On Vacation.

Bye-bye bloggies!
I'm on vacation until July 8th. That means NO internet.
*fighting anxiety attack*

Go buy (or reread) Destiny by Design while I'm gone ;)

Here's a peek at where I'll be, sans the fall foliage of course:

Cheers,
Wylie

Eight Things Meme

I got tagged by Joy for the Eight Things meme and because I'm in a hurry (getting ready for vacay and have a ton of laundry/packing to do), here's the condensed no-rules version. I hope you'll pardon my half-ass attempt...

1. I have a tattoo -- a little Canadian flag where the general public can't see it. I tell my kids it's my 'Made in Canada' stamp and they don't have one because they were born in Bermuda.
2. I was adopted by my family when I was 6 months old.
3. My blood heritage is English and Sioux, but my adopted family is Ukrainian/Polish. When asked, I say I'm a Uke cause they have the best food ;) Mmmmm, perogies. And I can swear in Ukrainian.
   
4. I didn't learn to snap my fingers until I was 22. Just couldn't get the hang of it.
5. Took me EIGHT years to get my SCUBA certification. I'm so claustrophobic and prone to anxiety attacks ('specially when you mess with my air) that it took THAT long and an excellent teacher who didn't take any crap from me to finally get it done. And I absolutely love it.
6. Then, cocky bugger that I am, I did a shark dive in the Bahamas. Coolest experience EVER.
   
7. If I could live any other place in the world, I'd choose Italy.
8. My old boyfriend professed his love for me while we were 'parking' *wink-wink* in a car that he borrowed from his buddy - a guy I'd never met. That 'buddy' later became my husband.
   

Everyone I know has done this already so I can't tag anyone... Boo hoo.

Thursday Thirteen #23

Continuing my Salute to Canada in honor of Canada Day, July 1st

THIRTEEN CANADIAN ACTORS

Oh sure, everybody knows Pamela Anderson, William Shatner, Jim Carrey and Mike Myers, but did you know THESE thirteen were born under the Maple Leaf?

1. Dan Acyroyd - SNL, The Blues Brothers
2. Conrad Bain - Mr. Drummond from Diff'rent Strokes
3. Raymond Burr - Ironside, Perry Mason
4. Kim Cattrall - Sex & the City
5. James Doohan - Star Trek
6. Matt Frewer - Max Headroom, Star Trek: NG
7. Joshua Jackson - Dawson's Creek
8. Matthew Perry - Friends
9. Jennifer & Meg Tilly - Sultry Jennifer is the better known sister, appearing in Bound, Bride of Chucky and Liar Liar. Meg, who left acting behind for a writing career (yeah, Meg!), is best known for her role in The Big Chill.
10. Christopher Plummer - this icon has been in more than 150 movies, but he'll always be known as Captain von Trapp from the Sound of Music
11. Jason Priestly - 90210
12. Keanu Reeves - Speed, Matrix
13. Shannon Tweed - can be seen weekly on Gene Simmons Family Jewels, but starred in quite a few erotic thrillers during and after her Playmate days.

I admit to not knowing 8 of them were Canucks. Did any surprise you?

Is Goddess a sexist term?

Between 'actual writing' (yes, I've got some going on - finally!) and my visiting sister-in-law, there's not to much time to write meaty blogs -- so I give you yet another fun quiz:

You Are Psyche!

Eternally in search of purpose and insight. You're curious and creative with a total sense of wonder. Totally empathetic, you pick up on other's moods easily. Just be sure to pamper yourself as well!

What Goddess Are You?

Tagged by TL: Birthday meme

My friend Thomma Lyn tagged me for the Birthday Meme.Here are the rules: You go to http://www.wikipedia.org/ and type in your birthday (only month & day). Then you write down 3 events, 2 births, 1 holiday, and then you tag 5 friends.

My birthday is December 2.

Three Events:

1804 - At Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself Emperor of the French, the first French Emperor in a thousand years.

1939 - New York City's La Guardia Airport opens.

