Bring in the Holiday Season!!!

Now that Thanksgiving is over, we can bust out the artificial Christmas tree. Colored lights to follow as soon as I can find them.

We had a really cool fire burning earlier. Wish I had a shot of that. Hey, what is that ugly apperition in the mirror? Ugh! It's hideous. 

 

Wrapping miscellaneous stuff on the stair banister or whatever it's called.

A desk we bought on Black Friday. It was dirt cheap. Spent hours putting it together. Wish I could figure out the drawer. It just won't fit. We bought a second desk (I'll put it together tomorrow) and a PC tower that is kickass. Can't wait to put it all together.

Hammy the Hamster says hello! She wants to join me in a toast to the Holiday Season.

Guess she doesn't like white wine. More for me!

Okay, it's getting late. Time to bust out the Roku, finish that wine, and watch a couple episodes of Cosmos.

How was your Thanksgiving? Were you able to spend tiwm with family and friends? Busting out the Christmas decorations yet?

Oh, How I Miss You Blogfest

Oh, How I Miss You Blogfest:  Brought to you by Alex Cavanaugh, Andrew Leon, Matthew MacNish, the purpose of the Oh, How I Miss You Blogfest regards the following: 

The bloggers you miss and the ones you would miss. 

List one to three bloggers you really miss. 

List one to three bloggers you would really miss if they stopped blogging. 

And then go let them know! 

Who I Miss: I miss Laura Eno and her blogs. One was named A Shift In Dimensions, then Laura moved to another blog that is no longer up and running. Laura was great and had this series of short stories that included characters Kronos and Death and another character I forgot. They’d often meet in a bar and discuss people that they should or should not kill and the reasons why. Great humorous stuff. I can still see Death sitting at the bar, a skeleton in a back cape, eating peanuts. Of course, being a skeleton, the peanuts would tumble down through the ribcage and fall to the floor. 

A Person I Would Miss: Hilary Melton-Butcher from across the Pond and her blog Positive Letters .... inspiration stories ..... Hilary has one of the most fascinating and interesting blogs out there. Every time I stop by I learn something new. And Hilary has to be one of the most supportive people in all of Blogdom. 

Okay, back to my Top Secret Work deep in my laboratory in a cave somewhere on Mars. If you don’t have a wormhole for travel in your garage, don’t try to find me. But I’ll be back real soon. I promise! As soon as I can remember how to get back in my secret laboratory.

We Interrupt This Regularly Schedule Program ...

Hi all. Not much to report on today as I'm working on some really Top Secret Stuff. Can't say what it is. Top Secret, you know. You'll just have to take my word for it. But I'll be back for my midweek post and the Weekend Follies. Have a great week!

And you know what to do. In my absence, all hail to the might Lava Lamps. It's been a while, and I bet you missed them. Well, what are you waiting for? All hail!!! 

Weekend Follies and the 2015 Blogging A to Z Team!!!

Hey all, as always thanks for stopping by and saying hello! I greatly appreciate it. We only have a couple of items to note today. 

First Up: Take a moment and stop by Blogging A to Z Challenge and meet the 2015 Challenge Team. There will be some familiar faces (mine) and some new ones. So stop by, introduce yourself, and say hello. 

And remember, it’s never too early to pick a theme and begin outlining a few posts. Me, I have my theme. And I have a Word document with the letters A to Z in descending order. Most of my topics have been identified and outlined. 

Weekend Follies: So I leave you with a few chuckles of cats and Ninja Kitty. Enjoy!

And here's a clip of Ninja Kitty that's been circulating Facebook for a while. Enjoy!

 

Tui T. Sutherland, Rosetta, Philae, and a Comet

Friday night I took my kids to see one of their favorite authors Tui T. Sutherland at the Mission Viejo Civic Center. She writes the extremely popular Wings of Fire Dragon series. She also shares the pen name of Erin Hunter with a few other female writers on the Seekers and Warriors series. 

This was a real treat for the kids. Me too, as I’ve read some of the Warrior series as the kids downloaded the books on my Samsung Galaxy tablet. They bought some of the Wings of Fire books, stood in line for an hour, got to meet the author, and she signed their books. 

