooo Goood. I want to reread them immediately. Now I think the only Crusie's I haven't read are the Cinderella Deal and the book which cannot be named. How did I manage to not find Jenny's (and Bob's) books before this.
So you see J&B, continuing the blog is a good thing because it sells your back list. I'm buying copies of my favorites to give to my sister and my niece. Continuing the blog would be a very good and profitable thing.
Really. It would.
grimdtwm grim day (when)terminating writing magic
RSS - Yes, you are so easy to get along with! Boy - you have been around the world. Let's see here, I've been to, Jamacia, Canada and, well oh, Atlanta! Okay, a few other places in the US, but that's just not the same. One of these days.
My DH has been to Korea, China, Tiawon and England, all on business and he went to Ireland with 7 other guys for a golf trip. That one kind of pissed me off, until I got the phone call from at five in the morning three days before the end of the trip telling me he was being taken to the hopsital. Turns out he had to have his appendix out in Ireland. I tried to get there, but by the time I would've been at his bed side, it would be on night before he got on a plane to come home. Poor guy.
CG You are right the security will probably be much better now but worrying about our kids seems to be delivered along with the baby. Thinking about you and her.
JenT Wow. Great boss, great DH even greater you for accomplishing what you have.
Waiting for the next LeFavre installment. I'm not adding because I'm going to be writing. I am.
qfjhv quite frankly Jenny hates violence
One of the advantages of marrying and having your kids late is the opportunity to travel first. I'd make enough money for a trip, take it. Save more, take another trip. It was great. We've been able to go many places in the states as a family since DH has worked all over the country for months at a time. (San Franscisco, New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, Dallas, Massachusetts, Connecticutt and probably some I'm forgetting at the moment.)He'd work or attend his conference and we'd head out with maps and guidebooks and explore the area. We even did Niagra Falls and drove over one of the bridges into Canada. Didn't get to stay long that time tho I'd visited Quebec when I lived in NH and went to Nova Scotia on my honeymoon. I've never been to the Carribbean. (I spelled that wrong but the paperback dictionary I have is worthless. I need to get our hardbacks out of the black pit of storage or buy a new one.)
Still procrastinating. If I wait long enough it will be time for bed and we have appointments to plan our new kitchen tomorrow. Write, don't blog. Use Jenny and Bob as examples. Write, don't blog.
RSS - Yep, all good advantages to getting married later and having kids later. But here's the flip side - I will be 49 when the last one should leave the nest and we have a policy in this house, no boomerage effect. My DH didn't do it, and neither did I! We are planning a big trip for our 50th birthdays (three weeks apart, and yes, I'm older). We haven't decided, and it probably won't be to just one place. Since my DH owns his own business, it comes with us, so he can work, and I can write, or blog (think we can keep them going for ten years? Or do an anniversary blog?) It will probably have something to do with playing some of the top 50 golf courses in the US. You ask, what about going overseas. Um, well, if we make it to Hawaii without me totally freaking out on the plane, well then, that is though, and then we are looking at some of the top 50 golf courses in the world.
Okay, really, I'm avoiding the sex scene, what the hell is wrong with me?
I don't find the comments boring at all. I love to read about what everyone is doing. I love the fact that when something is wrong in someone's life, we all care. We learn so much from each other. I love that we all come from different places both in time, space and genres. I don't want to lose this. You people are my community since my personal community has shrunk down to my family and breakfast out at the local restaurant since I have been ill. So keep up the community spirit folks. /,D
green dhdia
Doherty had diligence in Atlanta.
Dag nab blogger! I had son scintillating stuff to say and now its all gone!!
Huh.
To reprise.
Jen - boomerage? Is that like breakage?
zaza - You stamped you foot? Where were you mailing it?
CG - where is your daughter flying into?
Travel - Spent 3 years in Taiwan as a kid - dad in military - but too young to appreciate it. Since then most of the Carribean and Mexico, Hawaii, Arizona, California, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. Still got a few others to hit yet.
~~~~~~~~
The guy on the stool next to him looked like he'd taken root there a long time ago and wasn't in a hurry to leave. The man acknowledged Rene with a grunt and a not towards the stage. "Some apples, huh?"
Apples? Why did that word make him suddenly uneasy?
*sigh* well if they are determined to close us down, we'll just have to get organized and start our own on January 1. The Cherrybombs Blog. I know nothing about this stuff, but I do know I like this format - just chatting and scrolling through.
I agree with you SDCB.
JenT That sounds like a wonderful trip (trips) you have planned. Yes definitely a flip side but since DH and I didn't meet until we were in our 30's and 'til then didn't meet anyone I was tempted to marry that's the way things worked out.
Good luck with your sex scene. I finished my entries, now I just have to print them out or email them.
