Some Inspiration for the Day

“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you better start running.”

African proverb

* I'm not entirely sure if I'm the Lion... or the Gazelle.... but I definitely feel like I've been running a hell of a lot lately.

Good grief, what are the young doing?

Taken from an article today:

"There has been a "disturbing" increase in STIs -- over the last 12 years, chlamydia and HIV are up 300 percent and syphilis 2,000 percent."

Is it me or is that just a frightening bit of news?

Are you Harry Potter?

Harry Potter 7 is sooooo close. I think I'm going to request a day off from work just so I can read it all night! I found this great little quiz and while there were quite a few questions, I'm pretty pleased with the results :)

You scored as Albus Dumbledore, You are Albus Dumbledore. Calm, perceptive, forgiving, and wise beyond your years. Albus Dumbledore 75% Harry Potter 75% Luna Lovegood 66% Hermione Granger 66% Remus Lupin 63% Bellatrix Lestrange 59% Oliver Wood 59% Neville Longbottom 56% Lord Voldemort 50% Sirius Black 47% Severus Snape 41% Percy Weasley 41% Draco Malfoy 41% Ron Weasley 28% Harry Potter Character Combatibility Test created with QuizFarm.com

May the longest day of the year be one of your best!

Welcome summertime!

Today is officially summer and it's the longest day of the year. What will you be doing today?

Me... I'll be working, but this afternoon, if it's not raining golf ball sized hail again, my family and I will go for a nice long bike ride!

Hidden Treasures Reading List V.01

If you don't know what this is for, just look at the post on Reading Contest! Or, head over to West of Mars for more information!

Hidden Treasures Reading List:


Henry Miller - The Smile at the Foot of the Ladder
Karel Capek - Absolute at Large
Albert Cossery - Proud Beggars
Harold Maine - If a Man be Mad
Andre Breton - Mad Love
Henry Martin - The Mad Days of Me: Escaping Barcelona
Donald E. Westlake - The Dortumunder series (What's So Funny? the last book
was released in April I think)

Richard Stark (Westlake's pen name) -- The Parker series (Ask the Parrot, the
last book was released late last year)

Beauty by Robin McKinley
The Restorer by Sharon Hinck

The Rise of the Dibor by Christopher Hopper

Whiskey Sour by JA Konrath

The Naming by Alison Croggon

Isle of Swords by Wayne Thomas Batson
Miss Lonelyhearts - Nathaniel West
Angels - Denis Johnson (not as beloved on my part as "Jesus' Son," but still pretty damn good. I also recommend his collected poems, "The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nation's Millennium General Assembly"
Beneath the Underdog -- autobiography of Charles Mingus
The Sound & The Fury and As I Lay Dying (have these ever made a bestseller's list? In a perfect world, yes, but otherwise I doubt it).
Wide Sargasso Sea -- Jean Rhys (I'd also recommend her other novels. Depressing as hell, but damn good reads ... especially if you're depressed!)
All I know of love - Katie Schneider
Stigmata: A Novel - Phyllis Alesia Perry
Zahrah the Windseeker - Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu
The Passion of Mary Magdalen and Magdalen Rising by Elizabeth Cunningham
Speak Right On: Dred Scott A Novel by Mary E. Neighbour

Virginia Fellows book The Shakespeare Code (historical fiction)
Amy Lignor book The Heart of a Legend (historical fiction)
Pam Jenoff book The Kommandant's Girl (historical fiction)
Amy Lignor book Mind Made (science fiction)
Hepler & Barkely book The Dream Factory (young adult)
The Right Thing by James Richard Larson



Contributors: Jennifer Estep, Henry Martin, Wayne Thomas Batson, Steven Lee Beeber, Karen Morse, Sabrina Williams, Amy Lignor



Hidden Treasures Prize List:
A signed Hardcover of Henry Martin's Mad Days of Me
A signed trade paperback of Jennifer Estep's Karma Girl
A signed copy of Isle of Swords, by Wayne Batson
Three copies of Mind Made and two copies of Heart of a Legend, all by Amy Lignor
A copy of the hard-to-find (a true treasure!) book, The Cobra & The Concubine, by Bonnie Vanak
An autographed copy of Cut to the Bone, along with some autographed bookmarks, from Shane Gericke

In the land of bumper stickers

I enjoy reading some of the bumper stickers that people have on their cars. I don't have any, I just don't like the cluttered look. I've seen some that were silly, some that were naughty, some that were plain and some that were odd.

We've all seen the honor roll ones... and the proud to be an American ones... but on my way into work this morning I saw one that said, "Proud to be a Union Sprinkler Fitter". Now, no offense to the unionized sprinkler fitters out there.... but is that really the bumper sticker you want to go with on your car?

Summer Reading Contest!

I know. I know. Where have I been? I've just been taking a break, that's all. :)

But this contest will be lots of fun!

It's time for the West of Mars, Breeni Books, Morsie Reads, Eclectic Closet, Writing Aspirations Summer Reading Contest!

The rules are simple:

1. Find a book that's a Hidden Treasure. That means a book that hasn't made it to a best-seller list anywhere that you can find. A suggested reading list is available at WestofMars.com. Feel free to find your own treasure, though.

2. The book MUST be from a royalty-paying publisher. If in doubt, ask.

3. Read it.

4. Post a review somewhere on the Internet between July 15 and August 15.

5. Sign the Mr. Linky at West of Mars. Include the permalink for your review. (yeah, that link brings you back here.)

6. Yes, you can use a Hidden Treasure book that fulfills another contest or reading challenge.

7. Yes, you can review more than one book.

8. If, for some reason, you don't want to win a prize, let Susan know.

9. If you have suggestions for the Hidden Treasures Suggested Reading List, or a prize for the winners, drop Susan an e-mail. You can also contact Janelle; she's giving me a LOT of help (so be sure to surf over and thank her).

10. Prizes will be awarded August 20. Winners will be contacted and winning list will be posted no later than 22 August; be sure to have a way for us to contact you!


So, there you go. Got a prize to offer? Got a favorite book that you want more people to know about?

Leave a comment or e-mail me. I'm a bit slow lately, but I'm still here.

Kudos to friends for helping spread the word: Nimrodiel,

When your muse has gone

I've been away for some time it feels like, even though I've been home. I just haven't spent much time on my blogging. I think that getting away from it for a while made me realize that sometimes I just spend too much time on it. So, I've enjoyed some time away from the computer. Though, two things have happened... one, I feel a little guilty! two, my creativity has taken a huge dive. It's amazing the difference I've noticed in the last couple of weeks. I've not read any books, not used my creative mental prowess and today I sat down to come up with something creative and struggled! Therefore, I conclude that blogging is quite good for my creativity!

Poetry Train Monday:

What do you do,
when your muse is gone?

Perhaps you sit and watch the dawn?

If scenic dazzle bears no strength,
perhaps a massage of great length?

If touchy feely isn't your thing,
perhaps you tie on your apron strings?

If a chef, you are not,
perhaps you lace up and go for a trot?

Or, are you like me,
and be quite lazy.