Hot Hunk Friday blog post - Jeff Carter

Not a fab picture, I know, but I'm doing this sports theme and I can't forget my beloved Flyers.

Yeah!

Jeff Carter is a Center for the Philadelphia Flyers. Since football is almost over I'll watch hockey a bit more. Not that I can see many of the games because the state I live in has a hockey team. I just don't root for them.

I've only just gotten back into sports. When the kids were young it was hard to watch games.

Now my youngest sat with me this year during all the Penn State games. We bonded over these gridiron matches. It was fun.

At the end of the pro season both my sons and I watched the Eagles. So it was really neat to find things in common with them. The ages they are I know my time with them is finite.

So we have sports. Even though neither of them have an interest is playing sports we watch stuff.

It's funny, because I played softball and soccer when I was younger. Plus pick up games of stickball and half ball (stickball for the poor kids because we only had half a ball.)

I wasn't a great athlete, but I was okay. It wasn't as competitive as it is now.

So what sports do you watch or what sports did you play as a kid?

Word Wednesday - Candor

candor \KAN-der\, noun:
1. honesty in giving one's view or opinion; frankness and sincerity
2. fairness; impartiality

Candoris just another word for honesty.
I believe in honesty. I also believe in diplomacy, but I only learned that as an adult.
My mother used to say I was honest as the day is long. Does that mean I lie more in the Winter? Not sure she ever gave me an answer for my wise acre comment.
I try to be honest in all things unless being diplomatic is the better choice.
The manuscript I'm working on now is about honesty. It's about honesty with yourself as well as others. Anyone can lie to themselves about who they are and whether they possess certain traits. That is, until they have children. When you have that trait reflected back at you in a smaller version, you can no longer deny that you are a certain way. My oldest son has my sarcasm gene. What a surprise! But I like my sarcasm. It has lightened many tense situations over the years.
My hero in my latest story lies by omission about who he really is. He pretends to be something he isn't. He doesnt' change his basic character, but he does change some facts to get the heroine. But those facts also contribute to who he is.
The heroine is just coming to terms with who she is and who she will never be. And she's okay with it. I know what that's like. In the last two years I've purged my basement of many things. A lot of them were projects that reflected a person I wanted to be. I've decided I'm okay with not being that person. That's why I like this heroine. She's okay with who she is.
When I was a kid I thought adults knew it all. That at some point you are comfortable with yourself. I wish I'd known it would take me this long to get to that point. I might have tried harder.
Back to honesty.
What aren't you being honest with yourself about?

Review - What's Age Got to Do With It? by Robin McGraw

I was truly excited when this book came up for review. I wanted to like it. I’m a big fan of Dr. Phil. He’s no nonsense. His love for his wife is heartwarming. They seem like real people. She’s also very beautiful and I would assume part of it is genetics and part of it is her inner beauty coming out.
The book has chapters about nutrition, age, skin care and several other topics that would appeal to women of any age. The good part of the book is at the end of each chapter, Robin McGraw has opinions from experts about each subject.
The chapter on hormones and that every woman of any age should be monitoring their hormone level was new and interesting. It isn’t something my friends have talked about and it isn’t something my doctor has expressed to me.
Unfortunately the rest of the book has nothing new to add to the discussion. The author mentions that she ate cookies in the middle of the night when she fed her son. And that when she quit doing tha,t she lost weight.
I also don’t think that most of the advice is realistic for the average woman. Most women and most women in their fifties are taking care of their children, taking care of their parents and holding down a full time job. I can certainly appreciate that this is the age group that needs to pay attention to themselves, but when are they supposed to shop for all the specific creams and lotions and make up that Robin McGraw insists will make a difference in how they look? I felt as if most of the beauty products were out of the price range of the average woman. What it comes down to for me, was that I was disappointed that the advice wasn’t more down to Earth and no nonsense like her husband’s.

Happy News Monday - Low Carb Diets

Low Carb Diets my not be so bad.
I'm not a fan of one kind of diet. I think everything in moderation is key. But, I have cut back on my carbs and feel a lot better. I have more energy.
I didn't cut carbs out of my diet completely. I eat a lot of veggies. Love veggies. I'm always looking for good veggy recipes.
I tried Weight Watchers for about 3 months. I was starving for 3 month. It just wasn't my thing. I'd rather workout than diet.
Not that my diet is so bad. I'm not a big sweet eater. I just don't crave those things.
On the other hand, I like wine with dinner.
And, like I said, I eat a lot of vegetables.
So anyone have any good recipes for vegetables? Especially squashes?

Hot Hunk Friday - Eli Manning

I've decided to do a sports theme for a few weeks. And I started with Eli Manning. Not sure why except that I watched the Eagles beat his Giants.

He's also been on some car commercials lately so I've seen him. Lots of football players look beaten up. The quaterbacks less so. Remember Joe Montana? I was a bid San Francisco fan when he played. Well, not really, but I'd root for them when I could. I don't believe athletes should automatically be role models. I don't think they do enough to deserve that status. Not that there aren't athletes who do deserve to be role models and I'd probably nominate Eli Manning for what he does off the field.

But I would like to see more athletes as romantic heroes. For some reason the industry isn't big on them with a few exceptions like Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

So what's your fave sport?