2001 - Enron files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

(I'm cheating, but it would be remiss of me not to mention Castro's taking power in Cuba in 1976, and the 1988 swearing in of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan, as the first woman leader of a Islam-dominated state.)

Two Births:

1859 - Georges Seurat, French painter (d. 1891)

1946 - Gianni Versace, Italian fashion designer (d. 1997)

One Holiday:

United Arab Emirates - National Day (independence from Britain, 1971)


And I'll tag:

Red Garnier, The Goddess Rhian, SHG, Sparky Duck and Leah

Life is Good!

Theived this cool little quiz from Sparky Duck. Try it!

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	8.1
Mind:	6.5
Body:	6.1
Spirit:	6.5
Friends/Family:	7.5
Love:	7.3
Finance:	8.5
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

I'm too old for this...

I've been in a blogging slump all week. Struggling for topics, and time... (always time!) My current time-suck is exercise. (Because God-forbid I should actually make time to write).

The gym beckoned -- actually, it dragged me back into its sweaty clutches kicking and screaming -- but for the sake of my overall health and well being, I desperately needed to get back into some sort of exercise routine. Two weeks in and I'm feeling it.
Oh, not the good-to-be-alive, energy-abound kind of feeling it. Not even the I-worked-so-hard-for-this-satisfying-muscle-ache kind of feeling. I'm talking about the achy joints that have left me limping and popping Advil every 8 hours just to negotiate the stairs at home sort of hurting. This can't be good. I'm only 40!

I pretty much go through life tired. Whether it's the restless kiddies (one or both) or me just having a crap night, I never seem to achieve the Golden 8. More like the Ravaged 5. So going to the gym, mustering the energy needed to pack the bag (hey - it requires BENDING DOWN!) and squeeze my generous ass into workout clothes -- it all takes a certain amount of 'enthusiasm'.
Last week, not wanting to give up after one session, I decided to rely on a little help from my friend Mr. Bull. I just call him Red. BEST WORKOUT I'VE EVER HAD! I was cranking so fast on the bike, the resistance wheel couldn't keep up to me. While Fall Out Boy pounded in my ears, my heart pounded against my chest wall at 153 bpm (that's good, right?) I cranked that puppy for 30 minutes - until my legs began to shake (refer to knee joint probs above) - but it wasn't enough. Time for weights.
I was going to head for the machines - but decided I needed some 'real weights' so headed to the tough-girl area. I passed over the wussy 2, 3, and 5 lbs weights (some skinny chick in short-shorts and a tank were pumping those... puh-lease!) and chose some 10 pounders.
Bicep curl, extend into shoulder press.... Ouch - my left arm is seriously weaker than my right. I need to work on that. And breathe, in-out, right arm up-down, left arm up-down, 12 reps. Left arm beginning to falter. Wipe sweat from brow on shoulder... return weird look from skinny chick in mirror. Breathe, grunt, and... REST. I squatted to put the weights down.
That's when I noticed that they were different in size. I'd had a 10 pounder in my right and a 15 pounder in my left. Ah.
How to make the exchange without earning a skinny-girl smirk...

Meh

I just don't feel like blogging...

and exhale...

Before I get into my own thrills, I just want to give a big old CONGRATS shout-out to Amy R for selling her first manuscript to Ellora's Cave.

~~ WOO HOO, AMY!! ~~

Ciar Cullen has reviewed Destiny by Design. Go, check it out. I'll wait...

And another review can be found at My Book Cravings.

Of course, it will only take one bad review to shatter my world (we authors are a sensitive bunch), but I do feel as if I can exhale now...

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to my darling husband (the BEST father a mother could wish), to my 'Dad' readers and to all the single moms who play both roles.

And if you've never read Post Secret, today is the day to do so...

The Sorting Hat

Someone (I can't remember who - sorry) posted a bunch of Harry Potter quizzes and because I have so much time on my hands *choke* I decided to give one a try.