I got something out of the event too. Tui Sutherland knows how to handle an event such as this. I’ve been to other author events and often they make the mistake of rambling on and on, especially during the Q & A. But Ms. Sutherland kept the evening moving at a brisk pace while giving a power packed lecture and then answering questions. 

But Wait, That’s Not All: In 2009, Tui appeared as a contestant on Jeapordy! becoming a two-day champion and winning a grand total of $46,200. 

You can check out Tui Sutherland’s Website and blog HERE 

Did You Know: After a ten-year journey, Rosetta and Philae had finally reached their destination, Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Scientists will now attempt to land the probe Philae directly onto the comet. How cool is that! 

Artist's rendition of Philae Landing

Fun Facts: Comets are believed to form in the Kuiper Belt (beyond the planet Neptune) and the Oort Cloud (beyond the Kuiper Belt). There may be are hundreds of thousands of icy bodies larger than 100 km (62 miles) and an estimated trillion or more comets within the Kuiper Belt. The Oort Cloud may contain more than a trillion icy bodies. 

Take a couple minutes to watch this YouTube clip about this amazing feat!

 

IWSG, NaNo, and Other Fun Stuff

IWSG: It’s the first Wednesday of the month and time for IWSG. You can also follow threads throughout the month on Facebook at this link: IWSG Critique Corner. 

Steve’s Science and Other Fun Stuff: This Thursday I’m posting over at the Blogging A to Z Challenge. I do this every first and third Thursday of the month. I post on the latest and greatest realms of science and such. These posts are timely, informative, and downright interesting. 

This month is no exception. Just click on Einstein’s image at the top left of my sidebar this Thursday. While we’re at it, there is someone posting every day at Blogging A to Z Challenge covering all kinds of relevant topics regarding a wide range of topics. You’ll be glad you did! 

Finally: I performed my civic duty on Tuesday and voted. Sure, my puny little vote may not change the world. But it's still important people take their future and the future of their posterity seriously.

2014 Foodie Blog Tour and Bloghop, Fuzzy Navel, and Other Fun Stuff

2014 Foodie Blog Tour and Bloghop: Sponsored by H. R. Sinclair to celebrate the release of her new cook book 365 Nights. The objective of this BlogHop? Post about food: 

--a fond food memory 

--a disaster in the kitchen 

--your favorite recipe 

--pictures of food 

--anything food related 

These days wifey and I are juicing a lot. We have a jack LaLane juicer and throw whatever fresh organic produce we have in it. Mainly veggies. I’ve found adding Granny Smith apples, limes, and ginger root takes the edge of purely vegetable drink. We’re feeling better, losing those pounds that sneak up on us, and are replacing meals with processed food with fresh produce. 

To download 365 Nights: CLICK HERE 

What I’m Reading: My first J.A. Konrath book. As many of you know, Konrath has sold over a million ebooks by self publishing, although I believe he has since had a publisher for a recent release. 

A particular series about the character Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels, a Chicago detective, is named after mixed drinks. I found Fuzzy Navel as a free promotion and downloaded it. About a third the way into it I can see why Konrath has sold so many downloads. Review upcoming. 

BTW, a Fuzzy Navel is equal amounts of peach schnapps and orange juice. No Jack Daniels, though. Add vodka, and you have yourself a Hairy Navel. Me, I’ll just stick to the wine when writing. You can check out words of writing, publishing, and selling ebooks wisdom from Konrath HERE. 

IWSG: This Wednesday is IWSG. With NaNo kicking into high gear, this is a great venue for participants of the event to chime in their thoughts. 

Steve’s Science And Other Fun Stuff: And be sure to stop by the Blogging A to Z Challenge website the first and third Wednesday of each month where I post something in the latest and greatest realms of science and such. These posts are timely, informative, and downright interesting. This month is no exception. Just click on Einstein’s image at the top left of my sidebar this Thursday. 

Recap: Are you doing NaNo this year? Read any of J. A. Konrath’s books or checked out his thoughts on publishing? Have any books you’re writing that you’ll wrap up by year’s end?