Word Wednesday-ramble

ramble \RAM-buhl\, verb, noun:
1. to wander about2. a walk for pleasure without predetermined destination3. to talk or write about one thing and then another without useful connection

Ramble. Okay word. I don’t use it much. I guess when I write blog posts I’m rambling. My boss leaves rambling voice mail messages for me. It’s funny because he ends the monologue by mentioning he’s rambling. Funny. Especially since he’s an articulate guy in person.
I can ramble. I can talk incessantly if you need me to.
I don’t often ramble when I walk. I like to walk, but it usually has a purpose. I’m either exercising or going somewhere.
I find some writers ramble, but I know it’s a personal lack of preference of mine. Get to the point. Say what you want to say. I don’t care that her eyes are a blue somewhere between lapis and azul. She has blues eyes. Let’s move one, but I guess lots of readers like those details.
I skim over them.
Hence I’m a plot-driven writer.
Hm,
I think I rambled there.
Do ramble either in your writing or your speaking or your walking?

Happy News Monday - US Airways Landing

U.S. Airways Jet
The lead story on www.happynews.com is about the US Airways Airbus 320 landing in the Hudson.
One of my husband's hobbies is flying. One think I've learned over the years that whenever you are flying, part of your brain is always analyzing and searching for places to land in an emergency. And I've been up the Hudson in a plane with him. Never thought about landing on it.
But obviously the pilot that day did.
He had no choice.
And it could have gone very badly. But it didn't.
Tp add to the day, the reaction of those in the Hudson at the time warmed my heart. A 20YO pilot ferry steered her craft to save the people. So did another ferry. And because they went there, not many people had to brave the Hudson.
Lots of factors aligned to make this the opposite of a tragedy. The Hudson wasn't choppy or icy.
The engines failed close to the river among other things.
Not the least of which is the pilot. The best man at our wedding is a pilot for an airline. They are trained for just such situations.
But still. It was an amazing piece of flying.
My hat is off to Sully.
And I want to use that landing in a book. Think any editor will believe it?

Hot Hunk Friday - Christopher Rich

I have a confession. When I was younger (teens and younger) I watched soap operas. One of my faves was Another World. Mac and Rachel Cory were the center of the goings on in Bay City.

Along came a guy named Cory, played by Christopher Rich. He was supposedly Mac's illegitimate son. That's my first memory of Christopher Rich. I don't think he looks that much older than I am and he doesn't look particularly different from when I first saw him.

The last show I remember him doing was Reba. Anyone who reads this blog enough knows I'm a big fan of Reba. I've watched it in reruns and find it to be a show I can safely watch with my kids.

Christopher Rich plays Reba's ex-husband, Brock, who is still in her life.

Anyway, he's one of those nice-looking guys who seems as if he doesn't know he's nice-looking. That's really attractive.

I don't think I've written a male character any other way. I've known men who were vain. I find it unattractive. That doesn't mean you can't look nice or dress well, but there's a guy I work with who uses more hair gel than I do and my hair is halfway down my back in length.

So what do you think about a guy who primps a lot?

Word Wednesdy

I promise I will have one next week. I've been swamped at work.
Thanks for stopping by.

Book Review Tuesday - The Unseen by T.L. Hines

When I started reading The Unseen by T.L.Hines I thought I was going to be creeped out by it. The back cover copy says, “Lucas is a loner, but he’s never alone. From secret hiding places, he peers into the lives of others. Creepy, huh? The whole idea that someone is watching you is creepy. Though in my work office you’d be hard-pressed to watch me without my knowing it. Despite my misgivings, I decided to try the book anyway.
I’m glad I did.
This book isn’t just about a guy who watches other people. Lucas is a man with a past. He thinks he knows what that is, but you find out he doesn’t. So as not to spoil the end, I won’t say more than that.
One day he runs into another person in the steam tunnels under Washington DC. He’d never encountered someone in his territory so he Googles the person. He finds out there are others who watch people as they work and live. He goes to a meeting of a group called The Creep Club. He doesn’t like what he sees.
This is where his life goes South. I could not have predicted how events unfold in the rest of the book. This is always a plus. As a writer I have a pretty good imagination and I know all about twists and turns. When an author can keep me guessing that makes for a good read. So two thumbs up to T.L. Hines.

Happy New Monday - Eagles win NFC

The birds did it! Enough said.

Hot Hunk Friday - Christopher Meloni

I love Law and Order, especially the SVU version. I shouldn't. I know from researching my books that crimes are not solved in 60 minutes or even days most of the time.But I was raised on the 70's cop shows so that's what I still like to watch.And Law and Order is it. Really, the only one I watch.How could it be better? If Christopher Meloni would take his shirt of more often. He doesn't really, but you only have to see him with it off once to want to see it again.So should I start a petition to the writers of Law and Order? More shirtless shots of Christopher Meloni!

Word Wednesday - Fabricate

fabricate \FAB-ri-keyt\, verb:
1. to make, build, or construct2. to make up, invent3. to fake or forge a document or signature
This makes me think of fabric. Which you can use to make things. I was just in the fabric section of Walmart today. I want to make a purse. A backpack purse. Mine broke recently and it's annoying to have a purse on one shoulder. And I met a friend who quilts.
Anyway, fabricate is a word I love, but don't use often at all. It seems pretension compared to saying someone lied. Or made up a story.
He fabricated a lie. Well of course he did. Lies, by definition, are made up.
So what was the last thing you fabricated?

Happy News Monday

Amish Community has low incidence of heart disease.
This is poignant for me today. A friend, only in his fifties, is having a quintuple bypass today. By the time you read this it will probably be done.
So I was thinking about heart disease.
My mother had high blood pressure and her father died of a heart attack. He was 79. They really are my only link to heart disease. My sister says we are anti-risk for heart disease. All my numbers come back great. My doctor loves to see my numbers.
Researchers believe that if they study this Amish community they will be able to figure out prevenative drugs.
What a neat idea. A community that spurns technology will be instrumental in creating new technology or at least drugs.
That's pretty ironic.
Even though I don't have heart disease and probably won't I still work out. It makes me feel good.
So what do you do for yourself?