Hard at Work on The Book

I've got a lot on my plate right now, so won't be posting here much. Those of you who care to keep in touch, can email me or pick up the phone.

David Cook's Wearing Eyeliner

and releasing his new single. I'm cool with a guy being in touch with his girly side, but David's Freddy Mercury-The Tudors-George Michael vibe is sort of creeping me out.

If you can get past the new look, check it out the tune here: PopEater

Love it? Hate it? Indifferent to it? I think it's catchy, but very predictably "poppy". My rocker friends are gonna hate it.

WiFi Booster Pasta Strainer

Check out Instructables directions to turn a WiFi thumbdrive and a pasta strainer into a WiFi signal grabbing machine.

Disney, For Free!

The happiest place on earth just got a little happier.

Disney World (in Florida) and Disney Land (in California) are offering free admission on your birthday, starting in 2009.

Click here for details.

Camping With (Strange) People Sucks

I enjoy camping (doesn't this picture capture how amazing it can be -just you and the wilderness?). Unfortunately, this kind of camping is rare. Being a suburban, city girl, my camping trips are usually far too brief to bring me this sort of remote solitude. I'm lucky enough to have a state park not too far away that offers walk-in sites (away from the typical trailer park, "ring" type of camping where sites are crammed so close together you feel like you are at a tailgate party).

This weekend, I arrived to find the walk-in sites muddy and uninhabitable due to the recent flooding rains, so picked a site in the ring, as far from anyone else as I could get. Problem is, you just can't get far enough away in the camping ring. By day two, the noisiest family in the entire world had moved in smack next door (separated by a thin row of scrubby bush.) You know these people, the ones who talk as loudly as they can, with four kids who seem to have been raised in the wild until this family found them wandering the woods and decided to take them camping. The people who pee all over the outdoor toilet (so you can't use it for the rest of the weekend), who use flashlights wherever they go. These people blast music (something like house music with a beat that never ends in songs that go on for half an hour), and wake at 5am, fighting loudly. They have a grill on their picnic table and a fire in the ring and dump gasoline on both so you spend each night white knuckled waiting for one of the wild bunch to burst into flames or set fire to the forest. Fun, fun, fun. Not so much.

So, that was my camping trip, but the cool thing is that we had a good time despite the neighbors from hell. We spent an amazing day hiking the entire trail system of the park, canoeing the river, cooking over an open fire (some of the best food is made this way) and star gazing at the local student-run observatory (the most amazing star gazing ever - Jupiter, the harvest moon, M13, and the Andromeda galaxy were the highlights). Addi was in heaven and at the end of it all, so were we.

Sadly, the Governor of Illinois isn't a camper, so is trying to shut down this State park along with several others (threatening the economy of many towns and robbing the people of Chicago of places to camp that don't take days to get to). I signed a petition today to help try and stop him, and am keeping my fingers crossed that these places survive, rings and all.

To sign the petition to keep our parks open, visit http://standingupforillinois.org/saveourparks/

Heroes is Back Tonight!

I don't care what anybody says, I love this show. Critics didn't like season 2 , but I usually don't listen to them (good thing, or I'd have missed one of the most compelling adventure shows on TV). Some don't like not knowing what's going on half the time, but I enjoy the mystery of it all. Watching Heroes is like reading a good adventure novel - you don't figure most of it out until the end and half the fun is trying to piece together the clues. It's like Lost in that way (another favorite show).

So, if you are a fan of adventure, mystery, and continuing story-lines, check out the season 3 premiere tonight.

Madonna Falls on Her Ass

I'd turn the sound down here (trust me).

Sun Dried Tomato Crostini

I am a huge fan of crostini as appetizers - they are easy to make, wow guests and pack a ton of flavor into a handy, portable little morsel you can easily munch while quaffing your favorite cocktail.

My latest yummy creation is the sun dried tomato crostini. Here's the recipe:

Sun Dried Tomato Crostini

Ingredients:
1 baguette loaf
2 ounces olive oil
4 ounces fontinella cheese, sliced thin
5 sun dried tomatoes, finely minced (to make your own, follow my recipe...filed under recipes)
Big bunch of fresh basil

Directions:
Turn on your oven’s broiler.

Slice baguette into ½ inch slices (cut on the diagonal; it’s just prettier), brush both sides of the slices with olive oil and place on a baking sheet (to save even more time, spray the bread slices instead with a spritz of olive oil spray – a new staple in my kitchen). Put the filled baking sheet under the broiler and toast both sides (watch them the whole time; they are done in a matter of seconds). You can make them ahead of time if you like, cooling them and storing in a zip lock bag until you are ready to use them.