The sorting hat says that I belong in Ravenclaw!

<

Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose intelligence is surest."

Ravenclaw students tend to be clever, witty, intelligent, and knowledgeable.
Notable residents include Cho Chang and Padma Patil (objects of Harry and Ron's affections), and Luna Lovegood (daughter of The Quibbler magazine's editor).

Take the most scientific Harry Potter
Quiz ever created.

Get Sorted Now!

VOTE Destiny by Design in FAVE SPRING EBOOK POLL - closes June 15th

Update - June 15th: Destiny by Design won!

Thanks very much for your votes ;)

Author Ciar Cullen is doing a "Fave Spring E-Book" poll and Destiny by Design has been nominated!
You can vote here: http://ciarcullen.blogspot.com/ if not for me, than for another of your faves. Please support E-books!!

~~ SCROLL DOWN FOR NEW POSTS ~~
this one gets top billing thru June 15th ;)

Thursday Thirteen #22 - Inventions

With Canada Day fast approaching (July 1st), I thought I'd post some Canadiana. Here are

Thirteen Canadian Inventions

1. Electric Light Bulb – Henry Woodward invented an electric light bulb in 1874 and sold the patent to Thomas Edison
2. Garbage Bag (polyethylene) – invented by Harry Wasylyk in 1950
3. Heart Pacemaker – invented by Dr. John A. Hopps in 1950
4. IMAX Movie System – co-invented in 1968 by Grahame Ferguson, Roman Kroitor and Robert Kerr
5. Jetliner – the first commercial jetliner to fly in North America was designed by James Floyd in 1949. The first test flight of the AVRO Jetliner was on August 10, 1949 (if you don’t know anything about the AVRO ARROW, I urge you to Google it. The story is nothing less than fascinating)
6. Plexiglas – polymerized methyl methacrylate was invented by William Chalmers in 1931
7. Portable Film Developing System – invented by Arthur Williams McCurdy in 1890, but he foolishly sold the patent to George Eastman in 1903 (d’oh)
8. Robertson Screw – (and the Robertson screwdriver!) was invented in 1908 by Peter L. (you guessed it) Robertson.
9. Snowmobile – invented by Joseph-Armand Bombardier in 1958
10. Television Camera – invented by F.C.P. Henroteau in 1934
11. Trivial Pursuit – invented in 1979 by Chris Haney and Scott Abbott
12. Walkie-Talkie – invented by Donald L. Hings in 1942
13. Zipper – invented by Gideon Sundback in 1913

I found so many interesting inventions made by Canadians - I had no idea - and it was very hard to narrow this list to a mere 13. If your interested in seeing more, go HERE.
The one that shocked me most was the lightbulb.
Which one surprised you?

Tagged by SusieJ - The FIVE meme

INSTRUCTIONS: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.

1. Inside Mo’s Mind
2. J’s Thoughts and Musings
3. TeaTime Ramblings
4. SusieJ
5. Wylie's Words
   

Next select five people to tag:

1. ThommaLyn
2. Susan Helen Gottfried
   
3. Leah Braehmel
   
4. Red Garnier
5. Amy Ruttan

Now for the hard part — the questions:

What were you doing 10 years ago?

1997 was full of excitement!! I was -

1. living in Bermuda and working as the Development Officer for the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo
2. married, no children
3. scuba diving! and other child-free pursuits
4. tromping through Europe
5. buying our first home together - an oceanfront condo (oh, the view!! - the photo to the left was taken from my bedroom window. If you squint, you can see Antarctica waaaaaay in the distance ;)

What were you doing 1 year ago?

