Today and...

It's been twenty-four hours of nothing but fun. (Insert heavy sarcasm here). Almost no sleep - four hours is not near enough for a beauty like me. There are things that need done and of course they must be done in a prescribed timeframe which is now not later. The computer problem is fixed. Replaced Chrome with IE for now and everything is is fine. I no longer have to sign in each time I change pages (definitely maddening when reading blogs). Tomorrow is football! Grandson is sidelined with a sprain but all of us will be cheering up to victory over Clarion. We will cheer loudly and hard after the one (1) point loss last week to that other team. Saturday Shorts is coming up and then I hope to be on track with, what for me, is normal posting. I'm headed out for business now and then sleep. Have a happy and blessed weedend.

Book Review: Highland Fire by Hannah Howell

I decided to give the book a try, even if the writing and story thus far had me concerned. However, the book slapped my face with the worst plot device ev-ah! You know the one... Love at first sight! Blah. I stopped believing in that sometime in the womb. I am sure that some ladies (and maybe men... I am sure there are guys out there who read romances... right?) out in the world who thoroughly enjoy the idea of LaFS. I just find it a cheap way of hooking characters up without actually having them become closer in a more natural way. I believe in lust at first sight. But most often the key word is "love." Sure. So the main character dude is convinced that he and this stranger girl are "mates." I cringed at the word. And it isn't what you think. Nope. I don't like the word because it is somehow deemed by the author to be romantic. A sort of destiny thing. Now if this were a drag you back to the cave, no feelings involved, story I would accept the word. But since this is supposed to be a sweet, happy romance I despise the use of the word. I skimmed this book. Just as a warning. You may ask if I am a totally fair judge of the book. And I answer Yes! 

I am sure I could have enjoyed a passage or two in the book that I did not read (but I doubt it). You could not force me to read this one though. After I read the last pages in the book (yes I skipped to the end) I heartily threw the book on the floor. Now this book had something else I really don't like. Besides a consistently stubborn and dense heroine. I know she is dense and stubborn because I read the last pages. See I wasn't made to suffer. I think I chose correctly. Anyway... this book has characters that speak in dialect! Oh sweet joy! Dialect. Scottish dialect to be exact. Save me now. It's all "ken" and "verra" and "dinnae" (not sure on the last one, but you get the point). I was gonna kill someone. The word "bonnie" was used too! Argh! No! I have an aversion to the word. Especially when "lass" is attached. It was like I stepped into Satan's living room! Hellish! I don't think I'd mind dialect if it was similar to a Robert Burns poem. But I just get the American trying to speak like a Scot vibe. Which always causes me to run away with my ears plugged (if I were watching a movie). I ran away. Rating: Did not finish. Would not recommend this book, unless you like the author and/or if you are fond of Scots dialect.

Highland Fire by Hannah Howell

Title: Highland Fire. Author: Hannah Howell. Genre: Historical Romance. Paperback: 384 pages. Publisher: Zebra; Reprint Edition (June 1, 2008). Description: Swept overboard and stranded on the rocky shores of Scotland, Moira Robertson is left with only the tattered clothes on her back-and the mysterious stranger who came to her aid on the ship. Although their close surroundings unsettle her, she soon cannot resist his touch which awakens a burning ache deep within her. But can she trust her life-and her heart-to this darkly seductive man? Tavig MacAlpin is a condemned man. Accused of a murder he did not commit, his escape is thwarted by a flame-haired beauty. He must continue his search for justice, but fate has bound him to this Scottish lass-and to a slow, sensual desire that will not be denied.

Review: Sometimes I just want to read a bad book. My brain gravitates to my stack of TBR books, ones that I suspect may be a vacation for my brain. I am not looking for a terrible book. Just one that is "bad" enough to give me a break from actually using any brain power. I have this theory, which is probably completely correct (or not), that our brains are incredibly insightful. That meat rattling in our skulls pick up on the tiniest cues. And I think my brain was leading me to the number one "bad" book in my stacks. Sadly this book exceeded my expectations. Meh. It was a tough decision whether I thought the first paragraph was bizarre in a good way or a bad way. A man in obvious disguise. A puffy, soft belly. Like all the fake Santas wear. Skinny, but oh so strong, legs and arms. It could have been entertaining if it wasn't a train wreck.

The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove

I’m listening to this song on one of my pandora stations, and remembering where i heard it first, while working at a bookstore that had been built inside the castle-like shell of an old theosophical society temple. In some ways, that job was pretty cool, as retail jobs go. So after a bit of googling I find one of the former employees has created a myspace page as internet flypaper trying to get all those people together. I don’t know. I met some people i liked there. Other people I met there, I had some conflict with. Largely, I think, because they disapproved of my not drinking. Frustrated writers can be that way. There’s a weird camaraderie that arises amongst people working together at a crappy retail job. Especially the type that affords a veneer of elite knowledge even if it does not afford elite pay. I occasionally keep in touch with my fellow former box office people (”yes, I used to work for a nonprofit arts organization”).

Lose Weight with Apple Cider Vinegar

Lose weight tips can be found everywhere. Don't believe everything you see or hear but every once in a while you may come across a suggestion that actually works. Apple cider vinegar may just be one of those precious finds. Apple cider vinegar is credited wtih many health giving benefits, including helping to lose weight. Google apple cider vinegar to learn about its healthy promoting properties. I am not normally a fan of what may appear as dietary gimmicks to help you lose weight, but this one really does work according to the testimonies of thousands of people who have benefited from this dieting method. If you want to lose weight healthy and successfully with this diet then it is important to follow the instructions. First of all you need to use organic apple cider vinegar. Normal vinegars such as malt vinegar although they may aid the weight loss process are generally considered to be too acidic and also lack some of the trace elements commonly found in apple cider vinegar. The simple recipe is to drink diluted apple cider vinegar approximately 20 minutes before each meal. If you find the taste difficult to get used to then it is acceptable to add a small amount of honey making it a more palatable drink. Unfortunately nobody really knows for certain why the apple cider vinegar works to help you to lose weight.