Guess it's a good thing blogger went down for maintenance.
ycbuuj Yec Bob underestimated until Jenny
My DW has named the resident road runner "Osuma"....because its a terriorist at the hummingbird feeders.
Manages to get one once in a while...mostly leaves the feeder swinging precariously.
The road runner just went by on the lawn picking up bugs....brought it to mind.
Le Favre...
I can't let those distract me...got to meet J T in ten minutes...Pepper is getting married in a week and we have to get a wedding present.
He turned to the bartender and ordered a beer.
First attempt at writing...let others carry on.
obzaxxe green
Oh Bob ziz act (e)Xaberates (e)Xactly everyone
mcb,
If it comes to that, I could set up a subdomain off my website and put up another WordPress site.
Then give author privelages to anyone who wanted to post... that way we could rotate the responsibilities.
But first I think we need to convince she and he how much them (took it too far, didn't I) would miss we (yep, definitely too far).
SDCB - You were my north star when I was lost driving through three states. I'm just trying to get Bob and Jenny to realize how much they are needed here.
RSS - it's hard for to believe sometimes that I got married at 22. Geez, i was so young. Had my first kid at 25. What was I thinking? Never mind, don't go there. Honestly, I'm very lucky. The world told my husband and I we were making a mistake. No one thought we'd make it. In a couple of weeks we will celbrate 18 years of wedded bliss. You ask, what's our secret - E-MAIL! You laugh, but it's true. Let's hope we survive the next 18 years.
LaFavre sipped his beer thinking about, well, those. Then they bounced a little closer, closer, and still closer, until the women who shouldered the cantalope sized breasts sat in the bar stool next to him.
"Can I get you a drink?" he asked.
"Apple Martini, please." She smiled, batting her long lushious eyelashes.
LaFavre was amazed he even noticed the lashes, much less the soft blue eyes, but of course that didn't last long as his eyes dipped back down. "They real?"
"Excuse me?"
LaFavre glanced at his watch. "Um, sorry, gotta run." he tossed a few bills on the counter, then split. Pepper was right, he was hopless.
Well, I had also written an epic comment, best comment ever written in the history of all comments I tell you, but then Blogger had to have its 100,000-word oil change and it was all lost. So sad. No way am I going to re-write the entire thing. Ok, stop cheering. Short version:
SDCB: Anything that causes pain is BAD, get rid of it. A few gaps in the dentifrice will add to the whole pirate image we're helping you develop. It's all about the attitude, dear.
CG: Sympathies on the DD flying but, as others have said, it's probably a VERY safe time to fly just now. Please let us know when they land safely?
The rest of you: Do none of you have day jobs? Trying to set a new weekday record for comments? And what is this about wrecking a train? I think MCB and I have enough trouble with cars and don't need to be derailing trains. And we would have found Canada just fine, FINE I tell you, if we hadn't been forced to stick to the back roads (where there are no bridges to Canada, thank you) because of MCB attracting undue attention.
Didn't we agree (with great reluctance) to keep our hands off LeFevre? Seems Bob maybe wasn't done with him yet. I know, I know, Bob already thinks we have no integrity, but we should try to keep a promise or two once in a while. Throws him off guard. Of course, now even Louis is writing, so we might have to break that promise, because this is too good to pass up.
Thoughts on prolonging the blog: How can anyone put down a really good book before reading the ending? And the blog is like the never ending story, only without the flying dog (do I have the right movie?). Really, I'm sure we could come up with a one-eyed flying dog if we had to. We'll just have to be extra-entertaining so J&B will want to keep reading. Of course, that assumes they think of us as entertaining. And not just a huge black hole emitting sucking, whooshing, complaining noises.
Speaking of which: Geez, J&B, how much time off do you need here? Jenny is now down to only THREE books, for cripes sake. How tough can that be? And Bob, really, no excuse buddy. You've probably written so far ahead in Agnes (without proper supervision, might I point out) that Jenny will be coming after you as soon as she's done twitching and sobbing (which she does adorably, BTW). Go ahead and post your grocery list, if you can't manage to write anything creative. We don't care. As someone once advised:
2. Just write anyway. It might be awful, but at least you’re left with something other than a blank page. You’ll be surprised how little difference there is between what you write when you feel motivated and what you write when you’re discouraged. They both come from the same brain.
Oh geez! Now I remember. BOB wrote that. In his amazing Toolkit book. Of course, he's really good at not following his own advice (refer to the whole "do not hide in your room in Atlanta" thing).
Did I say this was going to be the short version?
bw
Bob and Jenny e-mails
Jenny: Bob, you there?
Bob: Nope.
Jenny: You need to blog.
Bob: Huh?
Jenny: The children, they are getting out of hand again. You need to rant about something and give them something constructive to talk about.