1. painting our bathroom
2. plotting/writing Destiny By Design
3. busy doing 'class mom' stuff at my son's school
4. chasing my 2 yr old
5. looking forward to August release of Bella Fiore

Five snacks you enjoy:

Only 5?? ;(

1. bbq chips
2. popcorn
3. Ritz crackers smeared with Nutella
4. mandarin oranges and frozen grapes
   
5. rice crackers

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:

1. Think of Me, from Phantom of the Opera
2. All That Jazz, from Chicago
3. Birmingham by Amanda Marshall
4. Hotel California by the Eagles
5. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:

1. start a 'Good People' charitable foundation (I blogged about this here)
2. send all my family members on dream vacations
3. hire and cook and housekeeper
4. buy a cottage on a peaceful lake
5. donate generously to my five fave charities: Red Cross, Unicef, cancer, MS, Toronto's Sick Kids hospital

Five bad habits:

1. PROCRASTINATION
2. nail biting
3. going to bed WAY to late
4. finding excuses not to exercise
5. tuning out

Five things you like doing:

1. reading - specifically, discovering a new author and reading their entire back list
2. writing
3. meeting new people
4. hanging with hubby & kids
5. learning new things

Five things you would never wear again:

1. spandex
2. skinny leather neckties
3. headbands
4. glitter gel (anywhere)
5. feather earrings

Wasn't that fun?

Guest blogging - come visit!

I'm guest blogging over at Mandy Roth's today! Please stop by...

Random Bits, Overheard, Sopranos, THANKS!

First of all - THANK YOU so much to those who voted for my novella Destiny by Design in Ciar Cullen's "Fave Spring E-Book" poll. I can't believe I'm in the lead right now (WOOT!!!!) and even though my hubby keeps reminding me that there is no 'prize' (he knows my fondness for genuine gold plastic trophies), I keep reminding HIM that it's all about my ego... ;) And getting my name out, and selling books, that people actually like...
We're still days away from the closing - so if you haven't voted, go here:
http://ciarcullen.blogspot.com/2007/06/vote-now-favorite-spring-ebook.html

Overheard at the Kinson's breakfast table:
Me (upon seeing 3 year old swiping his sticky hands across his shirt): "Sweetness, stop wiping your hands on your shirt. That's what your napkin is for."
Sweetness (hand stilled, caught in the act): "I not wipe my hands, I feeling my heart beat." (pause) "Yep it's there."

Mortimer Tea Flash:
Thanks so much for your outpouring of kind words and virtual hugs. I still keep expecting a head bump or ankle rub,...

The Sopranos:
AWESOME finale. At first, I was like WTF? Did my cable go out????!!! But it really made sense. "Don't Stop Believing" was playing on the juke, Tony's family was around the table for a meal. The ramp up to the non-violent end had my heart pounding in anticipation of a possible hit (Meadow parking the car?? They suspicious dudes in the diner that weren't really suspicious expect in our minds???!!!!) Well done David Chase. Now Tony's arrest/death/rise to the top of NY gangs will forever be left to our imagination. You kept the gritty reality of the show REAL, 'cause life never has tidy endings and we really never get all the answers, do we?

Tagged: Recycle a Post

Thomma Lyn tagged me for a meme called Recycle a Post. The rules for the meme are simple: go through your archives and pick out a post that you want to share again. Don't just link to it, reproduce it in its entirety.
I trolled through my archives (man, I do go on, don't I) and found one that suits 'me' perfectly. It's not about writing, or reading, or family life at the Kinsons. No, this particular post that I wrote last November sums me up as the dizzy, over-analyzing, heathen I am:

Ahhh, the wonderful ritual of a Sunday. Get out of bed, make a large batch of fluffy pancakes and smother them in maple syrup (the real stuff, not the Aunt Jemima crap), take a long hot shower and dress in my Sunday finest. Then it's off to meet the rest of the devotees in the congregation.... at Costco.
Yes, some folk go to church on Sundays; I take my kids (in matching outfits) to retail heaven. It's our ritual and we love it.
Costco opens at 10am sharp and if you're not there on time, (with the goal of getting in and out in an hour) it becomes so swamped with the after-church crowd that heaven turns quickly into hell. One time I overslept and didn't make it to Costco until 11:30. I could barely move my cart, the free-sample ladies couldn't keep up with the demand so I had to forego the ethereal pleasure of tasting the feta & spinach sausage AND the freshly baked short breads, then I was faced with the 25 minute pergatory of a check-out line, with my two and six year old boys (which is its own special form of hell).
So yesterday, with my visiting in-laws in tow, (I had been urging them to get dressed since 9am lest we arrive late and miss the sermon, *ahem*, samples), I made the weekly jaunt with mile long shopping list and applicable coupons. Headed straight to the office supply aisle for batteries (48 Kirkland double A's only $16.00!!!) and noticed an item that caught my eye; an 'OPEN' sign. It was beautiful. The letters were in bright red neon, encircled in a vibrant electric blue oval. I wanted it. I wanted it bad.
I couldn't believe that just anybody, ANYBODY, could waltz in a buy an OPEN sign. Would I have to prove I was a business owner to the check-out clerk? Would the manager come and question my intentions? "What will you do with it?" he/she would ask with furrowed brow. "An OPEN sign bears a significant amount of responsibility. You must turn it on only when you're open and remember to turn it off when you're closed. Do you understand? You mustn't mislead the public with such a powerful device. It's not fair to the general population to advertise OPEN when you are indeed CLOSED."
But alas, I'm not a business owner. Would it cause any harm if I just put it in my living room window and turned it on occassionally? Would people stop their cars and knock on my front door? Would I be obliged to keep my door unlocked?
I could offer tea. I could just listen to people's problems. I could let them browse my eclectic collection of paperbacks. Would it offend them if I first made them take off their shoes? Could I present a bill?!?
I'm going to mull this over a bit -- before next Sunday when I'll be forced to look at the enticing OPEN sign once more. Maybe I should call Andy Rooney. He's good with stuff like this.

** added later -OOPS! I forgot to tag people! I hereby officially throw this meme to
Christine 38-days-to-release D'Abo,
Rhian the Creative Goddess herself,
Nicholas at A Gentleman's Domain, (we need a Y in the mix!)

R.I.P. Mortimer Tea Flash 2003 - 2007

Our kitty died this morning. Cause unknown.
We miss you puss-puss...

Thursday Thirteen #21 - 13 Smallest Countries in the World

The 13 Smallest Countries in the World

13. St. Vincent & the Grenadines - 150 square miles, pop. 117,000, island located in the Caribbean

12. Grenada - 133 sq miles, pop. 90,000, island located in the Caribbean

11. Malta - 122 sq miles, pop. 400,000, island located south of the Italian island of Sicily

10. Maldives - 115 sq miles, pop. 340,000, island group located in the Indian Ocean

9. Seychelles - 107 sq miles, pop. 81,000, island group located in the Indian Ocean

8. Saint Kitts & Nevis - 104 sq miles, pop. 39,000, islands located in the Caribbean

7. Marshall Islands - 70 sq miles, pop. 58,000, island group located in the Pacific

6. Leichtenstein - 62 sq miles, pop. 34,000, located in the Alps between Switzerland and Austria

(This is where Bermuda would have gone, at 25 sq miles with a pop. of 65,000, but it remains a self-governing British colony)

5. San Marino - 24 sq miles, pop. 29,000, located on Mt. Titano in north central Italy

4. Tuvalu - 9 sq miles, pop. 12,000, group of islands in Polynesia

3. Nauru - 8.5 sq miles, pop. 13,000, located in the Pacific

2. Monaco - .7 sq miles, pop. 32,000, located near Nice on the French Riviera

and the smallest country in the world is: *insert drum roll*

1. Vatican City (Holy See) - .2 sq miles, pop. 770 (though none are permanent residents), located in Rome, Italy

Leave you name, and if you've ever visited one of these wee places, please tell us what you thought:

Rambling About Music

Update on the big bounce: Sweetness & Light (aka 3 yr old and 7 yr old boys) have NEVER gone to sleep so quickly without a song, dance or fight as they have in the past two nights. The trampoline is turning out to be the ideal energy buster for my boys. They boing, sweat, drink water by the gallon, boing some more then drop like exhausted little kittens. Talk about Mommy's little helper!!