Turn the oven down to 425 degrees. Layer fontinella cheese slices atop toasted bread slices and add a dollop of sun dried tomato. Top with a basil leaf). Bake until the cheese just melts (about 6 minutes).

Place appetizers on a serving plate and get ready for the compliments. These are decadently good

Dove Gets it Right

I am impressed with Dove's new attitude, though having worked for a major beauty product company - in product development - the cynic in me suspects their campaigns are more clever marketing than a true desire to help women everywhere feel better about themselves. Still, keep up the good work, Dove peeps.

Back in Skinny Jeans

Nifty blog alert - Back in Skinny Jeans is a blog about what you'd expect (getting back in those dream jeans), but offers so much more than "diet" advice. There are great sections on food (reviews, ideas, restaurants) and tons of motivational tidbits like the one featured today (a quote from Maya Angelou).

I like the blogger's attitude. Some of my favorite posts are 10 Reasons to Let go of Your Skinny Jeans, The mock book (that she should really write) Skinny Ass, and most of her Noshtopia posts.

My only issue with the website is that it doesn't fit neatly on my screen (so you have to scroll back and forth to see the entire page...irritating, though it spares you looking at all the advertising on the right, so not all that bad).

Ho-Heels For Tots or Oh-So-Cute Baby Wear?

I wish more of you commented here (love the emails though...keep them coming!), cuz I am dying to know what other moms think about these new baby high heels.

Check out the zebra ones -


Ho-heels or oh-so-cute? I have friends who'd love them (but these chicks still dress like it's the 80's and we're heading to a Motley Crue concert).

Bobbi Thomas said on the Today show, "“Little girls can get a jump start on their strut and be top-models-in-training before they leave the crib.” Why don't you set her up with thong baring jeans and hang a darling little silver spoon around her neck too? Then she can get a head start on being the next Britney, Lindsay or Miley.

To be fair, I'll add that the heels are totally soft and the shoes only made for babies under six years old (so no one's going to be walking anywhere in them). Still, they squick me out.

Nightmare Revisted

Just in time for Halloween (or Christmas, if you are one of those early shoppers) the Nightmare Revisited CD features all new recordings of cult classic tunes from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Songs are covered by a diverse group of artists from different music genres. My favs are Amy Lee, Flyleaf, Korn and Marilyn Manson, but I am sure you will find something to love too.

Is That a Hawk or Are You Just Happy to See me?

Check out Smart Bitches, Trashy Books link to an amusing and perplexing ad campaign just launched by Airborne (an immune system booster) or just click here and select "Who's Sebastian" to watch the funny video. Click "See where Sebastian is" for more laughs.

Imagine Your Bully is Gone

I love it when my horoscope mirrors what's occupying my thoughts (not that I believe in that sort of thing), and today's was a zinger - Your creativity will enable you to craft some transformations for the things or people in your life that make you unhappy. You can create self-fulfilling prophecies. Annoyed with a bully? Imagine them gone, and they will be.

See, recently, I said goodbye to some people whose shenanigans I'd had just about enough of. Ever since, I've been blissfully drama free. In fact, cutting loose baggage-heavy people is something I highly recommend, especially if they have hidden away in their luggage anything like psychosis, narcissism, or addictions they refuse to face. You might love them, but you'll love them even more when they are not hassling you. Trust me.

Despite my best efforts to set my people free, I've got a stalker who won't do the things she must to carry on normal, healthy relationships in my world. We don't talk (which is sad, and something I hope changes someday) but she won't quite go away. Aside from annoying hang-up-no-talking calls, she's taken to visiting my websites with OCD-like frequency, trying to "mask" her identity with some sort of proxy program. I'm not saying how I know this, because somehow it comforts me to know that, while she may be crazy as a bed-bug, at least I can keep an eye on her.

My husband suggested writing a story about her and I have actually toyed with the idea, but unless I write something true to the horrific events that actually took place, I'd feel dirty making up fiction about her. But, perhaps I can "craft some transformations for the things or people in my life that make me unhappy" by posting this. Just a suggestion, stalker-get your shit together, grow up, and give me a call. This whole phone calling, weird Internet stalking thing is just creepy.