Bob: We have children?
Jenny: How many times do I have to explain this to you? I'm writing like four books, go rant about whatever and take care of the children. They are messing with Pepper again.
Bob: On it.
Okay, so, Bob - Blog!
Maybe we can draft "Jupitor" from "The Cinderella Deal"...He's a one eyed dog adopted by Daisy...
rgemm blur
Robert gets easy memories, maybe
I think the emails are going like this
Jenny- Bob, blog
Bob- I did
Jenny- That was last Friday. It's been a week. I'm busy.
Bob- Are you saying I'm not?
Jenny- Excuse me, working on 4 books and 2 essays here.
Bob- Forget the others, work on Agnes
Jenny- I AM WORKING ON AGNES Blog
Bob- I will.
Jenny- When
Bob- Later
blue dachmo dauchshund mole cross
I was the kid always pestering G-ma to take her teeth out. “That’s so cool! Do it again.”
This cracks me up. Days ago we were all “Two blogs in two days. Wow that GAM.” Today it’s all, “Yo Bob, blog already, whydoncha.”
Put me in the love-to-hear-all-about-CBs group. Y’all are a bunch of amazingly brilliant and talented people, and the more I know, the more I appreciate having found you.
OH & Jen-T: Proud? Yeah, but I'm no hard-luck story. My parents support me in the ways that matter. They just could never provide finances for certain things, so I do it myself. Just another story of determination. (BTW: They married at 18 and had four kids by 23. They did amazing with what they had and will be celebrating 30-yrs of marriage next year. They have hero status in my book.)
Traveling. LOVE IT. Mostly I go to BC and AZ to visit my brothers or go up north, (Is “going up north” a MN thing, BCB?) but when I finish my grad work, my reward is a trip to Ireland.
oviuumm- wasn't this the latin/egg thing we were talking about?
*psss, Bob? Bob? BOB WILL YOU FOR THE LOVE OF GOD BLOG?*
(well, that quiet voice wasn't working)
JJ said "I'm letting my hero get laid, that will make him happy, then he can grow and change. I guess in that order."
LMAO.
btuda: my first experience with Chucky was when i was four or so, in NY, in the basement of my aunt's place, where all her mannequins and boxes were, with the lights out. you think that would have screwed me up for life but i don't find scary movies scary very often. really takes a good one to freak me out now, and there are few good ones out there.
actually, i was a very weird child. loved blood and guts. when my dad had surgery i was in charge of changing his bandages daily because no one else could handle it. i think i was six at the time. the grandma's teeth didn't freak me out- almost gave my brother a heart attack though.
JJ: and about the age thing. 50 is the new 40 in '06. your mother's 50 is way different from your 50 and will be way different from my 50.
CG: is your DD flying right out again or is she doing the exchange thing also? and were does the annoying twit (aka exchange student) live?
and your DD will be fine on the plane. you don't have to worry on German flights.
lori: always wanted to go to Ireland. it's on my travel list. (and boy, is that a long list). i figured my soonest chance to go to another country besides Mexico is with birth-rite (for those who don't know if you're Jewish you get a free trip to Israel if your between the ages of 18 and 25/or/27) but with the newest happening that trip is looking like a no possibility. (my mom would kill me if i tried to go now. actually, don't even know if they are doing the trips right now). i guess i have to wait till my godfather moves back to Canada. (actually, want to do a trip through Canada during one of my summers- i'll stop by and see all the Canadian CBs, of course, and any really northern U.S. ones).
geez, this thing is long. oh well.
Scope Dope, my German e-friend is called Lore (pronounced more or less like Laura, but with a schwa for the final A)--I think it's a very pretty name. Or how about Lorelei? (I think hers is actually some form of Eleanor, but she only uses Lore.)
Jen-t: it really is your husband's fault you had a daughter. It's the sperm that determines gender, not the ovum.
rss wrote: blue dachmo dauchshund mole cross I'm not sure how that mating came about, but damn right the mole was cross!
As for the story, obviously we need to start over:
Once upon a time there was a beautiful young girl, whose only flaw was that she was born with orange hands. Because of this she was shunned by her family and friends and had to go and work as an underpaid servant for a cruel and wicked Mole. She slaved all day and cried herself to sleep at night, wishing that something would happen to change her horrible life.
And then one day....
hyqma -- Have you quit mucking about?
lori asked: Is “going up north” a MN thing, BCB?
It is for me. My mom just recently went up north to visit [read: wisit] some relatives. Though I've never known anyone who went so far as to go "up north" into Canada. Up north was always northern MN. Always will be.
One of the (unintentionally) funniest newpaper headlines ever came from up north, and my grandma was the one who years ago clipped it and saved it. There are two very small towns up there: Climax and Fertile. My mom was born in that area, farm country, and I've been to both places many times.