Nicholas over at A Gentleman's Domain mentioned that he'll be podcasting soon; a once a week gig focusing on jazz. (Hope I'm not spoiling any surprises, Nicholas!) This got me thinking (deeper than usual) about music, it's effects on people, how it is and isn't like reading. I'm going into an unplanned ramble, so bear with me...
Not everyone reads. There are some people who just don't enjoy books - fiction or non. (I don't get it, but hey). But have you ever heard anyone say that they don't like music? ANY kind of music? Rap, jazz, gospel, pop? Everyone likes SOME kind of music, right? It's an inarguable fact that every culture on earth since the dawn of man has some sort of identifiable sound -- melody, chant or beat.
If good music is good music (as in - all the notes sound pretty together), why don't we all share the same faves? Why do we tend to gravitate towards 'genres'. Nicholas for instance, likes jazz, and if you've ever visited his blog, it's quite obvious.
Me? I think jazz is alright. I'm listening to Billie Holiday as I blog, in fact. She's got a voice like honey - smooth, relaxing and non-intrusive. But I'm not passionate about it. Jazz doesn't speak to me, like it obvious does Nicholas.
Why? What is it in music that resonates with some but not others. Are we born with an inner tuning fork that gives us a predilection for a particular style? Let me be clear - I'm not talking about lyrics, just the instrumental bits, because if you don't like the tune, chances are you're not going to like the song, no matter how poetic the prose.

Are some more sensitive to music than others, or do we all feel as deeply and stongly when our personal forks are tweaked with a vibration, beat, or magical combination of notes?
Here are a few examples of what dings my fork:

• Nickelback's Chad Kroeger makes me feel like he's kissing my neck when he sings.
• I can't keep my hips still when Nelly Furtado teams up with Timbaland, and I can't stop myself from turning up my car radio (really loud) when Fall Out Boy's Arms Race comes on. Anything by Bon Jovi works well in the car for some reason.
• I've NEVER been able to stop the tears from flowing when the first few bars of Do They Know It's Christmas is played (maybe because I know what lyrics are coming?) and Corey Hart's Never Surrender all these years later continues to make my heart swell up so it feels like it's about to explode out of my chest.
• Both Pink and Xtina make me all "I am woman, I am power".
• The Eagles' Hotel California and Don MacLean's American Pie are two songs that I can't NOT sing along to when they come on, no matter where I am or whom I'm with. Same with the old Mamas and Papas California Dreaming.
• Phantom of the Opera's Masquerade, the bit near the end when they all start singing in unison while coming down the stairs, has a rhythm and majesty that makes me wish I had at least 6 more ears to drink it in.
• There's a two minute piece in Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Autumn's adagio molto, that invades every corner of my soul. I stop doing whatever I'm doing, close my eyes and float away into the melody. Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata has a similar effect, but not quite so strong. It's such a delicate sound that I'm afraid to move lest I shatter the fragile beauty.

I know many writers like to have music in the background. I prefer silence, but if I do need to throw some heavy emotion in, I turn to Alicia Keys' Fallin' or Evanescence's My Immortal to get me properly 'longing'.

I'm interested to know, what songs or 'genre' of music speaks to your inner tuning fork?

Cop Out Quiz Day

Lots to say, but no time to say it 'cause we just bought a trampoline and I MUST JUMP!! *weeeeeeeheeeeee*

So I'm copping out and posting a quizzy thing.
I thought it would be a fun one since it's about nailing down your regional American accent and I'm a Canadian who lived in Bermuda for so long that it's impossible to tell what kind of accent I have anymore! Guess I couldn't fool the Quiz God because it came up with a purdy valid analysis.

Your Linguistic Profile:

60% General American English 15% Yankee 10% Upper Midwestern 5% Dixie 5% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Have a great weekend! *boing boing bounce bounce*