I like the simplicity of today's horoscope...imagine them gone, and they will be. Today I spent the day at peace with myself, doing the things I love to do, surrounded by amazing people who I adore, and cherish, and you know what? The "bully" disappeared.

It's The Great Pumpkin, Bart Simpson!

This year's The Simpsons Halloween episode will parody It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

"I'm really excited that we finally got to parody It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," show producer, Al Jean said. "The Great Pumpkin comes to life and is so upset about the way people treat pumpkins that he goes around trying to kill everybody."

The animators have adapted familiar characters into versions of the Peanuts gang. "Bart's like Charlie Brown. Milhouse is like Linus. Lisa's like Sally. We did the backgrounds in a similar style. We actually were able to clear the Vince Guaraldi music, which, of course, is like hardwired into everybody's DNA from childhood."

I love it when things I love come together and though I've found The Simpsons to be on-again-off-again in the funny department for the last few seasons, I've always had a soft spot for the Halloween episodes. This one should be amazing. It airs Nov. 2.

Rumor has it that next year they are doing a parody of 28 Days Later. As Bart would say, bitchin'.

Just Vote

I am getting sick of all the political talk. Not that I have anything against intelligent discussions about politics. But, seriously, what I read and hear in the media, and on blogs, is nothing but a bunch of ignorant mudslinging coming from all sides.

Do I have an opinion on who's better suited to be our President? Sure I do. Will I ever inflict it upon you? No. So, there's my promise to you, dear reader - a politics and drama free zone.

The best place to exercise your opinion is in a voting booth, so get out there and vote when the time comes. Until then, spare us your opinion ('cuz you know what they say about opinions. If
you don't, look it up and shut the hell up.)

New Bond Preview Trailer

The movie comes out November 14th, and I can't wait. I love me some Bond action. This new trailer is not bad but I wonder if the marketing people realize that women are into Bond too. I noticed a sad lack of Daniel Craig skin in both preview trailers (which seemed to highlight more guy-appealing action). Come on, people...give us what we want - as much of Daniel Craig's bare bod as allowable by the dreaded MPAA ratings people.

Fun With Playdough

Homemade playdough is cheap, non-toxic and lasts a long time! It's easy to make and even more fun to play with.

Here's how to make it:

Ingredients:
3 cups flour, sifted

1 1/2 cups salt

6 teaspoons cream of tartar

3 1/4 cups boiling water

3 tablespoons oil food coloring (the gel is best) OR to flavor and color, use Koolaid. It comes in nifty colors and kids will love using it.

Process:
Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a large heat-proof bowl until lump free. Whisk in the wet ingredients (except for the food coloring) and stir until smooth and the dough forms. Separate into several portions and add the food coloring of your choice, kneading until the dough is uniform in color. Store in airtight containers.

Add glitter to make it sparkly, or essential oils to make it smell nice. Have fun with it!

JetBlue Does Ebay

For a limited time, JetBlue is holding no reserve auctions of flights and vacation packages. They offer leather seats with more legroom, 36 channels of DIRECTV®, 100 + channels of XM Radio®, all the brand name snacks you can eat, and Dunkin' Donuts coffee – all for no extra charge (they had me more legroom).

Current sample auctions include two round trip tickets from Chicago to New York for only $179, and a mystery vacation (includes air and 4-star hotel accommodations) for two to a popular "leisure" destination via NY's JFK for $1,050.

Last FM Rocks

Last.fm is an online "radio station" that plays what you want to hear. Like many sites like this, over time it learns what you love and hate and designs play lists you'll groove to. What's unique about Last.fm is that you can select from a large catalog of favorite songs and play them on demand (unlike other stations that only play what they want to play, when they want to play it, based on your "likes"). So, if you want to hear Jack Johnson and ONLY Jack Johnson, you can go to his artist page at Last.fm and play full tracks. The downside? Some artists don't allow that sort of freedom so limit the full tracks available for play on demand.

Last.fm also connects you to other people who like what you like so they can recommend songs from their music collections. When you recommend music to a friend, or you tag it, or you write about it, or even just listening to it, you shift the song's importance on the site. It'll be recommended to different people, because you've listened to it and it'll move up their charts and maybe more people will hear it because you thought it was good.

Pretty cool.

Sex For Money?

Never. But, apparently, I will erotica for CDs.

Recently, I sold a story and wasn't paid. I chalked it up to hard times in the publishing business and forgot about it. The other day, I was pleasantly surprised to get a money order in the mail along with an emailed Amazon gift certificate (the publisher's "apology" for being so late with payment).