There are however three explanations that are considered to be credible and have some scientific basis. Vinegar promotes and enhances the body's own natural potential to dispose of excess fat by allowing a given expenditure of energy to burn more calories than it otherwise would have, thus reducing the number of calories that are stored as fat and enabling the body to lose weight. The extra acidity temporarily created in the stomach and other parts of the digestive system help to make the subsequent intake of food more digestible thereby leading to a more rapid passage through the bowel. Drinking the cider vinegar 20 minutes before the meal acts as an appetite suppressant. This small reduction in food intake along with the other benefits mentioned can result in an improvement in the body's ability to lose weight. But you need to be aware that this is not a lose weight fast program. It invariably takes at least a month before any tangible results will be noticed. In fact any noticeable effectiveness of the diet is often not realized until the 3rd month. It goes without saying that whilst embarking on the diet it is not sufficient to just rely on the cider vinegar to lose weight, it is vital to change your eating habits so that when you have reached your target weight you don't revert back to your old ways and put the weight straight back on.

What's in a Name?

I searched a song with my name. In all these years I never have. I figured someone named Myriam at some point might have inspired beautiful sentiments in a person that would have created beautiful lyrics. On a Sunday morning I turned on youtube and selected the songs with my name. I found three with the spelling slightly different, Miriam, there were more than 3 but I could only stand so much of that music. The lyrics were depressing, horrific to say the least. Who have been these women to evoke such feelings? The first one was King Diamond, a song fitted for a horror movie, "Oh Miriam, why did you have to go and die?". Another one described Miriam, the one who didn't die or the one who died but before she died. Miriam was kind of homely kind of ugly in the face and hands she had nice eyes she had nice breasts and hands and feet but she was small and dark and hurt all over. I think they were describing me after a marathon. I listened to yet one more. The Honeydogs was not much better although it doesn't talk about how ugly Miriam is. Good God, what's in a name that no one has impacted a writer the right way to leave behind some sweet melodies! I am glad I spell my name a little different, maybe throwing a Y in there might inspire some better prose.

The Aluminum Coffee Pot

As a toddler, my divorced mother and I lived with my Grandmother "Mama" Ruby, Granddaddy George and my Uncle Bobby (my mother's only sibling) in downtown Savannah. Someone else in our household on a daily basis was our maid, Janie. I loved Janie to death, especially when she would dress me in pretty little pastel pinafores and we'd go walking, sometimes to the corner confectionary, sometimes to the park, sometimes to the drugstore, but always hand in hand. Janie had been with Mama Ruby for several years and they appeared to be friends as well as employer and empoyee. I remember seeing them sitting on the back porch during a break from cleaning or doing the laundry, sharing a cup of coffee and talking about their respective families while I nearby. Among my favorite possessions was an aluminum set that included a coffee pot, plates, saucers and cups along with knives, forks and spoons. I would place my dolls and teddy bears at a small table, set the table and we'd pretend for hours, using water in my little pot. When I played with it outdoors, I'd "set a table" on the stairs, and Mama Ruby and Janie would smile at me and always made smacking sounds when they drank the water from the small cups I handed to each of them. Janie would say: My, my child… that's some good coffee, because I always told them it was coffee I was serving. The coffee pot actually had a glass top and the insert for coffee grounds and looked so much like my Mama Ruby's coffee pot, I was convinced coffee could be made in it. This photo of a vintage set doesn't show the glass top or the insides, but otherwise, it's pretty darn close to the one I had. Being a presistant little toddler, one day I asked Mama Ruby to make me some coffee in my very own pot. She and Janie looked at each other, and without a word, they both shooed me out of the kitchen, telling me they'd call me when they were ready.

Now in those days, your maid didn't sit at the dining room table with the family, and our kitchen was very small with no seating, so I was in for a surprise when they called me to the kitchen. Since it was known that I clearly wanted all three of us to share coffee from my little cups, they had set quite a table for me to behold. The oven door was lowered all the way down, there was a clean white kitchen towel spread over it and on top was a place setting for three, each plate holding a cookie. Janie had made fresh coffee in Mama Ruby's pot and then poured some into my little aluminum pot, so you can imagine the look on my little face when she poured real coffee into our tiny cups. We sat there for quite a while, eating our cookie and drinking our coffee (mine diluted with lots of milk, of course) and talking about whatever came to mind like we were all grownups. When I asked Janie if they had made the coffee in my pot, she just smiled at me and said: Well child, I suppose you could say that's a real coffee pot you've got there. At the time, I didn't realize she had avoided answering the actual question, but I heard what I wanted to hear and I was beside myself with joy. Then Janie added discreetly: Now you know you can't be using your grandma's stove Jane, but once in a while, we'll make the coffee for you. Will that be okay? With my three year old eyes solemn, I agreed. After that special afternoon, Mama Ruby and Janie would set up the oven/table with my aluminum coffee pot set about once a week and we'd sit around eating a cookie, drinking coffee from my little cups, and talk and laugh with each other. It was heaven on earth for that three year old little southern girl. It also taught me how to be a good employer to hired help as Mama Ruby set quite an example of working side by side with Janie, treating her like she was a member of our family, laughing and talking about things women experienced, not matter the age or race. When I was in my teens and Janie was long passed from this earthly world, I asked Mama Ruby whose idea it was really and she told: Lord baby girl, Janie loved you like you were one of her own and it was all her idea. And that, too, was exactly what I wanted to hear.