Headline: Fertile Man Dies in Climax
The locals did not see the humour. Well, maybe they did. Hard to tell up north.
bw
OH sez: actually, i was a very weird child.
And you still are...
After all, look who you hang out with!
"Fertile man dies in Climax." Hah! Love it.
tal said "And then one day...
along came her ex-military scope dope heroine, who had her back and saved her from the WICKED MOLE person, who had made her slave away. Scope dope rode her off into the sunset promising better things in the cooler clime of Canada...a little further north than the small place aka MN. And Scope Dope takes another one for the team when she scrubs those hands and renames her friend Pink fingers, not to be confused with Pinky Finger, the killer. /,D
green ajdwki
Ah Jenny, Doherty was killing (the) intelligentsia. (and we have so few of us left.)
Jen-t said...
I'm letting my hero get laid, that will make him happy, then he can grow and change.
Is it just me, or does that sound suggestive to anyone else?
bcb, have you ever heard of Sabin, MN? My dad was from around there. Talk about small, you can just about find it on Yahoo maps at full zoom.
LaFavre:
LaFavre glanced at his watch. "Um, sorry, gotta run." he tossed a few bills on the counter, then split. Pepper was right, he was hopless.
He was out in the parking lot before he realized he'd escaped without drinking his beer. Checking his watch, he saw he was going to have a long wait for JT.
There was a blast of music as the door to Maraschino's opened behind him. Rene glanced over his shoulder and swore under his breath. It was the melons, uh, the babe from the bar. If JT doesn't get her PDQ, I'm a goner.
"Hey, Rene. Remember me?"
bvayy (blue)
Bob vented anger yeckily, yelling.
ctpwqcva (green)
Crusie totally pirouetted with quirky chefs very agilely.
But one day poor Pinkfingers awoke to find herself alone. Scope Dope Godmother had gone off in pursuit of a handsome Cajun pilot, leaving her goddaughter abandoned. Pinkfingers nee Orangehands began to cry again (this being her way of coping with any and all problems), when suddenly the Mole appeared and cried out...
urkrtpqm -- acronym for the secret government organization Shane works for
when suddenly the Mole appeared and cried out...
Geez, what are you whining about this time?
Pink fingers whine "Its COLD up here all the time and people go around being NICE all the time. Do you know how annoying that is?"
To which the Mole replied "yeah I guess that would get anybody down. All that 'niceness' in the air. I hear its contageous too. Before you know it, nobody remembers how to be snarky anymore. They're all too busy being friendly and saving dumb blondes who get themselves tied to railroad tracks and lay there yelling 'heyulp, heyulp' and waiting for some guy with a chin deformity to save them."
"Actually," replied Pink Fingers, "I think its lie."
"Lye?"
"No, lie ... L. I. E."
BOB FOR THE LOVE OF GOD POST SOMETHING!!!!! JENNY, ANYONE, PLEASE HELP!!!! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOB!
BCB: Fertile Man Dies in Climax. LMAO.
now, when i get back, we will be having a little discussion about this orange hands girl that bears no resemblence to me. must be a long lost sister or something.
50 may be the new 40, but because I too married in my thirties and am just now considering having my first child, I am completely scared to to death:
I will most likely have teenages and menopause at the same time.
My DH is already planning on building a bedroom in the garage.
hbcrqyf: However badly crafted, ridiculous quilts yowl, "Freak!"
Um, that was supposed to read, "teenagers."
Yikes. My mind is blown already. And twins run in both our families.
hqxqdufh: Hell-bent quints xerox quite deficiently until Father hollared.
btuda: it's not teenagers and menopause you need to worry about- after all, you guy can both just be nasty to each other. it's menopause and toddlers you have to worry about.
(maybe adopt?)
ALRIGHT. I'M GOING TO LET THAT STORY SLIDE BECAUSE BOB POSTED. THANK YOU BOB. BUT I'M WARNING YOU...
*sweeps up the dust on the altar*
BCB~ Thanks for confirming my suspicion about "up north." I'm pretty sure it only means Canda if you slip in through the Boundary Waters. Great headline. A bunch of my family is from Nimrod, MN. Some of them live up to the town name.
OH~ By the time I finish my masters, you may be done with yours too. (I’m currently on the seven-year plan…one down, six to go.) Maybe you could make Ireland your reward and we’ll bump into each other over there.
fkxiei- For kindness eXemplified in Emily. Impressive.
lori: that would be amazingly cool. actually, if i speed through it, we may be done at the same time. cool.
I can't believe I found this blog by googling "Mother Marian's kick spindle." But I've absotively bookmarked it. Wow.
hillbilleter
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