I bought music with the surprise and realized again why buying music from Amazon is so cool - they ship right away (I hate waiting for gratification), the shipping was free (I spent $25 of my gift certificate to qualify), I don't have to fight the traffic to get to my local (high priced) retail outlet, the CDs come (and this is the best part) free of all that irritating security crap and labels that you need a blowtorch to remove (I just pulled a cute little tab and voila...my CD).

Who's Rating Things at The MPAA?

OK. So the movie poster in my previous post is just too much for us to handle (so has been banned in America), but this trailer (for the same movie, Zack and Miri Make a Porno) is totally cool to play for audiences who are over 17? Too funny! NOTE - Unless you work someplace really cool, I'd wait until you get home to watch this.

More Censorship in America

Apparently, this image is just too much for Americans to handle. The poster has been banned for US consumption by our friends at the MPAA.

Even after winning an appeal that overturned Porno's NC-17 rating, Smith says the MPAA won't give their blessing to the image shown here (which will be used in Canada).

"When you've got the word 'porno' in the title, naturally, the marketing materials are gonna be scrutinized more closely by the MPAA," says the director. "I understand they've got a job to do, but c'mon...this image isn't that dirty; they're both fully clad. I've always loved Canada and Canadians for giving us hockey," says Smith. "Now, I love 'em just a little bit more. For allowing tufts of hair."

Hypeful - Free Music

If you are a closet Madonna and Prince fan (the way I am), then you're going to love this.

To help celebrate Madonna and Prince's 50th birthdays, Hypeful has assembled 50 cover songs for each artist to share with you (for free). Nifty.

Favorites? The Foo Fighters doing a mean version of Prince's Darling Nikki. Sonic Youth's trippy Get Into The Groove. Nothing Compares 2U by both Stereophonics and Ben Taylor (call me sappy, but I love this song). It's like Total Eclipse of the Heart - I don't want to like it, but I do.

There are also 50 Michael Jackson tunes too, but I'll forgive them since they included Chris Cornell and David Cook's versions of Billie Jean among the offerings. If you haven't heard those, you have to stop whatever you are doing right NOW and give them a listen. Michael Jackson's version sucked ass, but listening to the rocker dudes do them gives me chills no matter how many times I listen.

(Easy) Sun-Dried Tomatoes

My garden was very fruitful this year, and I have more tomatoes than I know what to do with.

I could peel, seed, chop and freeze, or make more roasted sauce, soup, marinara sauce or even pizza sauce, but some days I just feel too lazy to do any of that.

Nothing is easier than making your own sun dried tomatoes and if you've priced them lately, you know you'll save a bundle doing it yourself too.

Here's how:

"Sun Dried" Tomatoes

Heat oven to 200 degrees.

Line as many cookie sheets as you can fit in your oven with foil (for easy clean up). Spray foil with non-stick spray.

Cut tomatoes in half (after washing them). Romas are best for this. Cut them from stem to bottom, the long way.

Place on prepared cookie sheets (cram them in, as many as will fit, side by side, skin side down).

Pop them in the oven for 10-12 hours and bingo..."sun dried" tomatoes.

After they cool, you can store them in freezer bags (they keep for months in the freezer or about two weeks in the fridge) OR pack them into jars filled with olive oil to keep in the fridge even longer. If you want to get fancy, you can add basil, oregano (any fresh herbs will do) or garlic to the jars too. These make great gifts.

Asshat of The Day - Gary Neuman

Gary Neuman, an American psychotherapist (featured on Oprah, which again has me wondering why so many people buy into her recommendations about anything), has angered many women by claiming it's all their fault if their man cheats.

In his book, "The Truth About Cheating" (written after interviewing a whopping "almost" 100 men), Neuman says women can prevent a man's cheating by always forgiving him; giving him sex on demand; lavishing praise on him for providing for the family, even if earning more than him; rarely letting him out on his own with friends or work colleagues; and taking an interest in his hobbies.

"If a husband has already cheated, his wife's role is to recognize that she needs to change," says Neuman. "Men will eventually find their way into the arms of another if they are not getting enough sex at home. Sex for men is the equivalent of the loving comment and thoughtful gesture for the woman. In short, when you give what your husband wants, he'll give a great deal back to you."

Normally, I'd add my own take on things, but I really think the facts here speak for themselves.

Asshat=Gary Neuman.